Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Of course it ‘should’ be, and at some point in time you will get that opportunity. But unfortunately—or fortunately—you will actually have to apply the rules of the Constitution and the will of the people, not the will of Mr Pyne.

The important thing to note about what is happening in making sure that this implementation goes through and goes through properly is that it is a matter for the states and territories. We as a federal and Commonwealth government are working with the states and territories. This was a commitment for government schools that was given under the National Education Agreement and a requirement for non-government schools under the Schools Assistance Act 2008. It also includes provision for professional learning for teachers, which has always been a jurisdictional responsibility. ACARA, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment Reporting Authority, also has an agreed facilitation role in the implementation of the Australian curriculum. This involves working with the states and territories and helping them with the planning and implementation. That is taking place.

That is the reality: this is actually taking place. While the Australian government does have a direct role in implementation, it has invested significantly in a number of initiatives that will also support that implementation. The timing has been set. It is flexible. Education ministers have agreed that implementation of the K-10 Australian curriculum in English, mathematics, science and history will begin from 2011, with flexibility in commencement but with substantial implementation to be achieved by the end of 2013. I do not think we ought to delay it any further; 2013 is still some time away. I do not think it is right for young people in this country to have their good education delayed any further—to delay bringing this standard up and making sure that we have, for the very first time in this country, a national curriculum.

This agreement is subject to a three-year implementation window from when the Australian curriculum becomes available. The three-year window allows time for jurisdictions to determine the extent of the curriculum change, work with stakeholders, develop implementation plans and inform students and parents about those changes. I think that puts the lie to what we just heard from the member for Sturt, who said that people do not want this, that they do not agree and that we should just put it off. I do not think he was talking as much about a delay—he was more concerned about thinking that he was in government—as about putting this off for some other time.

These decisions can no longer be delayed. An extensive process has been put into place. There is agreement between the state and territory ministers and the Commonwealth government ministers. The real work at hand now is in having the courage to get this done and get it done properly. The Australian government will be resourcing it properly. We will be doing that through ACARA, through Education Services Australia and through the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. We are doing it in a total partnership with all those agencies. Again, this puts the lie to what we heard from the previous speaker—that there is no support, that this is just a rushed implementation and that the resources are not there. The resources are there. They are there in black and white, and they are being done through the peak bodies in this country. We will work collaboratively with ACARA, ESA and AITSL, who will play vital roles in supporting the implementation of the Australian curriculum. At the end of the day, it is always opportunistic for oppositions to simply say, ‘Delay everything, don’t do anything, just wait.’ We waited for 12 years for them to implement this very, very important scheme and it never happened. It will happen under Labor.

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