Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present two government responses to committee reports as listed at item 13 on today's order of business. In accordance with the usual practice, I seek leave to incorporate the documents in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The documents read as follows—

Australian Government response to the Senate Education, Employment and Workplace Relations References Committee report:

Teaching and learning—maximising our investment in Australian schools

September 2014

Australian Government response to Teaching and learning - maximising our investment in Australian schools

The Australian Government welcomes the report by the Senate Education, Employment and Workplace Relations References Committee, Teaching and Learning - maximising our investment in Australian schools. The contributions made by individuals and organisations to the Inquiry through evidence and submissions are acknowledged.

The Government believes the first step to achieving a quality education, which is so critical for the future of young Australians and our nation, is to lift the quality, professionalism and status of the teaching profession.

For this reason, the Government has established a Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group to provide advice on how teacher education programmes could be improved to better prepare new teachers with the practical skills needed for the classroom. The Advisory Group will identify those components regarded as world's best practice in teacher education, with a particular focus on:

While the Government is committed to improving teacher quality, we also respect the role of state and territory governments and non-government school authorities in relation to the provision of school education in Australia.

It is appropriate, therefore, that many of the Committee's recommendations are for consideration by all governments via the Council of Australian Governments' Education Council (formerly the Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood).

In support of these recommendations, the Government will refer the Committee's report to the Chair of the Education Council for consideration.

The Government thanks the Committee, and all contributors to the Inquiry, for their efforts in developing this report.

Detailed response to recommendations

The Australian Government has considered the 23 recommendations made in the Senate Committee's report and provides the following responses.

Recommendation 1

3.17 The committee recommends that the COAG Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood, and the Commonwealth Government, provide teachers with training on how to use and interpret evaluative data.

The Australian Government notes the Committee ' s recommendation and will refer the report to its Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group and the COAG Education Council for consideration.

As the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers are implemented, the Government expects all teachers will have the ability to assess, provide feedback and report on student learning. Interpreting student data is one of the necessary skills identified in the standards, which require proficient teachers to be able to use student assessment data to analyse and evaluate student understanding of subject/content, identifying interventions and modifying teaching practice.

The provision of in-service professional development and training for teachers remains the responsibility of state and territory governments and non-government school employers.

The Australian Government has established a Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group to provide advice on how teacher education programmes could be improved to better prepare new teachers with the practical skills needed for the classroom.

Recommendation 2

3.39 The committee recommends that the COAG Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood continue to monitor the effectiveness of the Close the Gap program and identify further measures to improve outcomes for Indigenous students, particularly for Indigenous students in very remote areas.

The Australian Government notes the Committee ' s recommendation and will refer the report to the COAG Education Council for consideration.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Action Plan 2010–2014 (the Action Plan), endorsed by COAG in 2011, outlines how governments will work together to achieve the Closing the Gap targets in early childhood and school education.

The Australian Government and state, territory and non-government education authorities have been working closely together to progress actions under the Action Plan.

Education Ministers report annually on progress under the Action Plan and reports are published on the COAG Education Council website.

On 2 May 2014, COAG agreed the new five-year target of Closing the Gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous school attendance. COAG agreed that a joint report on progress in improving Indigenous students ' school attendance be provided to COAG in early 2015, including an assessment of the effectiveness of Commonwealth, State and Territory strategies.

Recommendation 3

3.63 The committee recommends that the COAG Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood Development and the Catholic and Independent school sectors work to ensure continued investment in programs with proven effectiveness that assist parents and guardians to support the education of their child, beginning in early childhood.

The Australian Government notes the Committee's recommendation and will refer the report to the COAG Education Council for consideration.

The Australian Government recognises that learning starts at home, with parents being the first and most important influence on a child's learning. Strengthening and valuing parental engagement in education is the foundation of the Government's reform agenda for schooling.

The Australian Government has committed more than $100 million to support parental engagement in vulnerable communities through the Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters. The Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters is currently being expanded from 50 sites across Australia into 50 new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander focussed communities—with the first 25 communities commencing delivery in 2014 and community selection for the next 25 Indigenous focussed communities now underway.

Recommendation 4

3.74 The committee recommends that the COAG Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood, and the Catholic and Independent school sectors, urgently work to identify measures to close the gap between educational outcomes for rural and remote students and metropolitan students. Funding measures may be required to ensure that each student is given every opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential.

The Australian Government notes the Committee ' s recommendation and will refer the report to the COAG Education Council for consideration.

From 1 January 2014, Australian Government funding for all schools has been determined under the Australian Education Act 2013 . Under the Act funding includes a base payment for each student plus a number of loadings that address disadvantage including for students in regional and remote areas.

Recommendation 5

3.75 The committee recommends that the COAG Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood, and the Catholic and Independent school sectors review the current incentives arrangements for hard-to-staff positions in metropolitan, regional, remote and rural schools, to ensure that these are appropriate.

The Australian Government notes the Committee ' s recommendation and will refer the report to the COAG Education Council for consideration.

