Mr BAILEY - 1998-12-03
He has said that the school at Royal Darwin Hospital, within my electorate, will be closed with the removal of its one teacher and aide. His new proposal will see school-age patients teaching themselves or taking correspondence education. This will place an additional burden on overworked nursing staff. How does he justify this mean-spirited decision which will place unreasonable pressure on parents, patients and nurses?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the member for Wanguri has once again distorted the situation. The average stay for a student in hospital is 2 days. We are not withdrawing education from the hospital in any way, despite what the member for Wanguri has said. We are simply shifting the responsibility within the department as to how those educational services are being delivered. That is the important part. If you listen to someone like the member for Wanguri and the untruths he peddles, you would believe that we are withdrawing services and educational delivery to the hospital. That is simply not the case, as we explained the other day.
I am quite happy to say again that responsibility for longer-terms students will rest with the distance education organisation, which is the situation that exists now. For shorter-terms stays of 1 or 2 days, I think it is more appropriate that educational services be delivered by the student’s own school staff. They are the ones who know at what stage the student is. They are the ones who know exactly how the school is going with its own programs. I assure honourable members and people listening to this broadcast, and the member for Wanguri, that young Territorians at the hospital will have access to educational services. I don’t think I can put it any more clearly than that.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the member for Wanguri has once again distorted the situation. The average stay for a student in hospital is 2 days. We are not withdrawing education from the hospital in any way, despite what the member for Wanguri has said. We are simply shifting the responsibility within the department as to how those educational services are being delivered. That is the important part. If you listen to someone like the member for Wanguri and the untruths he peddles, you would believe that we are withdrawing services and educational delivery to the hospital. That is simply not the case, as we explained the other day.
I am quite happy to say again that responsibility for longer-terms students will rest with the distance education organisation, which is the situation that exists now. For shorter-terms stays of 1 or 2 days, I think it is more appropriate that educational services be delivered by the student’s own school staff. They are the ones who know at what stage the student is. They are the ones who know exactly how the school is going with its own programs. I assure honourable members and people listening to this broadcast, and the member for Wanguri, that young Territorians at the hospital will have access to educational services. I don’t think I can put it any more clearly than that.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016