Page 2130 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 6 June 2018
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students to be technologically liberated for changing jobs in the 21st century. Things like coding will become not just a valuable skill but a necessity. This program ensures that all kids can become efficient regardless of their income. We were the first state or territory government that committed to having these Chromebooks in the hands of every secondary public school student. All students deserve access to important learning tools, and I am proud to be a member of a government that provides this.
Our continual commitment to ACT schools produces results. Currently 85 per cent of ACT students are completing year 12. Around 90 per cent of them go into employment or further study. And the ACT does do very well compared to the rest of Australia on standardised tests such as NAPLAN, although at this point it is probably good to point out that the Assembly is actually inquiring into standardised testing through the EEYA committee. I note that David Gonski said we need to move away from the industrialised model of testing toward tailored individual assessment. If this is the path we are to go down, we will need to change how we teach our kids.
Of course, vital to a strong education system are our wonderful teachers and support staff. They are critical to the success of our children. Too often we hear about kids who are falling behind right across Australia and how teachers are struggling to cope. That is why we have committed to hiring another 66 full-time learning professionals and support staff at a cost of $31.1 million. Our kids will get the support they deserve and thrive in a school environment as individuals.
There are threats to our schools. The threat comes in the form of a Liberal Party and their commitment to the half-baked education funding they have imposed at a federal level. If we want our schools to continue to excel and have the funds to operate, we need a federal Labor government to implement the full Gonski—no ifs; no buts. Only by implementing the full school resourcing standard will our kids have the best chance to shine. And every minute we waste before that we will fall behind.
Our 2018-19 budget is continuing to invest in Canberra students’ education. New infrastructure in schools will encourage better learning outcomes as students utilise modern spaces. We are catering for increased growth in the city’s north and west and right across the city. We are investing in teachers and support staff to help our kids reach their full potential. And, as always, our government is putting education first.
MS BERRY (Ginninderra—Deputy Chief Minister, Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development, Minister for Housing and Suburban Development, Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Minister for Women and Minister for Sport and Recreation) (5.18): I want to thank Mr Steel for bringing on this motion today. The 2018 ACT budget is delivering services that the ACT needs for a growing city, and I am proud to stand with my colleagues, including the Chief Minister and Treasurer, to tell the ACT community a little more about what the government will deliver over the coming years. It is a strong budget which clearly aligns to the government’s values and priorities, and the key is providing a high quality education for the ACT’s young people.
I welcome Mr Steel’s motion and the attention it draws to the many millions of dollars in new education initiatives. The ACT community clearly have faith in the
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