The employment and remuneration of teachers is the responsibility of state and territory governments and non-government school employers.

Recommendation 6

3.94 The committee recommends that the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership ensure that university teaching programs provide appropriate practical and theoretical training to pre-service teachers in effective behavioural management.

The Australian Government notes the committee ' s recommendation.

The Australian Government has established a Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group to provide advice on how teacher education programmes could be improved to better prepare new teachers with the practical skills needed for the classroom.

Recommendation 7

3.95 The committee recommends that the COAG Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood, and the Catholic and Independent school sectors, consider initiatives to better support teachers and principals effectively manage behaviour in Australian schools.

The Australian Government notes the committee ' s recommendation and will refer the report to the COAG Education Council for consideration.

The Australian Government has established a Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group to provide advice on how teacher education programmes could be improved to better prepare new teachers with the practical skills needed for the classroom.

The provision of in-service professional development and training for teachers is the responsibility of state and territory governments and non-government school employers.

Recommendation 8

3.103 The committee recommends that the COAG Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood work with the Catholic and Independent School sectors to further develop programs to ensure that parents and guardians have the highest expectations for each child, regardless of socio economic status.

The Australian Government notes the Committee ' s recommendation and will refer the report to the COAG Education Council for consideration.

The Australian Government recognises that learning starts at home, with parents being the first and most important influence on a child ' s attitudes and values toward school and learning.

Strengthening and valuing parental engagement in education is the foundation of the Government ' s reform agenda for schooling. This includes moving beyond traditional practices of parent involvement to encompass the attitudes and behaviours that have been shown to help students succeed.

Recommendation 9

3.113 The committee recommends that Commonwealth Government work with state and territory governments and the Catholic and Independent school sectors to ensure that adequate funding for support is provided to all students with a disability, to ensure that each student with a disability is given every opportunity to thrive and reach their potential in a safe and appropriate environment.

The Australian Government supports the committee ' s recommendation.

The Australian Government is committed to better support for school students with disability and learning difficulties. This includes:

The Government is also committed to continuing to refine the funding loading based on levels of student need from the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). Work is occurring in close collaboration with states and territories and the Catholic and Independent school sectors.

Recommendation 10

4.69 The committee recommends that the COAG Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood conduct research into whether public schools participating in school autonomy programs have improved student results.

The Australian Government notes the Committee ' s recommendation and will refer the report to the COAG Education Council for consideration.

The Australian Government is working with states and territories to support a transition to more autonomous and independent models of schooling through its Independent Public Schools initiative.

Recommendations 11 and 12

4.7 The committee recommends that the COAG Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood and the Australian Council of Deans of Education consider the research conducted by Incept Labs and the conclusion that multiple methods should be used to select entrants to teaching programs. These methods may include: academic ability; psychometric testing; behavioural based interviews; role-plays; teaching practice.

4.71 The committee recommends that the COAG Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood and the Australian Council of Deans of Education work to ensure that adequate funding is directed to schools to provide quality mentoring and support programs for pre-service teachers during practicum.

The Australian Government notes the Committee ' s recommendation and will refer the report to the COAG Education Council for consideration.

The Australian Government will work to improve admission standards for initial teacher education programmes by establishing best-practice guidelines to encourage universities to base admission standards not just on academic achievement, but also on the personal qualities that make good teachers.

The Australian Government has also established a Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group to provide advice on how teacher education programmes could be improved to better prepare new teachers with the practical skills needed for the classroom. Professional experience (practicum) is one of the three focus areas of the work of the group.

Recommendation 13

4.71 The committee recommends that the COAG Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood work to ensure that demand for quality teachers is high and consider:

restricting the number of places available to pre-service teachers for practical training;

capping the number of graduates who can register as teachers (any cap imposed should be reviewed each year and reflect the expected demand for teachers in particular disciplines); and

introducing a registration exam to be used in conjunction with the current registration standards to assess graduate suitability.

The Australian Government notes the Committee ' s recommendation and will refer the report to the COAG Education Council for consideration.

The Australian Government will work to improve admission standards for initial teacher education programmes by establishing best-practice guidelines to encourage universities to base admission standards not just on academic achievement, but also on the personal qualities that make good teachers.

Recommendation 14 and 15

4.72 The committee recommends that the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency conduct an audit of literacy teaching programs at education faculties in universities to establish whether graduating primary school teachers have an appropriate level of literacy and are equipped to teach the English language. This may indicate a need to moderate student assessment across faculties.

4.73 The committee recommends that the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, in consultation with the Australian Mathematic Sciences Institute, conduct an audit of mathematics teaching programs at education faculties in universities to establish whether graduating primary school teachers are equipped to teach mathematics and numeracy to students. This may indicate a need to moderate student assessment across faculties.

The Australian Government notes the committee ' s recommendation.

