Mark Bishop (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The incorporated speech read as follows

I rise in support of the Schools Assistance Bill 2008. The bill is a new mechanism to deliver Commonwealth funding to non-government schools from 2009 to 2012. It replaces the Schools Assistance Act 2004 which provided funding for both public and private schools. Public schools will now be funded under the National Education Agreement now agreed by COAG.

Briefly, this bill honours our commitment to continue the Socio-Economic Status (SES) funding and indexation arrangements to non-government schools over the next four years.

As we are aware SES funding is linked to the education and income levels of parents within a school district. Funding to the private sector is therefore based on the local community’s ability to give financial support to the school. The bill also provides recurrent funding in the form of supplementary assistance for Indigenous students at private schools.

Funding was previously appropriated under the Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Act 2000. The aim of this measure is to streamline assistance payments for each eligible student. The assistance payments will be indexed at the same rate as general recurrent school funding. It’s all about reducing red tape for schools and allowing them to get on with the job of educating students. Quite simply, this bill is part of the building blocks for a modern, high quality education system.

In total $28 billion will go to the non-government school sector over the next four years. Along with the National Education Agreement it represents an investment of $42 billion in our education systems. I believe the current debate surrounding the Schools Assistance Bill misses the point. The debate has moved on from public versus private. It’s moved on from how much funding should come from where.

It’s moved on from naming and shaming schools. It’s moved on from blaming educators.

Today it’s where it should be and that is—about student performance. Today it’s about standards and outcomes. Today it’s about transparency and assessment of educational institutions.

For too many years the Howard Government’s agenda was limited to cultural wars and naming and shaming schools. It was part of a political plan to play the blame game with State Labor Governments. Clearly their agenda was all about politics with little concern about educating our next generation.

Private schools are now concerned that new accountability measures will bring an unwarranted degree of media scrutiny. Whether public or private, media interest is driven by concerns—concerns of parents and the wider community about the performance of our schools. The fact is we need to commit new resources to make a difference. In order to identify schools most in need, we need information.

We need information on student performance. We need information on the schools resources. Our education system is now out of sync with the rest of the world. We are falling behind the countries we compete with as reflected in the 2008 OECD Education at a Glance report.

In 2005 when OECD spending on pre-primary education averaged 0.4 percent of GDP, we spent just 0.1 percent. It ranked us in spending at 24th out of 26 countries. It shows there is a consequence in failing to invest in education.

The story in the tertiary sector is much the same. Our expenditure was 1.1 percent of GDP. Again, less than the OECD average. If we want to compete globally we need to invest in education.

The aim of this government is to ensure every child has access to the highest quality education. Regardless of where they live or what their parents earn. We know young people from low socio-economic families are less likely to go onto vocational training or higher education. Should we accept this as the norm? No—we should not.

Today, too many young Australians leave school early and don’t make a transition to work. They end up unemployed or in casual jobs. Business as usual for these children isn’t good enough. Until we have a policy of transparency and assessment in schools, children will continue to be left behind. So what do we need to do to improve the quality of what goes on inside a classroom?

Firstly, we need to get back to basics. In order for our children to reach their full potential they need the tools and the tools are literacy and numeracy skills. Over the last twenty to thirty years there has been an intense debate about teaching methods. As a parent, I have followed the debate closely. I have come to the view that the teaching method known as phonics is fundamental to early literacy. This method allows children to be taught in a structured and comprehensive way. There is in fact a great deal of concern about the teaching of literacy and numeracy.

In a recent national telephone survey of parents, 92 percent wanted more information on their schools’ approach in this critical area. I, along with many other parents believe there should be a strong emphasis on grammar, punctuation and spelling. There is a difference between reading what is written and understanding what is written. But you can’t put the cart before the horse.

Secondly, we need a national curriculum that sets national standards for each child. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority Bill 2008 passed the Senate last week. The new national authority will manage the development of a National Curriculum and a national system of assessment and reporting. A curriculum and assessment system that will be in used in every school in Australia.

