Page 4171 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 24 October 2018
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MRS DUNNE: Minister, what protections and assurances can you provide to parents that their children are safe in ACT schools given the accelerated incidence of injuries to teaching staff?
MS BERRY: Because awareness has been raised around this issue, there has been an increase in reporting, which is absolutely appropriate. The government’s policies and plans that are in place to ensure the safety of children and all staff that are working in our schools are appropriate. Of course, there is a significant culture change that needs to occur in our schools, and that cannot happen overnight. This is something that has been happening for decades and decades. It is not a judgement on a teacher or a school staff’s ability to do their job to ask for help and to report these incidents. I have called for school staff to report these incidents as they occur so that a proper strategy can be put in place to ensure that there is no risk to a teacher or school staff at school and that schoolchildren—
Mr Coe interjecting—
MS BERRY: And that children are supported in schools through the work that has been implemented following the recommendations by the schools for all report. All of that work is continuing and will continue until we see that our teachers and school staff can attend school without being injured and that our schools are happy and welcoming places, as they should be.
Mr Parton interjecting—
Ms Berry: Madam Speaker, on a point of order, yesterday a point of order was made about a reference to me being a bad boss, and Mr Parton just called that out again.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Hanson, I missed it, but if you did—
Ms Berry: It was Mr Parton.
Mr Hanson interjecting—
Ms Berry: Just to clarify, it was Mr Hanson yesterday. Mr Parton has followed his wonderful lead and repeated the call.
MADAM SPEAKER: I did not hear it, Mr Parton. Mr Wall.
Mr Wall: Madam Speaker, I believe the comment was “You don’t want to be a bad boss,” which is vastly different from the words that led to the ruling that you made yesterday.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Parton, do you want to offer some clarification about what you said?
Mr Parton: I said, “You don’t want to be a bad boss.”
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