Page 51 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 9 February 2016
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MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Coe.
MR COE: Minister, how far have plans progressed to replace the current pool in the city with a new facility?
MS BERRY: As I referred to in my previous answer, the long-term future of the pool will need to be looked at in the context of future developments such as the city to the lake plan.
Schools—children with disabilities
MR WALL: My question is to the Minister for Education. Minister, the latest international Human Rights Watch annual report highlighted the ACT public school incident in which a boy was placed in a cage as a violation of disability rights in Australia. Given that this issue is continuing to attract national and international attention, when does the government intend to deliver on the Shaddock report’s recommendations, which the previous education minister committed to?
MR RATTENBURY: I thank Mr Wall for the question because this is a very important topic—one that I know has really caught the attention of everybody in the Assembly and, more broadly, across the community. Certainly, in taking on the education portfolio, I am well aware of the importance of following through on the Shaddock review.
As Mr Wall knows, the report of the expert panel was released in November last year. The panel made 50 recommendations. In terms of answering Mr Wall’s question about when they will be implemented, obviously across 50 recommendations there will be a range of implementation time lines. It has been made clear, though, from the expert panel that this is a three-year program of change. Clearly there will be a variety of time frames in which these measures will be delivered.
What I can let the Assembly know is that the former minister for education has established an oversight committee which is responsible for monitoring progress on the delivery of the 50 recommendations. There will be not only I and my staff in the education directorate but also a separate oversight committee to monitor that progress. I have asked to meet with that oversight committee at their next meeting as part of my induction as Minister for Education so that I can immediately form a strong relationship with them and be very clear about the government’s expectation in making sure that these recommendations are delivered.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Wall.
MR WALL: Minister, what work has been done to determine which schools already have appropriate seclusion spaces and when will all schools be compliant in this respect?
MR RATTENBURY: I will take that specific question on notice and provide the details to the Assembly.
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