Page 2911 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 20 September 2006
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The government is already engaged in a comprehensive and ongoing consultation process with affected school communities, and with the wider public, on precisely these issues with regard to the Towards 2020 proposal. The government’s extensive consultation process on the proposal has included:
• eight community information forums, one in each education region;
• more than 550 consultation meetings so far, involving me and/or senior departmental officials;
• letters from me and from the department inviting feedback from school and community members via email and postal submissions;
• regular updating of information on the department’s Towards 2020 website;
• invitations to school board chairs, community and business groups to submit their views and suggestions;
• meetings between departmental special education and early intervention staff with parents of students with special needs to discuss possible options should the proposal proceed;
• support from school directors and other departmental staff to parents and school communities on a daily basis; and
• meetings between principals of schools proposed for closure or amalgamation at the end of 2006, students and their parents on an individual basis, to discuss transition planning should the proposal proceed.
At the end of this six-month consultation period the government will consider all the feedback and submissions. Having regard for the educational, financial and social impact, it will make a decision and take the necessary action to ensure the continuation of our high-quality education system.
The Stanhope government is well aware of the central role that schools play in the development of the individual, the family and our community as a whole. For this reason, the government gave careful consideration to a range of educational, social, geographic and financial considerations before putting forward a proposal and taking it to the community for their response.
The government will not be supporting Dr Foskey’s proposed amendments. Far from benefiting school communities, their effect would be to create further uncertainty and instability. It would simply be irresponsible to avoid facing facts. If we want to give our students the best schools and the best opportunities, we need to be prepared to make some changes—and make some changes now. The choices we make today will secure a sustainable education system into the future.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (10.39): The opposition will be strongly supporting Dr Foskey’s Education (School Closures Moratorium) Amendment Bill. As a measure of our support for this bill, we have introduced and circulated amendments we would like to see which would give extra teeth to the proposals brought forward by Dr Foskey.
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