Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth. How will the My School website deliver greater transparency and information to parents?

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

I thank the member for Calwell for her question. I know that she has a strong interest in education, and represents her constituents in her electorate very well. Today, I was pleased to join the Prime Minister as we previewed the new My School website—My School 2.0.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

The opposition’s comments continue to indicate that they do not fully understand the website’s importance. So, Mr Speaker, I take this opportunity through you to point out to the opposition that it is important that parents and the teaching community have access to transparent information about schooling in order to enable them to make decisions in relation to education generally. It seems to me that that is one of the most important things about the My School website, and it is something that the Australian community fully recognises, given that this website has had over four million visits in its current form since it was first launched in January of this year.

This comes on top of an unprecedented reform agenda and the significant resourcing for education that has been a feature of this government. It is the case that under the new and updated My School website we will have the opportunity, as the Prime Minister has pointed out, to assess the progress that students are making in their schools in those literacy and numeracy subjects they are tested for under NAPLAN. That is how we learn—from the best performers. That is how we know to address any poor performers who have been left behind. The fact is that the My School website was a world first, and it is incredibly important for Australia that we have a website that is improved, a website that is updated and a website that has rich information that can assist students, parents and the broader school community.

When the site goes live in December, for the very first time we will provide information on school finances across schooling sectors at the national level—something that has never happened before. This information will enable parents and teachers to follow a cohort of students as they move through school levels and see how they are progressing in literacy and numeracy. That is really important for parents and really important for students too.

My School has nothing to do with naming and shaming. It is all about lifting education standards; about ensuring that we have transparency in education. It is an issue that is of great importance to all Australians. This government fervently believes that a great education is something which every child in this country deserves and needs, and we will deliver that to them. A quality education contributes to our national economy and it also enables all students, regardless of where they live, regardless of which school they go to, to fulfil their true potential. Education is not something those opposite took very seriously when they were in government. They were the flagpole fetishists who never, ever focused on the real deliveries that were needed.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Abbott interjecting

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

The opposition leader says he liked his flagpole. They delivered flagpoles; we are delivering specific and additional investment on schooling to benefit students right around Australia. Look at the contribution and the commitment that this government has made through the national partnerships program—$1.5 billion for low socioeconomic schools, over $500 million in improving teacher quality, over $500 million for numeracy and literacy—(Time expired)