Page 570 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 19 March 2014
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approach in determining educational needs of individual students so that additional resources to support students with a disability can be allocated to the schools on the basis of need.
For certainty and security in implementing the significant school reform, the bilateral agreement between the Australian and ACT governments sets out six years of funding, as I have said, for a needs-based school funding model in the ACT. In such circumstances, especially involving significant funding, all parties should take account of the need for long-term commitment to these proposed reforms.
It is important that we all abide by these terms for the full six years. It is about ensuring that all our children have the skills and get the experiences that prepare them to live lives fully engaged in our community. It is all about ensuring that all our kids, including those who choose academic pathways, benefit in the 21st century.
The national education reform reflects the commitment the Australian and ACT governments have given to meet and fund the future of Australia—its children and young people. All Australian children and young people are entitled to receive an excellent education through the provision of a high-quality and appropriately funded system. The fact is that some kids need more help and more resources to reach their full potential. The national education reform agreement ensures that this support can be provided irrespective of where they live or their circumstances, and it is a reform I am proud to support. I commend the motion to the Assembly.
MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella) (5.56), in reply: I thank all members for taking part in this debate, especially those who are going to support my motion. I want to go to Mr Doszpot’s comments first. He noted that the ACT government was the first to sign up to the Gonski reforms, and I think that was fairly well answered by Minister Burch when she said that those states that signed up, including the ACT, were provided with a guarantee of needs-based funding for six years providing security for the future for all schools—public, Catholic et al, no matter where those students come from or their position in society.
Mr Doszpot says I am a supporter of the AEU, and he is right—I am a supporter of that union and many other unions, but particularly this union and their thrust for these really important education reforms. I want to go back to the submission of the AEU. They said there was wide support for the thrust of the Gonski findings and recommendations from educators, parents, business leaders, community and welfare groups. Furthermore, there is now a widespread community expectation that our governments, led by the federal government, would commit to the funding and legislative reform necessary to implement the Gonski recommendations as a matter of urgency. They say the Australian Education Act 2013 enshrined in law the central Gonski recommendations for future funding arrangements based on the actual needs of Australian schools and school students to come into effect from 1 January this year.
The legislation commits the commonwealth to working with state and territory governments and non-government education authorities to implement a national plan for schools improvement as set out in the national education reform agreement with increased funding for government schools conditional on agreement to meet these obligations.
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