The Australian Government has established a Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group to provide advice on how teacher education programmes could be improved to better prepare new teachers with the practical skills needed for the classroom. This work includes a focus on pedagogical approaches and knowledge of subject content to be taught.

Recommendation 16

4.74 The committee recommends that the Australian Council of Deans of Education liaises with the relevant Deans of Sciences and Mathematics to ensure that students in those disciplines receive timely and accurate advice about the pre-requisites required to become secondary mathematics and/or science teachers.

The Australian Government notes the committee ' s recommendation.

The Australian Government ' s Enhancing the Training of Mathematics and Science Teachers Programme is providing $12 million, over three calendar years 2014 to 2016, for collaborative university-led projects to drive a major improvement in the quality of pre-service training for mathematics and science teachers. Five multi-institution projects supported by a formative evaluation commenced in 2013. The projects bring together faculties of mathematics and science and faculties of education to collaborate on new pre-service teacher course design and delivery.

Recommendation 17

5.22 The committee recommends that state and territory governments and the Catholic and Independent school sectors consider rewarding Highly Accomplished and Lead teachers with meaningful remuneration and an improved salary structure under the new national certification process (consistent with initiatives already undertaken in some jurisdictions).

The Australian Government notes the committee ' s recommendation.

The employment and remuneration of teachers is the responsibility of state and territory governments and non-government school employers.

Recommendation 18

5.65 The committee recommends that the COAG Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood commission research into the reasons why teachers are leaving the profession.

The Australian Government notes the committee ' s recommendation and will refer the report to the COAG Education Council for consideration.

The employment of teachers is the responsibility of state and territory governments and non-government school employers.

Recommendation 19

5.66 The committee recommends the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, in consultation with the COAG Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood, develop guidelines on how best to support first year teachers.

The Australian Government notes the committee ' s recommendation.

The Australian Government has established a Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group to provide advice on how teacher education programmes could be improved to better prepare new teachers with the practical skills needed for the classroom.

The provision of in-service professional development and training for teachers is the responsibility of state and territory governments and non-government school employers.

Recommendations 20 and 21

5.107 The committee recommends that the Commonwealth, state and territory governments, and the Catholic and Independent school sectors consider ways to support in-house professional learning and development (including mentoring), with an associated reduction in teaching loads.

5.108 The committee recommends that the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations investigates the potential use of online tools for delivery of professional learning for teachers.

The Australian Government notes the committee ' s recommendation.

The provision of in-service professional development and training for teachers is the responsibility of state and territory governments and non-government school employers.

Recommendation 22

5.109 The committee recommends that the state and territory governments consider creating pathways (for example scholarships) for teachers teaching ' out of field ' in mathematics and science to become qualified in these disciplines. The Commonwealth Government should also consider increasing the number of postgraduate Commonwealth Supported Places in these disciplines. As an interim solution, the committee recommends that programs which assist teachers teaching ' out of field ' be expanded.

The Australian Government notes the committee ' s recommendation and notes that as part of its Terms of Reference, the Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group has been asked to examine world ' s best practice to inform an evidence-based approach to teaching mathematics and science subjects.

The Government is committed to exploring alternative pathways into teaching to ensure high-quality entrants are attracted to the profession, and to respond to areas of workforce shortage, such as the need for specialised mathematics and science teachers or teachers in remote locations. The Government will continue to support the Teach for Australia programme which provides an employment-based pathway into teaching for high-calibre non-teaching graduates who may not otherwise have considered a career in teaching.

The Government announced landmark reforms to higher education in the 2014–15 Budget. The reforms will expand opportunities for students and provide additional financial support to over 80 000 students each year by 2018. Government subsidies will be extended to students studying at any registered Australian higher education provider and to students undertaking any accredited undergraduate course including higher education diplomas, advanced diplomas, associate degrees and bachelor level degrees.

The Government ' s immediate priority is to implement these reforms. The Government intends to review policy settings for funding Commonwealth supported postgraduate places in the near future.

Recommendation 23

5.110 The committee recommends that the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations commission a study in 2016 to assess the effectiveness of the initiatives being undertaken by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership.

The Australian Government notes the committee ' s recommendation.

The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers were the first major product developed by AITSL. They were endorsed by the Ministerial Council on Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (now the Education Council) in December 2010 for implementation from 2013.

The University of Melbourne is undertaking an evaluation of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, planned to conclude in December 2015. The purpose of the evaluation is to determine the usefulness and effectiveness of implementation and the impact of the Standards on improving teacher quality.

Australian Government response to the Senate Reference Finance and Public Administration Committee Report:

Senate Order for Departmental and Agency

Contracts

November 2014

Senate Reference Finance and Public Administration Committee Review of the Senate Order Recommendations and Government Response

The Government is committed to ensuring that contracting undertaken by non-corporate Commonwealth entities subject to the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act) is accountable and transparent. The Government recognises the role that the Senate Order on departmental and agency contracts has played to date in reinforcing transparency in Government contracting and welcomes the committee ' s report reviewing the operation of the Senate Order.

