Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Education) Share this | Hansard source

I congratulate the government on the amendment and, perhaps more importantly, I congratulate Senator Fielding and Senator Xenophon for prodding the government in the right direction. Our principal objection was that, as originally crafted, this clause inhibited philanthropy, and to us that was appalling. Any clause that inhibits people from donating to schools for education is a bad thing. Senator Abetz is right that people often do not want to be publicly disclosed. What the government has done is a good thing. The opposition is pleased to support it but it is a great pity that it took the government this long to come to this particular conclusion. Senator Abetz is quite right that this was an issue. Indeed, that is why we had to have this amendment. The opposition supports this government amendment.

Question agreed to.

As a consequence of the previous debate, I seek leave to withdraw opposition amendments (1) to (3) on sheet 5647.

Leave granted.

by leave—I move opposition amendments (1) to (4) on sheet 5689 together:

(1)    Clause 66, page 57 (line 6), omit “the amount worked out under subsection 67(1)”, substitute “the amounts worked out under subsections 67(1) and 67(1A)”.

(2)    Clause 67, page 57 (after line 23), after subclause 67(1), insert:

     (1A)    The regulations may specify, by reference to an amount or a formula for calculating an amount:

             (a)    an additional amount of assistance for each Indigenous student from a remote area receiving primary education at a non-remote campus;

             (b)    an additional amount of assistance for each Indigenous student from a very remote area receiving primary education at a non-remote campus.

(3)    Clause 68, page 59 (line 3), omit “the amount worked out under subsection 69(1)”, substitute “the amounts worked out under subsections 69(1) and 69(1A)”.

(4)    Clause 69, page 59 (after line 20), after subclause 69(1), insert:

     (1A)    The regulations may specify, by reference to an amount or a formula for calculating an amount:

             (a)    an additional amount of assistance for each Indigenous student from a remote area receiving secondary education at a non-remote campus;

             (b)    an additional amount of assistance for each Indigenous student from a very remote area receiving secondary education at a non-remote campus.

The amendments that I am moving on behalf of the opposition concern division 9 and relate to Indigenous supplementary assistance in clauses 66, 67, 68 and 69 of the Schools Assistance Bill. My good friend Senator Ian Macdonald raised this issue in the debate about an hour and a half ago. He mentioned that the Queensland Catholic Education Commission is concerned that the bill seriously disadvantages boarding schools and their capacity to educate Indigenous students from remote and very remote areas. They are concerned that, as the bill currently stands, Indigenous students from remote areas who attend boarding schools in regional or metropolitan areas attract half as much special assistance funding as that provided to their counterparts who attend schools in remote or very remote areas.

In short there is concern that the bill fails to recognise the higher needs of these Indigenous students regardless of where they attend school. The bill allocates funding according to the location of the school rather than where the students have come from. The amendments I am moving on behalf of the opposition seek to create a category of assistance that will enable the government by regulation to provide for these several hundred Aboriginal boarders from remote or very remote localities.

I would like to pay a compliment to Senator Macdonald for pursuing this issue. Having read the Senate Standing Committee on Education, Employment and Workplace Relations report into the provisions of this bill I, like that committee, was convinced by the department’s argument that this was no longer an issue. But thanks to the work of Senator Macdonald it would seem that Indigenous students from remote or very remote areas could be disadvantaged if they were attending a school in metropolitan areas. Given the government’s professed and, I know, sincere concern for Indigenous students I think it is appropriate for the Senate to amend this bill to ensure that there is a capacity for the government to make adequate provision for Indigenous students from remote or very remote areas.

This bill does not prescribe or mandate any conduct by the minister at all. All it does is give an opportunity for the minister to provide for Indigenous students from remote or very remote areas who are attending schools in metropolitan areas. That is what it caters for. It merely gives the minister extra discretion to cater for those students. That is why the opposition is moving the amendment and I would hope and like the government to support it.