Page 2776 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 17 September 2014
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were not seen before. That requires Minister Burch and the directorate to work through the maintenance and capital requirements of schools on a needs basis in a similar fashion to the education funding we were all promised.
Mr Doszpot’s motion refers to “recent research” which, while perhaps technically correct, I believe does not really explain the document that he was referring to. My understanding is that the Education and Training Directorate provides an annual update to the minister on projected population and enrolment movements and is used as a broad guide for internal planning processes. The ACT public school enrolment projections 2013 to 2017 show that key data sources used for the projections included ACT public school census data conducted in February each year, data from the ACT Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages on the number of births by suburb, and work produced in conjunction with both CMTD and EDD demography forecasts.
The projections were also formed using input from school principals and estimates of enrolments from any proposed new residential development. Taken on a school-by-school approach, it is clear that there are some areas that are experiencing more pressure than others, as you would expect in areas of high growth such as Palmerston, Crace, Amaroo and Harrison. As you would also expect, there is some anticipated pressure in the new areas of urban development such as North Weston, Wright and Coombs and the impact this is having on certainly some of the schools in the Weston Creek area in the shorter term. On an area level, it is true from reading the projections that in Belconnen, for example, Kaleen and Hawker primary schools are on track to reach or exceed capacity in the new few years.
But let us be clear: these are just projections at this stage and, further, this is exactly why the directorate produces this work—to support the ACT government in its planning and budget allocations over many years to prepare and respond to population changes. I note that Ms Burch’s amendment to the motion before us calls on the government to continue to use the most up to date data available to guide school planning, and I support that approach. The document referred to is quite obviously a sign of that work in progress, as it clearly is about having the analysis to hand from which the government can made forward decisions.
Paragraph (2) of the motion calls for ongoing investment in public schools to ensure confidence for ACT parents and carers. Again, my understanding is that public school enrolment figures are growing beyond just population figures, suggesting that there is confidence in the public education system and it is growing, and I think that is a very healthy sign. Our public schools in the ACT have a very strong track record. We have seen in the last couple of years a trend of increasing enrolments and I think that reflects that the community is seeing the real strength of our public schooling system, and that is a very welcome sign.
Paragraph (3) is another one that I am happy to support. It calls for the government to continue to consult with the community on future needs. This is a strong principle of the ACT Greens. Some members may recall that my former colleague, Ms Hunter, made it her priority soon after entering the Assembly in 2008 to amend the Education Act to ensure that never again would the community feel ignored about any possible school closures. I think it is important that we continue to talk to those on the ground
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