Page 2626 - Week 07 - Thursday, 18 June 2009
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19. Shooter proficiency testing is held every two years.
20. The targets used during accreditation are retained and provided to the AFP for reference.
21. Yes. PCL and the AFP hold a list of details including names, contact numbers and licence numbers of those who have successfully completed proficiency testing. These details are provided to all lessees with the cull application. Lessees can also obtain details by contacting staff within the Programs Coordination section of PCL.
22. Yes. This restriction was introduced at the request of the RLA to ensure that only shooters who will be utilised during the two culling seasons become accredited. This has not always been the case. At the first proficiency test conducted in 1994/95, any person with a current firearms licence could nominate. However, some successful applicants complained that rural lessees would not use them and rural lessees complained that shooters were continually contacting them.
23. No. Lessees are not provided the opportunity to undertake an accuracy test or macropod identification test other than that coordinated by PCL. It is a requirement of the proficiency testing process that the AFP Registrar of Firearms (or his representative) must be in attendance, along with AFP certified and qualified range officer and safety officer.
Education—languages
(Question No 218)
Ms Hunter asked the Minister for Education and Training, upon notice, on 6 May 2009:
What action is being undertaken by the ACT Government to move the Languages Policy, and particularly languages education, from the Multicultural Strategy into a broader framework document such as the Canberra Plan, as suggested by the Minister in August 2008 at the multicultural languages forum.
Mr Barr: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:
(1) An internal ACT Department of Education and Training document entitled the Languages Support Plan is sometimes confused for a ‘Languages Policy’. There is no ‘Languages Policy’. The Languages Support Plan (the Plan) provides guidelines for language teachers to implement the 2007 ACT Curriculum Framework Every chance to learn. The Plan outlines initiatives and support provided to schools to ensure they meet the curriculum requirements for compulsory languages education in years 3 to 8 in public schools by the end of 2010.
The Multicultural Strategy has been developed by the Multicultural Affairs Department and focuses on language provision by the ACT Ethnic Schools Association for community languages not taught in ACT public schools. Languages education in ACT schools is unrelated to the Multicultural Strategy and was never part of this document.
The Member seems to be misinformed in regard to my comments in August 2008.
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