Page 3103 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 August 2013
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MS BURCH: Just recently I visited the YWCA centre at Campbell, which was a beneficiary of a recent capital upgrades program. They were able not only to extend the number of childcare places but completely refurbish the entire centre. It is your lack of understanding to say that a dollar goes straight into additional places and that there is nothing in between. There were improved teaching areas, staff support areas, additional space for children, and a complete renovation and upgrade of that entire centre. They were off site for around 12 months. So it was quite disruptive for the families but every family understood the benefits of that refurbishment. Now they are back on site and there is not one person there—
Mr Doszpot: I complimented you on that.
MS BURCH: Mr Doszpot, I do not think there was a compliment in there but I would encourage you—
MADAM SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr Doszpot, would you not talk across the chamber. And Ms Burch, would you address the chair.
MS BURCH: Yes. Through you, Madam Chair, I would encourage Mr Doszpot to go to these early childhood and education centres that have had the benefit of those capital upgrades and look the staff in the eye, look the families in the eye, and say, “What you have got isn’t value for money.” I would say that all of them would be very distressed at that negativity.
We will similarly be continuing our investment in the cutting-edge ICT infrastructure. And we are continuing with the sustaining smart schools initiative, which will maintain reliable and contemporary school ICT network funding of more than $10 million over these three years.
Professional learning is a key element of the great outcomes that we have across our schools. High quality facilities provide a great learning environment, but we also need great teachers. Ensuring that every student has a great teacher is something to which this government is committed. To ensure that we maintain the high standards expected of our teachers, we will be investing $3½ million to help experienced teachers to increase their professional qualifications and to undertake research during their careers.
The ACT government is committed to providing support for students who need extra assistance. We have allocated $1.6 million in this year’s budget to help students with disability get to and from ACT public schools. $1.3 million has been allocated to provide extra support for students with complex learning needs. $1.8 million over two years will help establish the new Tuggeranong introductory English centre at the Wanniassa Hills Primary School; the new facility will provide students with a limited or no background in speaking English with intensive language tuition before they settle into a mainstream school. In addition, more than $550,000 over four years will enable the increase of the secondary bursary payment for eligible students from $500 to $750 per year, and $100,000 has been provided for a scholarship for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
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