Page 1403 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 28 March 2012
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me or to the Assembly or to the people of Canberra what motivated that change or what this new model is, how it will operate or where it will be based.
There are so many questions that need answering and concerns that need to be put to bed. Let me read just a few of the issues raised by the NTEU, the AEU and CIT staff—some of the very stakeholders consulted by the government’s steering group who were investigating the Bradley report recommendations:
Why has the report of the public service working party that responded to Denise Bradley’s report on the future of UC and CIT never been released for public scrutiny and debate?
Another quote:
Has the ACT government assessed the ongoing viability of CIT to offer its important trades and vocational programs without its current suite of diplomas and advanced diplomas which make up nearly 50 per cent of what CIT offers (and what will be the effect on its ability to attract students in the future without these)?
Lastly:
The ACT government appears to be making no moves to permit public scrutiny of the UCIT proposal but is hastily initiating an UCIT implementation committee to implement the yet-to-be scrutinised recommendations.
I am also concerned about the impact the lack of information on what could be a change to the way the AQF5 and 6 courses are delivered is having on current and prospective students. Clarifying what is proposed and having the Standing Committee on Education, Training and Youth Affairs conduct an inquiry are essential.
As I stated in my speech to the Assembly on 20 October last year on a motion referring these issues to the standing committee, it was my expectation that we would be looking at late November or early December 2011 for that referral and, therefore, the start of that inquiry. I further said that if this did not occur, we could come back to this place and take action, and that is what I am doing today.
This lack of concrete information has predictably created a lot of speculation, and I believe the government has had ample opportunity to set out some time frames, offer some explanation of the rationale behind this decision and release the details of the new proposed model. But the lack of constructive community engagement has been disappointing.
If the questions raised above, based as they may be on speculation, are affecting prospective local students, I wonder what impact this may be having on prospective students interstate or even overseas. We all know Canberra has a longstanding and proud tradition as the education capital, and we very much want to promote this as a centre for excellence in education. We all recognise that education is a vital component of our economy and, indeed, our identity. This is a reputation we cannot afford to lose; this is a sector that deserves more respect.
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