The Government strongly supports the committee ' s recommendation to trial AusTender as the means by which an entity would satisfy its reporting obligations under the Senate Order and revise supporting guidance accordingly. Meeting the obligations of the Senate Order through AusTender has the additional benefit of removing replication that exists across current reporting regimes and improves the quality and consistency of data reported. The Government also supports the committee ' s proposed name change to the procurement contracts report on AusTender.

The Government partially supports the committee ' s proposed changes to the Senate Order itself. The Government supports the reduced auditing of compliance with the Senate order. As the committee has acknowledged, non-corporate Commonwealth entities now enter fewer contracts containing confidentiality provisions and they are now less likely to incorrectly report contracts as containing confidentiality clauses. The Government also supports further technical amendments to the Standing Order by the committee. However, the Government does not support requiring Ministers to certify the accuracy of entity contract listings. Any potential benefits of this initiative are outweighed by the additional burden on entities of added assurance processes. Further, it does not support the extension of the application of the Senate Order to include corporate Commonwealth entities not currently required to meet the Senate Order. This is undesirable, given that corporate Commonwealth entities have differing responsibilities and compliance obligations, and in the majority of cases are not subject to the Commonwealth Procurement Rules.

Senate Reference Finance and Public Administration Committee Review of the Senate Order Recommendations and Government Response

Sue Lines (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In respect of the government response to the Education, Employment and Workplace Relations References Committee report Teaching and learning—maximising our investment in Australian schools, I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

I thank the Senate for the indulgence a few minutes ago. I guess what we saw was an action learning in place on my behalf with some very experienced mentors, so I thank you for that. Looking back at it now, this is a document that the Liberals and Nationals reported in, I think, 2009, so now we have the government reporting on a document that it did whilst in opposition. But it does contain some really sensible sentiments and recommendations. It goes to the importance of supporting teachers and of their professional development, and I do not think anyone in this chamber would argue about the need for us to continue to support our teachers and, in particular, to develop their professional learning. As a teacher in my long-distant past, I certainly appreciated the support that I received when I taught in schools, and I valued the professional development that I was able to take advantage of that enhanced my everyday teaching and the learning opportunities that I then presented to children.

The report also looks at and makes recommendations around the need for continued school improvement and for tools and strategies to make sure that schools have plans in place to lift results. Schools and education do evolve. There are some key principles that stay in place, but when I look back at my own schooling and when I look at the schooling of my children and I now look at the schooling my grandchildren are receiving, while some things remain the same, that constant encouragement and development and changing of the school environment is really to be applauded. That need for school development and school improvement is critical, and it is certainly critical to have plans in place to lift results. We have the NAPLAN, which I think now is well embedded in our system. We did an inquiry on that last year and we made recommendations about the sorts of improvements that could be made to NAPLAN. I am very pleased to say that the government has picked up many of the improvements that we recommended, and we are now undertaking trials of NAPLAN going live. That is a good thing. We are looking at how we develop NAPLAN further so that children from different cultural backgrounds and different language backgrounds are also able to participate in that testing, because I certainly believe it is important for us to check where our children's learning is up to. And it is important to have a reliable test that not only teachers but also students and parents have faith in. It gives us a good picture of how our children are developing in certain areas across the curriculum. NAPLAN does not look at the whole of the child—that is one of the things critics say about it—but it nevertheless does provide a snapshot; and as long as there is bipartisan support for NAPLAN we can look to how we can continually improve it and make sure that schools are providing our children with the very best they can. That is a good thing as well.

The report also talked about the importance of early education and the need to have high expectations for every child regardless of their socioeconomic background. That is something I am very passionate about. We do not ever want to have the situation Gonski identified becoming entrenched in our system, where postcodes determine outcomes. We know there are some pretty horrific statistics in the Gonski report; one in seven 15-year-olds does not have basic literacy. As a community, and in a bipartisan way as a parliament, we really have to lift our school results to make sure that every Australian child has the very best opportunity. We have to have high expectations of all the children in our schools.

The report looked at the vital importance of encouraging more teachers to become qualified, particularly in maths, and at the need to support and mentor new teachers. I can certainly agree with that as a graduating teacher. That is how teaching development has evolved. When I left Murdoch University we did not have a mentoring scheme in place, as we do now in Western Australia, and I was left on my own. That not only did me a disservice as a young emerging teacher but it certainly was not doing the best by the children who were in my class and who I was expected to teach and reach milestones with. Mentoring new teachers is critical because it is in those first few years we can really build and develop good skills and strategies for the future. I was lucky I had some very good teachers around me who acted as natural mentors and taught me an amazing amount, giving me skills and encouragement, but that formal mentoring is critical.

These are good ideas but they are not just good ideas. They are backed up by evidence. If we get the implementation right it would have a significant impact on student achievement—there is no doubt about that. But this report must also be quite inconvenient for the Liberals and the Nationals because, since making those recommendations and coming to government, they have set out to systematically undermine the very initiatives they have themselves argued for in this report.

