Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth) Share this | Hansard source

If you pay some attention, you might get some understanding of this answer. Pay some attention over there, Chris.

Mr Pyne interjecting—

Pay some attention. As I was saying before I picked up on the hubbub coming from the shadow minister, the fact is that ACARA will work in partnership with existing state and territory education authorities, and the qualification will sit alongside existing senior secondary school qualifications. That will mean that Australian secondary students are able to acquire a credential of international standard similar to national certificates such as the British A-level and the French baccalaureate.

I say to the member opposite that I am a great respecter of the research of ACER. I also know that the complete suite of measures that we have in place as a government are about our developing a national approach to education which suits our national needs. The fact is that, for many long years in government, the now opposition had the opportunity to take a national approach to education, and they fudged it completely—they missed doing it altogether. Our commitment, on the other hand, is a significant one in terms of doing that. As the shadow minister knows, we now have a national curriculum underway. We now have national standards for teachers. We now have the provision of an unparalleled level of information for the Australian public, who have a great interest in education and how their kids are progressing, through the My School website and the continuation of NAPLAN testing. We also have a most significant investment—nearly double the investment that we saw previously under the coalition—across a suite of education measures which were introduced by the Prime Minister when she was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education, and it is my great pleasure to be able to continue with those reforms.

Now, the fact is that the Australian Baccalaureate is not intended to replace existing state and territory certification and credentialling systems; it will operate alongside them. It will not replace existing qualifications such as the HSC but it will enable Australian students, particularly those who are contemplating further study in other countries, to have a certificate which reflects their legitimate desires. I think this is something which most reasonable people listening to this debate would recognise as a very worthy measure.

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