Page 521 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 23 February 2010
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empower principals to be able to better address what they think is necessary in their own schools. As I committed to in this place during the last sitting week, I have sought meetings with both our Greens colleagues and the minister for education, and I am pleased to say that both meetings were indeed fruitful.
I think I can say that while Ms Hunter and the Greens do not necessarily agree on the bill before us today, nor with my amendments, they do have a better understanding now of my reasons for sticking to my guns and supporting our principals in all ACT schools. The minister was also amenable to finding a way through the impasse that we faced. I believe that we can both be satisfied that this outcome is a step in the right direction for ACT education.
Through discussions held yesterday, we have found a way through the stalemate. My amendments to follow reflect the willingness of Mr Barr to come to a compromise, that compromise being an increase to the maximum number of days that principals in ACT government and Catholic schools can suspend a student of their own accord without departmental approval, from the current five days to a maximum of up to 15 days. Again, the passage of this legislation does not mean that students will be suspended for the maximum length of time. Indeed, this autonomy will enable the principals to make a decision based on the best available local knowledge and the factors that need to be taken into account to best address their specific situation.
I believe this bill and the amendments will also go a long way towards addressing the growing number of complaints from parents who are frustrated with the problems their children are experiencing in our schools, answer the call for support of the teachers and students who currently have to put up with continued disruptions in the classroom and assist those who want to learn to be also given consideration. This bill, along with its amendments, will also be a step in the right direction for better management of disruptive students and assist frustrated educators who currently are faced at times with conflicting targets.
I also look forward to hearing more over the coming months about the results of the recently introduced pilot suspension program. It would appear that this program does address the needs of a suspended student and the school community in terms of a re-entry program. It is an initiative that we also have been advocating. This program does seem, on the face of it, to address concerns raised by stakeholders. I look forward to presenting our amendments at the appropriate time.
MS HUNTER (Ginninderra—Parliamentary Convenor, ACT Greens) (4.30): Today we have the Labor Party and the Liberals joining together to rush through a change in legislation while the suspension support team pilot scheme is being conducted, the earn or learn legislation is untried and the ACT parents and citizens are calling on us to not make any changes to the current legislation. In fact, we saw the Victorian government introduce just last July a change to the length of suspension that a principal could give. That was to change it from 10 days to five days.
Now with Mr Doszpot’s amendment that he will be putting forward, in the ACT we will have suspensions of up to three weeks without an independent check to protect the rights of a child, as the Human Rights Act sets down. How is a student to make up for that amount of time away from studies? What arrangements can carers or parents
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