Page 661 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 22 February 2012
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(a) that the Gonski Panel has recommended that the Commonwealth Government introduce a new Schooling Resource Standard (SRS), which they estimate will cost $5 billion to implement;
(b) that the funding model proposed will be made up of a basic entitlement for all students, with additional funding for students with special needs;
(c) that the Gonski Panel recommended an independent authority to establish an annual indexation process; and
(d) that at present, the Commonwealth Government has not committed to:
(i) providing additional funding for the proposed SRS model;
(ii) a timeframe for delivering on the report’s recommendations;
(iii) future funding of present arrangements beyond 2013; and
(iv) maintaining current levels of indexation; and
(2) calls on the ACT Government to:
(a) stand up for all ACT schools in their negotiations with their Commonwealth Government counterparts; and
(b) provide certainty to parents, students and schools in the non-government sector that they will not be worse off in real terms as a result of the proposed changes.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise today to speak to my motion that this Assembly calls on the ACT government to stand up for all ACT schools in the negotiations with their commonwealth government counterparts and provide certainty to parents, students and schools in the non-government sector that they will not be worse off in real terms as a result of the proposed changes.
This is a matter of considerable concern to parents in our school system. Yesterday’s release of the Gonski report showed a federal Labor government that was low on tangible commitment to positive action. There were no plans on the way ahead beyond 2013. The fact is that parents, students and staff in our school system are left with a sense of uncertainty.
With the recent developments possibly having a very tangible impact on approximately 39,000 public school students and over 27,000 non-government school students, I think it is fitting at this juncture to move this motion. As I said before, it calls on this ACT Labor-Greens government to take a leadership role in standing up for all ACT schools and to give a certainty that our non-government schools will not be worse off as a result of these recent developments.
The Canberra Liberals hold a position that school resourcing is one of several factors that contribute to our students’ learning achievements, yet framed in the context of a
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