Page 4789 - Week 13 - Thursday, 28 November 2019
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The changes to the Education Act relate specifically to the provision of home education. These changes have been consulted on with a wide range of home educators in recent times, primarily parents who are currently educating their children in their own homes. This is not a homogenous group of people; these parents and carers are as reflective of the general community as are parents of children attending our local schools.
There are many reasons for people making the decision to educate their children at home, or outside of school-based environments. For the vast majority of them, the best interests of their children is the essential commonality. Certainly in the conversations I have had with home educators that shines through very strongly, that is, a passion for getting the best outcome for their children and meeting the specific needs of their children and also ensuring a high quality and interesting education.
Today’s debate is not, in fact, about the why of home education but rather the how. The government is seeking to clarify the pre-conditions for registration for home education and strengthening the legislation requirements for that registration. However, through recent genuine consultation with local parents and their supporters in the home education community the government has improved on this to also enhance the transparency of the Education Directorate’s processes and allow for greater certainty for current and future home educators.
These are good outcomes because whilst compared to the number of students in the government system the number being home educated is relatively small it is an important part of our education spectrum. Therefore, it is essential that we get this right, that we have clear processes and certainty and that we give those parents who choose to educate their children at home confidence that they have a fair and obvious system to work in, that their line of communication with the directorate is clear and that expectations are clear. In its current form this bill has gone a long way to actually addressing some of those considerations we would expect to have in this system.
The Greens are supportive of this final set of amendments, and I take this opportunity to thank the home education community for their patience, their persistence and their willingness to constructively engage in the at times complicated task of amending legislation. It is often joked in this place that making legislation in these parliamentary processes is like seeing sausages made and most people do not want to know how that happens. These parents have played a really constructive role. They have certainly taught me and my office some things about home education that we did not know. They have made a very significant contribution in helping this legislation be what it is today, and I thank them for that contribution.
MS BERRY (Ginninderra—Deputy Chief Minister, Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development, Minister for Housing and Suburban Development, Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Minister for Sport and Recreation and Minister for Women) (4.28), in reply: I table a revised explanatory statement to the bill. Members, I welcome debate on the Education Amendment Bill 2017 and I welcome the government amendments that I will move at the detail stage. Through the bill and the government amendments, the government will strengthen the
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