Page 3340 - Week 09 - Thursday, 22 August 2019
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Mr Gentleman: Mr Assistant Speaker, the motion here goes to the increasingly dire climate change impact predicted in the world, and students’ and young people’s action in regard to that. I think Mr Wall is straying incredibly away from the detailed information and should be relevant to the motion itself.
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: There is no point of order. Mr Wall.
MR WALL: Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. I could fill another 10 minutes or so just on the issue of underperformance, but there is so much more in the suite of failures. For example, there is the minister’s total lack of interest in the fate of music students whose only opportunity for extension-level music training was cut off, for the want of a mere $300,000. The education committee is currently inquiring into the H course for music, but we know that such an inquiry was only brought about because hundreds of students and parents were angered by yet another of the minister’s poor decisions and set up a petition. This was another poor call by the minister, who obviously thought that providing such an offering for gifted music students did not fit her profile of the poor and downtrodden who needed equity in their education. I suspect she thought of it more as an elitist opportunity that would simply not do in her flat-line socialist perspective that is being imposed on our education system.
The minister’s recent announcement about three-year-old preschool education was made last year as part of her magical mystery tour called the future of education and was repeated again this year. But there is still an absence of detail. We are close to the end of August and those on this side of the chamber are continuing to take calls from parents as well as teachers who are asking us if we can offer any more detail about where it will start, who will be included and how it will be delivered.
Amid all that we have overcrowded schools; schools that have been given additional space without wanting it; and schools being vandalised because the minister will not allow CCTV to be installed even if it is the wish of the school community.
Mr Assistant Speaker, this motion does nothing and will achieve little in improving educational outcomes for students. I do not believe that the Assembly should waste much more time on it. Addressing systemic issues in ACT schools rather than encouraging students to wag the day off would be a better use of the time of this minister and this government.
MR RATTENBURY (Kurrajong—Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability, Minister for Corrections and Justice Health, Minister for Justice, Consumer Affairs and Road Safety and Minister for Mental Health) (11.03), in reply: That was the speech I might have expected. Nonetheless, I want to focus on the positives here. I am very proud of the students for having passion, for having commitment, for being very clear about what they think is really important for the future, and for having the courage to stand up for that. That is what this is about. I think it is entirely appropriate for this Assembly to spend time reflecting on what our students are thinking about and reflecting on our part and our responsibility in meeting their desires and their demands.
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