Labor's Gonski reforms were not just about money. They were about money driving real change in five areas: better quality teaching; higher standards; better training; support; and development. They were about better student outcomes—more individual attention for every student because, whether we like it or not, the facts are that postcodes are determining student outcomes. They do give more flexibility to principals. That was the aim of Gonski—to engage with the parents and the community. A needs based funding system is something I really hope we can achieve so every child in every school gets a great education and support through needs based funding that is applicable to them and their school. We need transparency and accountability to make sure we get results and to ensure states do not cut funding. The sorts of funding cuts we have unfortunately seen in Western Australia are going to the heart of programs that support vulnerable children and children from disadvantaged backgrounds. We have seen those sorts of cuts applied in Western Australia.

This is where the report and the reality really start to be distanced. We have seen the Abbott government break their promise to honour the Gonski agreement. We all heard those famous words—that there was a 'unity ticket' on Gonski and that it did not matter whether you voted Labor or Liberal, Gonski would be put in place. Yet we saw that those became just hollow words and broken promises. They are not commitments that have been lived up to.

The New South Wales state government was one of the early signers of Gonski. In fact, I was in the audience the night the state minister announced it. He said three short words: 'We got Gonski.' How disappointed he must be because actually they have not got Gonski. It matters for New South Wales. It is our biggest state. It has a high number of schools. But like every state it has schools that are struggling, and the Abbott government breaking that commitment on Gonski has been a bitter disappointment for New South Wales schools.

With $80 billion in cuts to schools and hospitals over the next decade, the Abbott government has driven a knife right into the heart of the kind of reforms they advocate for in the report today. We cannot fund professional development and mentoring without years 5 and 6 of the Gonski reforms. I would urge the Abbott government today to look at the report they endorsed and those fine recommendations, to realise the mistakes they have made and to live up to the commitments and the promises they gave to the Australian public.

Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am delighted and very proud to rise to speak to the Australian government response to Teaching and Learning (maximising our investment in Australian schools). I am equally pleased to be able to record that three of the four very active members of the committee which addressed this question are here in the chamber: Senator Wright from the Greens political party and my colleagues Senator McKenzie and Senator Alex Gallacher. It was at the initiative of our group. It did not come from shadow ministerial, ministerial or any other sources; we just decided in conversation as a committee that we should look at this. This particular report was not addressed at Gonski level; it was addressed right down at the classroom level. Why can't teachers teach and what is stopping children from learning? This was developed around six pillars: the first being the reasons and causes of disadvantage for children; the second being parental involvement; the third being school autonomy; the fourth being student behaviour; the fifth being quality student-teachers; and, finally, professional learning for classroom teachers.

I am very pleased and proud to see that the government has responded in the way they have to the 23 recommendations contained within a bipartisan and unanimous report. We learned that the government has established a Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group, partially to give effect to the recommendations and to ensure that they are closely examined with a view to implementation, and that many of these recommendations will be or have been passed on to the Council of Australian Governments' Educational Council so that it can be scrutinised by a council of COAG. We understand that the report in its entirety is to be referred to the chair of the Educational Council. So it is one of those situations where, as backbenchers, you often say to yourself, 'What's the point of going through all these exercises? Why do you ask for submissions? Why do you go around the country taking evidence and writing a report with many recommendations?' and you think that there has been no action as a result of it. I am sure my colleagues in the chamber will share my appreciation of the fact that the hard work we did in this particular committee will see its way through to improved outcomes for children—improved educational outcomes and improved social outcomes.

I refer to those six pillars—the first being disadvantaged students. We are well aware of and recognise low-socioeconomic students, those with disabilities or those with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background. But, because so many of us on the committee have a very keen rural, regional and remote bias and bent, we were able to add in students living in rural, remote and regional areas to the group of disadvantaged students. I do not think that has been recognised, but it is now pleasing to see increasingly the inclusion of students at primary, secondary and higher education in the dialogue. Some of the recommendations go to that.

The second, as Senator Lines quite correctly has addressed, is the issue associated with parents. We came to learn that parental expectations, be they high or low, are critical to the outcome for the children. If the parents have a high expectation from a very young age, children are more likely to realise it. We also had evidence that it is the number of words that children hear as young children—not necessarily words spoken to them but words they hear in conversation. The greater the range of vocabulary with which they have contact the better their literacy will be in the very early years going through to later years. These are not costly impositions or implementations; they are just recognition that children need to hear words and that parents need to be encouraged to actually, in their turn, say to their children, 'We expect you to be the best you can.' That is not socioeconomically backgrounded. It is not rural and regional. It should not be those with disabilities or those with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background.

The third related to school autonomy, and there has been much spoken about the right of the principal to direct and interact with their community, to take on board the advice of parents and other groups and to run their schools to the best effect for their community—particularly for the children.

