Page 6077 - Week 14 - Thursday, 9 December 2010
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In response to the comments made by the scrutiny of bills committee, I am advised that the definition of school in the bill aligns with the definitions in the Education Act 2004. For example, note 1 in the dictionary of the bill refers to the signpost definition of a non-government school and refers to the dictionary within the Education Act 2004.
In relation to obtaining a police clearance certificate, the amendment Ms Hunter has foreshadowed, which gives the institute discretion to waive this requirement if a person has taken all reasonable steps to obtain a copy of the record and is unable to do so, will go to address the committee’s concerns on this point.
In relation to privacy issues, it should be noted that it is important that the institute maintains a register of teachers’ addresses, gender and whether or not they identify as Indigenous. This is consistent with other professions and other Australian jurisdictions and is important to monitoring our teaching workforce. But again the government believes that the amendment that Ms Hunter has foreshadowed will strike the right balance between disclosing information in the public interest and protecting an individual’s right to privacy.
A third party will still be able to find out whether a teacher is registered or not, but will not be able to access the reasons for or the status of suspension or cancellation of a teacher’s registration or permit to teach. In relation to accreditation of courses, the grounds for suspension or cancellation are broader than grounds for refusal to ensure quality control of courses. Section 74(3) provides the institute with a broad discretion. This will enable the institute to respond flexibly to a range of circumstances to take into account unforeseen circumstances in the accreditation of education programs.
The Assembly can be assured that appropriate policies and guidelines will be developed to make a clear framework for decision making.
As I have outlined, there is a lot of reform going on in the education sector—investing in new facilities, rolling out a new national curriculum and recognising and rewarding the best teachers. All of these reforms and investments are focused on students. The quality of an education system, however, cannot exceed the quality of its teachers. The teacher quality institute is an integral part of raising the status of the profession and creating a 21st century teaching workforce.
I would like to thank Ms Hunter and her office for their detailed engagement in this process and indicate in advance that the government will be supporting the amendments that Ms Hunter is proposing. I commend the bill to the Assembly.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Detail stage
Bill, by leave, taken as a whole.
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