Page 37 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 12 February 2019
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Additionally, as Minister for Mental Health I know that CIT is an important provider of training for mental health workers, including a specific program for peer support workers who are a crucial component of our mental health workforce.
The future for institutions like CIT is bright as long as governments maintain a commitment to them. CIT needs to be able to continue to identify the new and emerging skills people will need as we prepare for the jobs of the future. To do that it needs clear and efficient governance and administration processes in place. These are the kinds of organisational changes that will ensure that CIT can continue to be sustainable and provide for its staff and students.
I am particularly pleased to see that under the new board structure proposed in this bill a requirement for staff and student representation is retained. This recognises the importance of having staff and student voices at the decision-making table, something the Greens support as part of our commitment to grassroots engagement. Staff and students bring an important perspective to the CIT board by providing on-the-ground experience and current knowledge, skills which are just as valuable as the financial and governance expertise of other board members.
I believe that the revised board structure provides the right balance and skill mix to provide CIT with a professional and well-informed board to best meet the needs of the institute as an organisation and as an education provider.
The bill also makes a number of minor changes to language to better reflect CIT’s current practices, which we also support. The bill will strengthen the management of CIT through its board. The Greens will always stand up for CIT and the wider VET sector as a vital part of the ACT’s higher education sector, and this bill contributes to that in a small but important way. I am pleased to support this bill today and commend it to the Assembly.
MS CHEYNE (Ginninderra) (11.36): I am very excited to be speaking on what I anticipate to be the very first bill we will be passing this year. It is great to have already heard the comments of the opposition and the Greens on this, and I will expand on that as well. As both members have already noted, it is a technical bill but technical bills in this place are incredibly important, as I have noted previously with our SLABs and PABELABs.
The Canberra Institute of Technology Amendment Bill 2018 implements changes to the CIT board to strengthen CIT’s ability to operate effectively and implement its future-focused strategic vision. The amendments will enhance strategic direction-setting and decision-making right across the organisation with a governing board whose membership will reflect the knowledge and the expertise required to build on CIT’s track record of excellence in teaching and learning, incorporating the latest technology and progressive and accessible education solutions.
CIT has been proudly part of the Canberra landscape for over 90 years. The ACT government is committed to ensuring that it maintains its strong position as the primary provider of high-quality vocational education and training in our city. On a
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