Page 2320 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 22 June 2011
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(c) that the Australian Education Union has lodged a petition in the Assembly critical of these new arrangements, suggesting they deflect effort by teachers away from their core responsibilities of preparing and delivering quality education in the ACT public school system by imposing more paperwork; and
(d) that this is poor business practice and reflects badly on the ACT public education system and places a burden on the majority for the failure of the few to fill in paperwork; and
(2) calls on the:
(a) Minister for Education and Training to show leadership and take control of this issue; and
(b) Government to meet with teachers and their representatives to discuss an acceptable compromise that meets the necessary requirements for sound record keeping, while not imposing unfair and burdensome tasks on teachers and principals within the ACT public school system.
Today we have a most interesting situation in the Assembly. In a week where we have seen the Chief Minister promise a public education system that continues to deliver outstanding results, we have one of her ministers so totally and dramatically out of touch with a major union in his portfolio that they feel their only course of action is to ask his opposition number in the Assembly to table a petition outlining their concerns.
That, I think, speaks volumes about this minister, and this government and its reputation for openness and transparency in dealing with the electorate. But for those who are familiar with Minister Barr, this is no anomaly. This is par for the course for this minister, who has been forced to do more backflips than any other minister in this Assembly—even more backflips than Minister Corbell, and that is saying something.
The most recent Barr flip occurred late last year, when Minister Barr was forced to withdraw his ridiculous and damaging education efficiency dividend decision that would have slashed services to the visually impaired, that would have slashed services to the hearing impaired, that would have cut the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander literacy and numeracy program and taken out several school counsellors. He stubbornly stood by his decision to cut essential education-related services to the most vulnerable in our community. It was only after concentrated pressure over a few weeks from me and a group of distraught parents who were asking for my support that the ridiculous efficiency dividend decision was finally reversed.
This minister has form for not listening to the community. This minister has form for misleading and misrepresentation of members of this Assembly. And that form for not listening to the community is certainly magnified in this motion and the petition from the Education Union that the motion is based on. It is magnified around 1,500-fold with 1,568 signatures from ACT public school teachers, Mr Barr—it is based on 1,568 signatures from ACT public school teachers, Mr Barr, for your attention—who
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