Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to amend Senate business notice of motion No. 2 standing in my name by omitting ‘31 July 2010’ and substituting ‘13 August 2010’

Leave granted.

I move the motion as amended:

That the following matters be referred to the Education, Employment and Workplace Relations References Committee for inquiry and report by 13 August 2010:

(a)

the conflicting claims made by the Government, educational experts and peak bodies in relation to the publication of the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) testing;

(b)

the implementation of possible safeguards and protocols around the public presentation of the testing and reporting data;

(c)

the impact of the NAPLAN assessment and reporting regime on:

(i)

the educational experience and outcomes for Australian students,

(ii)

the scope, innovation and quality of teaching practice,

(iii)

the quality and value of information about student progress provided to parents and principals, and

(iv)

the quality and value of information about individual schools to parents, principals and the general community; and

(d)

international approaches to the publication of comparative reporting of the results, i.e. ‘league tables’; and

(e)

other related matters.

Question agreed to.

Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—The government opposes this motion, but we recognise Senator Hanson-Young has the support not only of her own party but of the coalition, and therefore has a majority in the chamber. We will not call a division.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for two minutes.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the government for pointing out that it is the coalition and the Greens who want to see an inquiry into the NAPLAN testing. Clearly, this process has been a poorly managed by the government. I would really like to have seen the government commit to a public inquiry into this issue as well. I think it is sad, in fact, that the government does not want the transparency of a public inquiry, and I am sure that will continue to be raised throughout the course of this committee process. I think it is poor that the government will not want an inquiry into something which they say is essential and important, and which they stand by. It is quite a reflection on how concerned they are about how these test results are being used.