Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

If you bear with me for a moment, Senator Mason, I will go to my speaking points that were designed to deal with your amendment and might assist you in that question. We oppose the amendment because we do not believe that that issue is significant. I am aware that the dates need to be aligned, but it requires consultation with those affected.

On 8 December 2010 all Australian education ministers made a historic agreement to endorse Australia’s first national curriculum. They also endorsed the curriculum implementation timeline so that the Australian curriculum in English, maths, history and science will be substantially implemented by the end of 2013. All schools, both government and non-government, will therefore have in place our first Australian curriculum from foundation to year 10 in these subjects by 2013.

There was never an intention or an expectation that this matter would be dealt with as part of this bill, and to raise it through this amendment will not resolve the problem. I can assure the committee that the government has a process in place to resolve this issue and it will do so in consultation with stakeholders as appropriate.

Bill agreed to.

Bill reported without amendment.