Mr TOYNE - 1999-10-21
This morning the government will be releasing the Collins report on Aboriginal education, a report that will criticise the government’s performance. What the minister has not told Territorians is that he has another report on Aboriginal education. This one was done by his own department and completed in October this year. I seek leave to table a leaked confidential report.
Leave granted.
Mr TOYNE: This report reviews the Northern Territory government’s expenditure of $90m of Commonwealth funding provided for Aboriginal education. My questions are these. The internal review says the Northern Territory Department of Education can demonstrate only marginal achievement ...
Mr ADAMSON: A point of order, Mr Speaker! I have just heard that there are going to be ‘questions’. Either I am going to have to write these down, or we can have a bit of sense and do them one at a time, please. He just said ‘questions’. So where do we draw the line, Mr Speaker?
Mr SPEAKER: There is no point of order, but I ask the member for Stuart to get to nub of the questions as quickly as possible.
Mr TOYNE: The internal review says the Northern Territory Department of Education can demonstrate only marginal achievement in some outcomes by indigenous students in our schools. Most damning of all, it says that there is a systemic lack of interest in Aboriginal education. The minister is responsible for this disgraceful state of affairs. I ask, how did he let this happen?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, without getting too personal, the only leak is probably happening between the ears of the honourable member across the Chamber at the moment. But it is unfortunate that I descend to those depths. I promise not to do that again.
For starters, I have not seen this ‘leaked, confidential’ internal report with qualifications on it, by the member’s own admission, that we need to see.
There is no lack of interest in Aboriginal education, by myself or by my bureaucracy. I hope the member is not implying a lack of interest on the part of teachers. The reason we have undertaken a number of reviews is that we have a great deal of interest in this matter.
Unfortunately, time and time again the member makes wild claims. At the start of year he said that there was chaos in the system. Then 2 months later he admitted: ‘Well actually, no, that wasn’t the case’. I assure honourable members that there is no lack of interest from this government and from my department. I’m sure I can also speak on behalf of the teachers in the school communities out there. I think they’ll be very interested to hear the comments from the member from Stuart claiming that they have no commitment to or interest in Aboriginal education. The fact is, we have hundreds of officers in the department who are solely committed to Aboriginal education. Quite frankly, I find the honourable member’s inference offensive.
Leave granted.
Mr TOYNE: This report reviews the Northern Territory government’s expenditure of $90m of Commonwealth funding provided for Aboriginal education. My questions are these. The internal review says the Northern Territory Department of Education can demonstrate only marginal achievement ...
Mr ADAMSON: A point of order, Mr Speaker! I have just heard that there are going to be ‘questions’. Either I am going to have to write these down, or we can have a bit of sense and do them one at a time, please. He just said ‘questions’. So where do we draw the line, Mr Speaker?
Mr SPEAKER: There is no point of order, but I ask the member for Stuart to get to nub of the questions as quickly as possible.
Mr TOYNE: The internal review says the Northern Territory Department of Education can demonstrate only marginal achievement in some outcomes by indigenous students in our schools. Most damning of all, it says that there is a systemic lack of interest in Aboriginal education. The minister is responsible for this disgraceful state of affairs. I ask, how did he let this happen?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, without getting too personal, the only leak is probably happening between the ears of the honourable member across the Chamber at the moment. But it is unfortunate that I descend to those depths. I promise not to do that again.
For starters, I have not seen this ‘leaked, confidential’ internal report with qualifications on it, by the member’s own admission, that we need to see.
There is no lack of interest in Aboriginal education, by myself or by my bureaucracy. I hope the member is not implying a lack of interest on the part of teachers. The reason we have undertaken a number of reviews is that we have a great deal of interest in this matter.
Unfortunately, time and time again the member makes wild claims. At the start of year he said that there was chaos in the system. Then 2 months later he admitted: ‘Well actually, no, that wasn’t the case’. I assure honourable members that there is no lack of interest from this government and from my department. I’m sure I can also speak on behalf of the teachers in the school communities out there. I think they’ll be very interested to hear the comments from the member from Stuart claiming that they have no commitment to or interest in Aboriginal education. The fact is, we have hundreds of officers in the department who are solely committed to Aboriginal education. Quite frankly, I find the honourable member’s inference offensive.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016