When it comes to behaviour, the committee thought it was a shame that, when you speak to teachers or those who have left teaching, they will tell you that it is poor behaviour that often drives them out of teaching. Acting Deputy President Whish-Wilson, the only teacher who came and presented wonderful information was from your home state of Tasmania. If I can quote from that gentleman, these were the words he said to the committee:

Well-behaved children learn a great deal better and a great deal more than poorly behaved children.

He spoke of the problems associated with trying to control a classroom and with trying to teach children, particularly if there is a bully in a classroom. It is not just removal of the bully; it is the fact that you return to a classroom of timid, scared young children who themselves are not in a position to learn. Whilst the government's response speaks to behavioural problems, I still think it is the elephant in the room that we have to address in Australian education. I look at education in Singapore, China, Finland and other places. I have spoken about this in this place before. You will notice the thing that is in common to the countries that are always put up on pedestals for being better educational outcome countries than us: the behaviour of children in the classrooms. I really do appeal to government that we make sure we address the opportunities for those who want to learn and for the teachers to teach them. Some of our recommendations go to that question.

I speak of quality teaching of graduates, and I mentioned that the government is already moving to lift the quality, professionalism and status of the teaching profession. We are training far too many young student teachers. We have a situation where too few of them know where the real opportunities lie when they graduate. We have, in many instances, less than 50 per cent of student teachers believing they are classroom ready, but, worse than that, being asked to teach away from the disciplines they undertook in their university training. Again, we directed ourselves into that area. I am very pleased to see that the government is seriously looking at this whole question with those who provide teacher training to make sure that we are identifying those best equipped, that we are making sure that they receive the best formal education and that they are receiving practica in the classrooms so that they can get a good sense of what the profession is all about, and then, having graduated, they are classroom ready. They will have the mentors that Senator Lines quite rightly suggested were not available years ago and they will be given every opportunity to teach in the field in which they are trained.

The final area to which I referred was professional learning for classroom teachers. It was mystifying to me that so many of our young teachers do not have permanency and are unlikely to get a job at the end of the teaching year because of budgets and other constraints. They are quite often put off at the end of the teaching year—about now—and will possibly be employed again at the beginning of the next year. And we also heard that when it came to professional learning, teachers—generally younger ones, who were not permanent—often did not have the opportunity to participate in professional learning or professional development programs in the schools. Surely, the group that requires that professional development is the group of younger and less experienced teachers.

We also pleaded—I am very pleased to see that, in the government's response, they have noted this—for the opportunity for mentoring by senior teachers, who can sit in the classrooms of more junior teachers. And we pleaded for the opportunity for younger, more junior teachers to sit in the classrooms of more experienced teachers so that they can genuinely interact.

There would not be a person in this place who does not agree that we have to give every opportunity to every child and every young person in this country to be the best that they can be. We all know that 'educo' the Latin root of the work 'education' means, 'I lead you out of the darkness of ignorance.' That is what the Latin term for education is. I am delighted to think the Australian government has responded to this report in such a positive way.

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am really pleased to speak once again in this chamber to the passion that ignited my entire career until I came to this place—that is, a love of learning, a love of teaching and a love of the power of education, because it transforms the lives of all those who touch it: those who are delivering it and those who are receiving it. When it is done well it is an incredibly powerful tool for advancing our entire community.

When this report—which received a government response today—was released in May 2013, it was not a bad report. It was a report in which there was a general consensus that things needed to change in Australia to provide equitable access to education to put money where money should go, and to make sure that the principles that we espoused in the Melbourne declaration—about engaging students and giving them a fair opportunity in life—are realised in this place.

But we have to remember that the report was delivered in the context of the community understanding that the Gonski reforms were happening. The community believed that money was going to be allocated to five key areas to top up what was needed and make sure that those who were way out west—away from the cities—and those in rural and remote were considered, and Indigenous kids, kids from low socio-economic backgrounds and kids with disabilities, and young people who were coming to school with little English were considered. These were critical areas that the government—on the advice of Gonski—had considered were vital areas to respond to with funding. That is where we were going.

And we were going in that direction because of some of the evidence that is in the original report. Mr Taylor, who represented the Isolated Children's Parents Association of New South Wales declared to the committee:

We cannot keep doing the same thing and expect the gap to narrow or for the situation to improve. We have to concede that we have a crisis in educational opportunity and outcome in rural and remote areas, set ourselves targets for improvement and become accountable for making that improvement happen. That will require innovation. That will require translating successful programs for isolated students from other schools within Australia and internationally and multiplying those programs across our own schools. That will require collaboration rather than competition in our rural schooling sector.

Mr Taylor could not have been more right. And the Australian people generally agreed with that principle.

This government has revealed the depths of its deception fully this week with regard to the promise to make no cuts to the ABC and no cuts to SBS, along with no cuts to health and no cuts to education. This government has revealed itself to the Australian people, sadly, a year after it was elected. But as it went into the election, on the back of this report, it was looking not so bad. By declaring that they were on a unity ticket with Labor on Gonski funding, they effectively took schooling out of the equation when people were making the decision about how to cast their vote at the ballot. It was an act of gross deception, because since coming into government—barely weeks after arriving in government—this Abbott government walked away from anything that looked like the Gonski commitments. It was certainly not a unity ticket.

