Page 3157 - Week 07 - Thursday, 1 July 2010
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and teachers are given the proper level of support to assist in obtaining the best education outcomes for all students.
MR COE (Ginninderra) (8.03): Madam Assistant Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to speak on this matter today. Steve Doszpot is unfortunately unable to be here due to a family commitment.
As with the other portfolios under Mr Barr, the strategy has been the same leading up to the budget and estimates—spin, spin and more spin. First, there is a comprehensive media release with big, overall numbers. As Minister for Education and Training, this portfolio’s announcement trumpeted “$59.5 million in ACT budget continues the government’s commitment to education”. And, as is now customary, the minister issued a series of media releases mixing, matching and singling out various components of the budget. The public are left with a sense that the government has invested more in schools than was initially thought.
For example, in one media release Mr Barr proclaimed $14.4 million to fund new schools and in another and exuberant $28.4 million to support two new schools. Which is the correct figure? I am sure the minister will say they both are, and perhaps he is right. However, in a budget that has been characterised as not accurate and transparent enough, this is the type of public relations voodoo that leads to further misinformation to the public.
Truth be said, the Stanhope government’s budget is a mid-term budget poised to cement ACT Labor’s legacy in the territory. There is great talk of marquee projects and capacity building, but it is thin on investing in Canberrans. This is understandable, given the minister’s record on not consulting the community. It is, after all, far easier to build and say that the Stanhope government is doing something, than to consult and deal with the greyness of people issues. The formula is simple: capacity building projects costing money that in turn garner media attention and leave a tangible legacy. On the other hand, grassroots people and interest group issues take hard work, require listening skills and most often do not warrant good spin.
Take for example Ms Penny Gilmore from the Australian Education Union. She said, “Since Minister Barr has been the minister the meetings have become increasingly irregular, to the point where, at the beginning of this year, I received an email proposing three half-hour meetings for the entire year.”
It is perhaps not a coincidence that throughout the budget and estimates the AEU have been unequivocal in stating that this budget is short on investing in people. By this they meant that the government’s budget was thin on addressing issues such as teacher salaries, work-life balance, professional development and training, teacher workload and duties, and the list goes on. Keeping in mind the AEU sentiments throughout estimates, the minister was consistent that a restructure is critical within the ACT education system.
At worst, this critical restructure may be the catalyst for cuts to the teacher workforce, as intimated in the following exchange:
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