Page 4649 - Week 12 - Thursday, 1 November 2018
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we know, it is a very complicated and complex issue. My office, the Coordinator-General for Family Safety and the Attorney-General work very closely together in our attempts to address all of the concerns that are raised by the community, and as we look at how, as our community changes and evolves, we address different circumstances where people might be affected by domestic and family violence.
With regard to the particular issues and changes to law, I am not aware of any details about specific changes to law at this point. However, those situations that Ms Le Couteur has referred to are, of course, points of discussion regarding the work that the coordinator-general has done with the co-design of the family safety hub. That work will continue, having regard to how we address this very important and complex issue.
MS LE COUTEUR: Can you provide an update on the review of civil surveillance legislation which the government commenced in 2016? When will it be completed?
MR RAMSAY: I thank Ms Le Couteur for the question. The matter is ongoing. I will be able to provide further details to the Assembly in due course.
Education—literacy and numeracy
MS LEE: My question is to the minister for education: a few weeks ago it was discovered that you had misinterpreted the findings of a report by Professor Stephen Lamb which formed the basis of your future of education strategy, and Professor Lamb was forced to publicly correct you. An ANU working paper provided to the Education Directorate that demonstrated through statistical analysis that ACT school results were declining has been ignored for two years. During that time you have consistently claimed that ACT schools are excelling. Then the Grattan Institute found that the ACT is the worst performing state or territory when it comes to literacy and numeracy at both primary and secondary school levels. Minister, what are you doing to improve literacy and numeracy in our schools?
MS BERRY: The ACT government is doing a whole lot in our schools to address literacy and numeracy but is also taking a holistic approach to what happens in our school communities rather than just a point-in-time examination around a couple of details that are reported in the NAPLAN test and the circus that occurs around that each year. Ms Lee will know that the ACT is leading a review on how that data is used and whether it is benefiting our students’ learning or, to the contrary, causing them harm. My view has always been if that is causing them harm then we need to change it.
With regards to work that is happening across our system, the ACT government has made significant announcements, particularly through the development of a strategy—the future of education—which I have launched. It provides a road map for education over the next 10 years. That work will also consider the conversations that we have had over the development of the strategy—over 5,000 conversations—particularly with students, ensuring that students are at the centre of the future of education conversation.
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