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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 08 Hansard (Thursday, 5 August 2004) . . Page.. 3567 ..

students in those sorts of classes also realise that women are able to complete technology, woodwork and metalwork tasks. That is important in our quest to enhance the VET stream in secondary schooling.

We need female role models to encourage certain female students to go into the VET stream, where it may be deemed that this is their best course to higher learning. There will be a need, once the VET stream is properly developed, for female teachers in this area of schooling—but, again, we cannot positively discriminate to recruit them, because the law does not allow us that flexibility. That is another reason why we need to have this act.

In some areas we need to positively discriminate in favour of recruiting male teachers. We have heard 15 per cent, but let’s just say, conservatively, that 20 per cent is the figure for the occupancy of male teachers in primary schools. That is simply not good enough, but there is no way under present laws that we can positively discriminate to recruit male teachers to rebalance that equation.

Let me look at some of the reasons for putting male teachers into schools. I take issue with some of the comments earlier from the crossbench. A female teacher in high school said:

Young male students following on from primary years without positive male role model influences continue their challenging behaviour, pushing the boundaries of violence, truancy, disrespect and peer pressure. Actually, the discourse consists of both male and female students who need positive male role models.

Too many students, particularly boys, come from broken homes where there is conflict with their only role model: mum. This element has been transferred into the school environment, where students often identify the female teacher as someone they can disrespect, as they do mum. With a male teacher in the high school years students are more likely to respond to requests, exert positive behaviour and maintain appropriate discipline in respecting others—that is, female teachers and their fellow female students. Let’s not forget the other major category: students who do not come from broken homes but from stable, loving, but single-parent families, where there is no male role model. In those cases a male role model is required, to round out student development.

Ms Dundas poo-poos the need for male teacher balance. Let me quote from the Improving the Educational Outcomes of Boys departmental study December 2002. While it did not find strongly in favour of shoring up boys’ education, it could not deny the following observations, which I maintain support the case that I am putting forward for more male teachers in schools. It reads:

Outside the school, boys can draw unbalanced modes of masculinity constructed through the media, sport, and popular culture that result in:

Restrictive emotionality

Concern with power and status

Excessive self-reliance

Homophobia

Anti-authoritarian bravado

Anti-intellectualism

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