Page 3128 - Week 07 - Thursday, 30 June 2011
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
area since the Gonski review was announced. I am pleased he has finally accepted the position that ACT schools—public, Catholic and independent——were massively dudded under the Howard government’s funding model. It is a hopeless funding model. It significantly disadvantages all ACT students, whether they are in public schools, Catholic schools or independent schools. That is why I was so pleased with the ACT submission to the Gonski review. It is one of only two state and territory government submissions that have been made publicly available, and it is on the Gonski review website now. There is agreement between the ACT government, the Catholic Education Office and the Association of Independent Schools calling on the commonwealth government to scrap the Howard government funding model and move to a model that will ensure that ACT students, regardless of which schools they attend, get a better deal from the commonwealth.
Mr Doszpot: With indexation, Mr Barr?
MR BARR: We have done this. It is all in the ACT government’s submission, which Mr Doszpot might take the time to have a look at. It is agreed in partnership between the education directorate, the Catholic Education Office and the Association of Independent Schools. That is an important sign—yet another sign—of the capacity of the ACT education system to work together to ensure the best outcomes for students in the territory.
We look forward to reform at a national level for school funding. We look forward to a more transparent system, and we look forward to a system that directs new funding in education to students who need it most. From all of the data that is available as a result of the My School website and the national testing, together with previous testing and data that was available across education systems, we know that that extra funding needs to go predominantly to public schools, but also to Catholic schools, particularly in outer suburban areas.
There are some schools within each system—public, Catholic and independent—that are doing very well, and there are other schools—again in public, Catholic and independent systems—that need additional funding. The My School website, ICSEA—the Index of Community and Socio-educational Advantage—and the Gonski review provide a once-in-a-generation opportunity to get this right and to direct new education funding where it is most needed. I am very pleased we have been able to continue our close collaboration with the Catholic Education Office and the Association of Independent Schools, together with public education stakeholders, to put forward a positive submission to the Gonski review that outlines a sensible way forward to reform school funding and to provide for a fairer distribution of funds. This will mean that the ACT will benefit significantly.
Mr Doszpot raised a particular issue he has written to me about. He wrote to me about Gold Creek primary school in relation to heating. I have been advised that the issue he refers to is science labs in the high school where a part has broken in the heating system. Temporary heating arrangements have been provided. I understand 17 temporary heaters have been brought in to the science labs at Gold Creek high school.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video