Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My contribution to the adjournment debate is around education. Before I move to the substance of my contribution, I would like to put on record my strong support for TAFE. TAFE is an outstanding institution. It has made an enormous contribution to education throughout Australia and particularly in my region. I would like to record my support for the teachers in the Hunter region, particularly those teachers that work at the Belmont TAFE. I would like to say to the member for Parkes that I fully concur with his comments about the ATCs. I have presented to this House examples of how students enrolled in the Hunter ATC were misled into believing that they would be offered courses with on-the-job training, which they never received. I would also like to put on the record that one of the first acts of the Howard government was to rip millions of dollars out of the TAFE system.

Mr Deputy Speaker Adams, I would like to put on record the contribution that you made to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing on Wednesday, when you came along and openly talked to the committee about the surgery that you have had, how it has made a difference to you and how it can contribute to the health of people in Australia.

The main purpose of my contribution to this debate is to acknowledge two schools within my electorate. The mention of one of those schools flows on very nicely from the comment I made about your contribution to the health and ageing committee, Mr Deputy Speaker. Two weeks ago, that committee came to my electorate and visited Marks Point Public School, where they joined in with the after-hours school program. The school opened its gates and allowed its students to interact with the members on that committee. The member for Parkes also attended that. It was a demonstration of the commitment of the teachers, it was a demonstration of the commitment of the people that were involved in the after-hours school program and it also showed how the community, the school and government can work together to make a school not only a place of learning but an important place within the community. It also showed the role that schools play in addressing the obesity problem that we have within our society. The terms of reference of the committee’s inquiry is for the committee to look at obesity, the importance of exercise and diet in addressing obesity within our community and the importance of addressing it at the student level. I thank Marks Point Public School for their contribution to the deliberations of the committee.

Last Friday, I attended Caves Beach Public School. It was a very different event that I attended there. It was the 40th anniversary of the school and it was a celebration of that school in the community. It was a celebration of the contribution that that school had made to the education of the students of Caves Beach. Caves Beach, like Marks Point, is very much a school that is part of the community. The local state member, Robert Coombs, addressed the assembly and talked about the time that he attended Caves Beach Public School and the changes that have taken place. Interestingly, the first principal of Caves Beach Public School actually attended that 40 years celebration. In addition, we had some students that were original students at Caves Beach. Caves Beach is a very special community. It is a community that really comes together very closely. The 40th anniversary celebrations reflected the enormous strength of that community.