I would enter one word of caution and that is national curricula should be about national standards. It should also be about minimum standards. Some children, some schools, some parents and some communities want to focus on effort, achievement and high outcomes.

In short, they aim by constant work to improve over time and achieve that mythical thing called excellence. It’s a worthy aim, a fine purpose and it should be encouraged.

We should be pushing up, dragging up and forcing up in terms of educational outcomes the bottom and the middle. So they can achieve the same results as some of the fine independent, catholic and state schools in this country.

It’s also important our best and brightest are not forgotten. We must continue to challenge exceptional students so they achieve their full potential, which brings me to centres of excellence and their importance in our education system.

In my home state, Perth Modern is a fully selective public school. That means entry is by academic test. The school has a proud history. It can boast of educating fifteen Rhodes Scholars, a prime minister, a governor general and numerous luminaries. Part of the purpose of national standards, national curricula must be to aim for excellence in academic achievement.

Thirdly, we need rigorous testing. Testing that measures a student’s performance against the performance of their peers, then measures the performance of their school and compares that performance of other schools in the area.

Finally, performance should be measured against students and schools around the state and nationally. Parents as well as government want this information. Teacher assessment while valuable as a guide is no substitute for peer comparison. Information on school performance is a national priority.

Our system will compare like with like. That is it will compare schools within a geographical and socio-economic cluster. It will inform parents on the progress of their child and the progress of their school. It will also inform government on which schools need help.

We all recognise that education is a partnership—a partnership of parents, schools, community and governments. For the partnership to work effectively we need to know where we are doing well and where we can do better. It’s not about ranking schools or creating league tables. It’s about providing information to parents on how their child is performing within their peer group. Their child’s strengths and whether there is room for improvement.

Parents also want to know if their school is meeting national standards. If not—parents want to know the government is willing and able to provide additional resources. Investing in education is critical. Not only to provide our young people with opportunity but to drive growth and to build a prosperous economy for the future.

The Rudd Government’s priorities are,

• raising the quality of teaching in our schools;
• ensuring all students benefit from schooling, especially in disadvantaged communities and;
• improving transparency and accountability of schools and school systems at all levels.

We want a school system that supports learning for every child, whether they attend private, public or remote schools. To achieve these priorities, we need a framework that is consistent for all schools.

The 2009/2012 funding agreement for private schools will require;

• participation in national assessments of students,
• participation in national reporting of student performance,
• providing school performance reports to the Minister and,
• making the information public,
• providing plain language student reports and
• implementing the national curriculum.

These six conditions are a significant reduction in the range of conditions and strings attached to previous agreements. Our focus is on accountability for educational outcomes, not flagpoles and cultural wars.

Another measure to be introduced is the requirement for schools to report funding sources. I recently raised this issue in during adjournment debate. As I have previously stated, this type of information in the past has been treated as commercial-in-confidence.

But the idea of a ‘private’ school is an oxymoron. In many instances private schools receive significant public funding. For example, the Commonwealth Government’s contribution is in fact, up to 50 percent.

State and Territory government’s kick in around 15 to 25 per cent. That’s a significant amount of taxpayer’s money in anyone’s language. Such a large investment requires the government to stipulate a framework for transparency and accountability.

Those opposite are stuck in an ideological time-warp. Debates about public schools versus private schools are the debates of the past. This government is heralding a new era of transparency, which, along with new investments in teacher quality, will make a difference for every child in every school.

For the first time in a decade, the Commonwealth Government is working with the States and Territories. We are working to ensure our ambitious education programs are implemented. There is a genuine enthusiasm to work together. To, deliver new ideas and a long-term vision to make education policy a national priority.

The Rudd Government is committed to providing Australia with an education system that is up there with the best in the world. We have left the time of divisive politics and policy apathy behind us. Australia needs to keep pace with the demand for skills and labour in a rapidly changing global and national environment. This government has a plan that places education at the forefront of the national agenda—where it belongs. The aim of this Government is clear. That’s what our Education Revolution is all about.

I commend the bill to the Senate.