Page 4847 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 25 October 2011
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in the administration and interpretation of the national law, which is one of the key objectives for introducing the national scheme.
In the other circumstances where ACT laws are excluded, the following will operate in their place. In place of the Freedom of Information Act 1989, the education and care services national law provides for the application of the commonwealth Freedom of Information Act. In place of the Legislation Act 2001, the education and care services national law contains provisions that relate to the interpretation of this law.
Today I would also like to support the consequential amendment to the Children and Young People Act 2008. It is clear that this amendment is an uncontroversial minor amendment that is intrinsic in supporting the adoption of the Education and Care Services National Law (ACT) Bill 2011. The Education and Care Services National Law (ACT) Bill 2011 will allow the majority of the ACT’s education and care services to be regulated under a single nationally unified system and encourages services to focus on quality improvement.
The ACT’s education and care services are welcoming of the reforms, including a number in the sector who have been calling for reforms to children’s services for many years. They are ready to adopt the changes under the Education and Care Services National Law (ACT) Bill 2011. For many years now, ACT services have been focusing on quality improvements to ensure better outcomes for children and they are working well to adopt the proposed reforms.
Many services have already moved to the new ratio and qualification requirements and they have reported improved outcomes for children and working conditions for educators. In conclusion, the ACT government is committed to supporting the education and care sector, build capacity and increase the quality of their service delivery.
MS BURCH (Brindabella—Minister for Community Services, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Women and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs) (11.05), in reply: Today I am pleased to have the opportunity to debate the Education and Care Services National Law (ACT) Bill 2011. I also present the following papers:
Revised explanatory statement to the Bill.
Education and Care Services National Regulations—Draft.
The bill will provide improved educational and developmental outcomes for children through the application of the national quality standard. It will build a system that will continue to ensure the safety, health and wellbeing of children in regulated education and care environments.
The bill will create a single uniform national regulatory system to reduce regulatory burden and improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the regulatory framework. It will allow information to be provided to the community about services’ performance against the national quality standard, allowing families to make informed decisions about the services they access.
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