So the reality is that, while we have this amazing report, today we have finally got the government's response. Those who are listening to the proceedings of the Senate this afternoon will hear, in the government's response, how little the government are going to do. They claim that the first step in achieving quality education is to lift the quality, professionalism and status of the teaching profession. They go straight back to the old mantra. 'It's all the teachers' fault; we'll just sort out the teachers.' Do you know why they are doing that? They are doing that because they do not want to invest the money. They simply do not understand that we need to invest the money in our students, our teachers and our schools. Certainly, education of our teachers and lifting standards and professionalism is part of the answer, but it should not be the first thing that the government identifies in its response.

A couple of the critical recommendations of the report refer to exactly what I was mentioning—the funding. The report says:

The committee recommends that the COAG Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood work with the Catholic and Independent School sectors to further develop programs to ensure that parents and guardians have the highest expectations for each child, regardless of socio economic status.

And what do we have from this government? We do not have a commitment of money. We do not have an acknowledgement or an agreement; we have the weakest possible language that 'the government notes' the committee report. There is recommendation after recommendation in the original report—about going to COAG, about dealing with this on a national level, about the integration of the state and federal government systems—but the minute they got into government, this mob over here ran away. They tore up agreements left, right and centre in health and in education. They tore them up, ran away from their responsibilities to have an integrated education program for Australians across the entire country. We have got a national curriculum, but we certainly have not got a national funding model. And whatever chance we had of getting to it—and we were so close—the change of government gave that sad lot the opportunity to rip that possibility away from all of those who are attending school now. The disgrace that will live on in terms of the legacy of those opposite will be felt by those children from whom this government have walked away. They walked away from their so-called unity ticket on Gonski.

I find it hard to believe that in all of the recommendations we look through here that 'the committee notes', 'the committee notes', 'the committee notes', 'the committee notes' is pretty much the main response that this government have given: 'We notice that it's going on over there. Yep, it was a nice piece of paper.' There is only one area that I could find in the committee report—and I have looked through it—that the Australian government support. Only one thing, and that is the committee recommendation about schools for students with disability and learning difficulties. The reason they are supporting that is because we had that legislation back here in the chamber only a couple of weeks ago and we have been fighting to make sure they cannot walk away from their commitments to the disability sector. We came in here and we had to fix up a mess of legislation—which we see day after day from this incompetent government—just so that kids with disabilities and their schools could get their funding. And some of you might remember that we were in here debating about how Aboriginal children who are in remote communities and who are going to go to boarding school needed that funding to come through too. The Senate delivered one vital thing, and that is the only thing in this response, in the time I have had to read it, that I can see the government is doing anything about.

Those opposite have absolved themselves of any responsibility, as the national government of this country, for integration with the states. And they do it under the cover of mealy-mouthed phrases: 'We need to move away from the states. They need to have their own autonomy to choose. We should just let the states do their own thing. You know, they have a right—we want to move away from command and control.' Well that is a load of codswallop! What they want to move away from is actually putting funding on the line, from honestly and sincerely committing to the children of this nation and making sure that those who do need the money in exactly the way that Gonski declared get the money that they need.

This government are running every which way from every commitment they have ever made. No cuts to education? We know they have taken $30 billion out—matched that and raised it by taking $50 billion out of health. 'No cuts to health, no cuts to education, no cuts to the ABC, no cuts to SBS'. This response we see here from the government is exactly the same sort of story. This is, 'We will cut to blazes anything to do with education, and we'll do it under the cover of these fancy reports and terminologies—command and control, autonomy to the states.' But it is all just a cover. If you analysed how much each person on that side of the chamber invested in their own children's education, it would tell you pretty quickly that they think money matters. And it should not have to in this country. I understand the power of a great education and I have paid for great education for my children too, but I want every Australian to get it because it is a right in this country. You should not have to have money to get a decent education in Australia any more, but this country will preside over exactly that sort of a mantra. (Time expired)

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very proud to rise to speak to the government's response to the Senate Education, Employment and Workplace Relations References Committee report Teaching and learning—maximising our investment in Australian schools. I was one of the senators, with Senator Back and others, who contributed to this report. As Senator Back's contribution noted, this was not a blue-sky report; it was a report where we spoke to principals, where we spoke to teachers and researchers and actually got to the very heart of what makes a difference to teaching and learning.

The inquiry was on the back of the committee's trip to China in the wake of the PISA results, and particularly the Shanghai school systems results. The committee wanted to understand more fully how China were getting the results they were within those international tests, and whether there were any lessons for us to learn—particularly given the prior government's fascination or fixation on ensuring we were in the top five PISA results. And Senator O'Neill, through you, Chair, as an educator I am sure you would appreciate that international tests are not a good education barometer to understanding the quality of an education that goes on within classrooms and within schools and within communities. And yet that is what the former Labor government chose to hold up as the measurement of a quality education, through their so-called Gonski reforms.

