Page 63 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 12 February 2008
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important aspect of the government’s overall commitment to ensure that the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in terms of performance in each of the key areas is improved, and we are backing our commitment there with additional resources.
We are also providing for the non-government school sector this year—an additional $1 million to provide for a range of additional support services, particularly for students with a disability in non-government schools. Again, that is part of a targeted package. The government is also asking non-government schools to look at some of the equity issues that have clearly arisen out of recent test data that have shown that performance, particularly in terms of retention to year 12 in the non-government system, lags considerably behind the government system. The apparent retention rate for the public system is over 100 per cent, but in non-government schools it is only just above the Australian average of about 75 per cent. So in terms of achieving our overall goal to have all students complete year 12 or achieve a vocational education and training equivalent we will need to work particularly closely with non-government schools to see if they can get their retention rates up equivalent to the public system. That involves additional resources that the government provided this year. (Time expired.)
Mr Stanhope: I ask that all further questions be placed on the notice paper.
Personal explanation
DR FOSKEY (Molonglo): Mr Speaker, I seek leave under standing order 46 to make a personal explanation.
Leave granted.
DR FOSKEY: I just want to correct the record. As host of the meeting mentioned by the Chief Minister I have sought advice on the attendees. The Chief Minister said only four ordinary members of the public who attended the meeting were from Canberra and the remainder of 50, I think he said, were from Jerrabomberra, Queanbeyan or Wamboin.
The only quantitative information available is the names of the people who signed the petition that was there, a petition to the House of Representatives, and that indicates that, out of a total of around 80 people in attendance, 59 people signed the petition. Of those, 45 were from the ACT, 14 were from New South Wales, one was from Wamboin—
MR SPEAKER: How is this a personal explanation?
Mr Seselja: Because she was misrepresented.
DR FOSKEY: Thank you. The Clerk indicated to me that that was the only standing order under which I could correct the record, and thank you very much. Perhaps the Chief Minister got confused with the name Curfew 4 Canberra, and thought that that referred to the number of people who opposed the curfew, but in fact, as this indicates, there were already a lot more people than that.
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