Page 1702 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 8 May 2013
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“(b) that, at that meeting, COAG affirmed its commitment to ongoing negotiations on the Commonwealth’s proposed reforms that would provide Australian students and families with an education system that would place Australia in the top five countries in reading, numeracy and science by 2025, as well as making Australia a high quality and high equity schooling system by international standards by 2025;”.
(2) Insert new subparagraphs (1)(d) and (e):
“(d) the unique opportunity afforded by the Commonwealth’s National Schools Reform to improve our national education system; and
(e) the opportunity presented by the current negotiations to achieve the best outcome for all ACT schools and all ACT students; and”.
(3) Omit paragraph (2), substitute:
“(2) calls on the Chief Minister to:
(a) ensure that the ACT is not disadvantaged, comparative to other States; and
(b) report back to the Assembly by 8 August 2013 on the options that have been examined, the finalisation of negotiations and the outcomes for all ACT schools.”.
I will be speaking on elements of this motion that relate to negotiations around COAG; then the Minister for Education and Training, Ms Burch, will speak around other aspects of the education agreement.
There is no doubt that the education reforms currently before state and territory and federal governments are a very significant advancement in discussions and negotiations around education funding across the country. The amendments to Mr Doszpot’s motion that I have circulated essentially outline the importance of the negotiations under the national education reform agreement. The negotiations are continuing. We are negotiating in the best interests of all ACT schools and all ACT students and will include a report back to the Assembly by 8 August 2013.
I must say, in listening to Mr Doszpot, that it still remains unclear to me whether the opposition supports needs-based funding, which Barry O’Farrell has endorsed. It was not clear to me from your speech. There are a lot of questions and criticisms that you have raised, but at the heart of this debate is this: should every single child—regardless of where they live, whether they live in Canberra, Adelaide or the Northern Territory, or whether they attend a Catholic school, an independent school or a government school—be entitled to a base level of funding that is equal across the country? That is at the heart of the negotiations before first ministers at this point in time.
This government believes that that is a principle which we should endorse. No matter where you go to school, what your background is or whether you are in a remote or
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