Senator O'Neill rails in some faux outrage that this report was handed down in May 2013 to the former Labor -Green's government but that it is our government who are actually responding; however, hers did not. This is despite the fact the great Gonski report was handed down in December 2010 I think, and yet, there they were, running around the country, traipsing behind premier after premier in great haste, in September 2013 in an effort to actually realise the principles that Gonski underlined. And yet we did not end up with the model that Gonski wanted. The government that actually delivered a national, needs-based school funding model that was sector blind was not the Gillard government, was not the Labor-Green's government; it was Christopher Pyne and the Abbott government that delivered that. No matter how you want to paint it, they are the facts. The department has confirmed that fact for the committee in a hearing during recent months—that is, that a sector blind, needs-based national funding model was delivered by the coalition government and not by the former government. Indeed, there is actually an increase of investment in school funding from the Commonwealth over the forward estimates. I just want to put that on the record for all those fabulous Australians listening to the Senate this afternoon.

In looking at the government's response, I realised why the government has decided just to note so many of the recommendations. It is because underlying our recommendations was the recognition that state governments are responsible for the delivery of school education. Many of the recommendations we made went to the heart of that, so our issues have been referred to the appropriate place for the discussions to take place.

One thing we realised in talking to principals, teachers and students about what makes for excellent learning outcomes is that it is about—and all the research bears this out—the teacher in the classroom. Again, I refer to Senator O'Neill's contribution in which she made it sound as if the teacher in the classroom does not make a difference to student outcomes. At the very least she made it sound as if it is not the most important thing in making a difference. But it is. It absolutely is. Our government is committed to putting taxpayers' dollars where they are going to make the biggest difference for our students—not for the AEU or the NTEU but for Australian students who attend state schools, Catholic schools or private independent schools.

The setting up of the Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group, or TEMAG, was fundamental to addressing many of the recommendations in our report. It went to the heart of the key questions. What does make a great teacher? What is the role of the deans of education across this country in ensuring our teacher training programs turn out the kinds of graduates who are not going to leave the profession after five years, who are going to understand what is required to be a great teacher and how to deliver lessons in a way that not only engages young Australians but also ensures they actually learn something? A good science lesson does not mean you get to watch MythBusters24/7. You actually have to understand the principles of teaching science.

It is about pedagogical approaches that work and it is about ensuring that our teachers graduate with core subject knowledge—that they are experts in the classroom. Yes, they facilitate students to understand the content within a certain context, but they have to be the experts in the room. You cannot leave it to Wikipedia. It is also about professional experience—and we understand that it is about ongoing learning by teachers, including through ongoing conversations about education and through learning communities. That is something our government has very much understood. The TEMAG report is in and I am looking forward to the government's response to that and to seeing how we are going to ensure that, in the years ahead, every Australian student has quality Australian teaching in their classroom and therefore maximises their opportunity to learn.

Another great initiative of the government in teaching and learning is the appointment of Professor John Hattie to AITSL. He is widely respected within the profession and very focused on ensuring that there is evidence behind what we do in the classroom—on making sure that it is really going to make a difference for all students, not just middle-class white kids. He is about making sure that everything we do in a classroom is based on research and evidence. I think that is going to be very powerful and transformative for teaching. One of the recommendations we made was about the development of online resources. That is one of the key components of AITSL's work—gathering those online resources that teachers can use in the classroom.

Another recommendations we made was about Closing the Gap. The Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Nigel Scullion, is in the chamber today. I congratulate him on his initiatives. Whilst the figures on closing the gap in educational attainment for Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people are not where we want them to be, his very practical and pragmatic approach to solving this problem through his officers working in the communities with families to ensure young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are heading into the schools is going to be the first step towards ensuring that we do close that gap. You have to get them in the door.

Another focus of Senator Back and mine, because we do both have a mathematical and scientific bent, was on STEM—

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Me too!

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And Senator Collins—fabulous, a unity ticket there. We are all focused on the importance of STEM subjects in the curriculum, ensuring that those teachers who are experienced and expert in the teaching of STEM are available right across the school system. That is so important. We made a variety of recommendations to that effect. That is why I am very proud not only of our government's response to the report but of the policy initiatives we are implementing right now through our competitiveness agenda—not to mention Minister Pyne's own personal commitment to ensuring that mathematics, science and technology are a key focus of our government and our education policy going forward.

I commend the report. I enjoyed working with Senator Back on this report—and, Senator Marshall, we do miss you! I appreciated the bipartisan approach the former committee had to all things education. It is a great report and I am very proud of a government that is putting students first in teaching and learning. We are investing taxpayers' money wisely to give effect to that. I look forward to the recommendations of this report bearing fruit in the decades ahead.

Question agreed to.