Page 3825 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 19 September 2018
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(f) the Government is currently developing implementation plans for the first phase of the Future of Education Strategy in consultation with key stakeholders including government and non-government school and system leaders, the ACT Teacher Quality Institute and the Australian Education Union; and
(g) the Future of Education Strategy is fundamentally based in educational equity because this is key to ensuring all students achieve the best possible school outcome; and
(3) calls on the ACT Government to:
(a) continue to develop Future of Education implementation plans in consultation with government and non-government schools; and
(b) report back to the Assembly on the Future of Education implementation plans, including measures aimed at lifting academic performance, during the February 2019 sitting.”.
I am disappointed to again be speaking in this place in response to yet more ill-informed remarks from the shadow education minister contained in her speech as well as in the media releases on this motion. I will start with clarifying the comments that Ms Lee made with regard to the Lamb report and the areas that were blacked out. They were blacked out because some of the data relates to information from other jurisdictions and was obtained under strict confidentiality. I believe that Ms Lee was made aware of that and the reason for those blackouts. But, clearly—as she has been doing all this afternoon in speaking to Ms Cheyne’s motion on brumbies—she is just starting to make stuff up now.
This government, and I as minister, have a long, proud history—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Could you repeat what you just said?
MS BERRY: Which part?
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: You said something about Ms Lee making—
MS BERRY: Making stuff up?
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: I think that that reflects on Ms Lee’s honesty. I would like you to rephrase that.
MS BERRY: Okay. Thank you for your advice, Madam Deputy Speaker. But I do need to ensure that all of the information is told and not just bits of it. That is the reason why I needed to clarify the reasons for the blacked out parts, and refute the implication that Ms Lee made that there was some secrecy around that. It is there for good reason.
This government has a long, proud history of prioritising school education in the ACT. Ms Lee may not value education, may view education as a cost and criticise the government for funding public schools at the schooling resource standard, the only
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