Ms FYLES - 2014-02-11
Under your watch, Territory schools are in crisis. You refuse to come clean on how your cuts to education are impacting our classrooms. You have scrapped bush secondary education programs leaving students with no options …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question is out of order. It is not in order with Standing Order 112(2)(a), (b), (c), or (d): arguments, inferences, imputations and epithets.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. Member for Nightcliff.
Ms FYLES: Territorians are asking me to ask these questions of you, Chief Minister. You scrapped programs. You want to scrap secondary education in the bush. Large urban schools do not have enough teachers to cover enrolments, and teachers say they are drowning. I have an e-mail from a Territory school teacher which states teachers are drowning. When will you admit to Territorians you got it wrong? Our Territory schools are in crisis. When will you stop your savage education cuts?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, we look at our achievements over the last 15-16 months. We look at what we have done about alcohol policy and the reduction in the consumption of pure alcohol. We look at what has happened with alcohol rehabilitation and the reforms we have made in the performance measure for alcohol rehabilitation. We look at what has happened …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. He was asked about the crisis in Territory schools, not alcohol policy. We would like him to talk about Territory schools.
Madam SPEAKER: Sit down, it is not a point of order. The Chief Minister has three minutes to answer the question.
Mr GILES: Look at the economy. We have the second highest economy in the nation, the highest construction figures, retail – economic indicators all around the Territory are reflected on the rest of Australia. We are leading the nation. Look at what is happening with crime. We have the lowest crime figures since statistics were first collected in 1999, the lowest crime statistics on record.
Alice Springs, as an example, was a war zone two years ago under Labor. Now, the peacefulness, the tranquillity, a beautiful community …
Ms MANISON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question was about education and teacher cuts. I would like the Chief Minister to answer the question.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, you have the call. If you could get to the point, please.
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, I will use my three minutes. Thank you very much for the interjection. We have worked on alcohol, we are working on rehabilitation, crime, economics, and now we have our attention on education. We focused on that last year. We have three reviews under way.
I will go to one of the components of the question: secondary education in the bush. The education system in the bush, under Labor, was designed by that famous Labor man, Bob Collins. The review was titled Learning Lessons. We know our NAPLAN results are the worst in the country. We know the educational outcomes. We know kids’ ability in numeracy and literacy. On this side of the Chamber, we care. The reason they keep screaming - for those in the gallery - is because they know this hurts. Bruce Wilson undertook a review into remote Indigenous education in the Northern Territory and his findings show - I do not have the graph in front of me …
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. I asked a very direct question: when will he admit Territory schools are in crisis and stop the savage education cuts?
Madam SPEAKER: Sit down; it is not a point of order. The Chief Minister is answering the question.
Mr GILES: Secondary education in the bush is in crises, which is why we are trying to fix it. The draft review by Bruce Wilson showed that Indigenous remote and very remote schools in the Northern Territory, compared to similar remote and very remote schools in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, we were a mile behind those schools.
Let me leave you with this one statistic. There are 47 secondary education facilities in the Northern Territory. Last year, eight students completed their Northern Territory Certificate of Education and Training. This figure is reflective of a schooling system in crisis, and we as a government have a commitment to fix it. You whinge and want to be Dr Know all the time. We will continue on this platform of reform …
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question is out of order. It is not in order with Standing Order 112(2)(a), (b), (c), or (d): arguments, inferences, imputations and epithets.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. Member for Nightcliff.
Ms FYLES: Territorians are asking me to ask these questions of you, Chief Minister. You scrapped programs. You want to scrap secondary education in the bush. Large urban schools do not have enough teachers to cover enrolments, and teachers say they are drowning. I have an e-mail from a Territory school teacher which states teachers are drowning. When will you admit to Territorians you got it wrong? Our Territory schools are in crisis. When will you stop your savage education cuts?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, we look at our achievements over the last 15-16 months. We look at what we have done about alcohol policy and the reduction in the consumption of pure alcohol. We look at what has happened with alcohol rehabilitation and the reforms we have made in the performance measure for alcohol rehabilitation. We look at what has happened …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. He was asked about the crisis in Territory schools, not alcohol policy. We would like him to talk about Territory schools.
Madam SPEAKER: Sit down, it is not a point of order. The Chief Minister has three minutes to answer the question.
Mr GILES: Look at the economy. We have the second highest economy in the nation, the highest construction figures, retail – economic indicators all around the Territory are reflected on the rest of Australia. We are leading the nation. Look at what is happening with crime. We have the lowest crime figures since statistics were first collected in 1999, the lowest crime statistics on record.
Alice Springs, as an example, was a war zone two years ago under Labor. Now, the peacefulness, the tranquillity, a beautiful community …
Ms MANISON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question was about education and teacher cuts. I would like the Chief Minister to answer the question.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, you have the call. If you could get to the point, please.
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, I will use my three minutes. Thank you very much for the interjection. We have worked on alcohol, we are working on rehabilitation, crime, economics, and now we have our attention on education. We focused on that last year. We have three reviews under way.
I will go to one of the components of the question: secondary education in the bush. The education system in the bush, under Labor, was designed by that famous Labor man, Bob Collins. The review was titled Learning Lessons. We know our NAPLAN results are the worst in the country. We know the educational outcomes. We know kids’ ability in numeracy and literacy. On this side of the Chamber, we care. The reason they keep screaming - for those in the gallery - is because they know this hurts. Bruce Wilson undertook a review into remote Indigenous education in the Northern Territory and his findings show - I do not have the graph in front of me …
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. I asked a very direct question: when will he admit Territory schools are in crisis and stop the savage education cuts?
Madam SPEAKER: Sit down; it is not a point of order. The Chief Minister is answering the question.
Mr GILES: Secondary education in the bush is in crises, which is why we are trying to fix it. The draft review by Bruce Wilson showed that Indigenous remote and very remote schools in the Northern Territory, compared to similar remote and very remote schools in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, we were a mile behind those schools.
Let me leave you with this one statistic. There are 47 secondary education facilities in the Northern Territory. Last year, eight students completed their Northern Territory Certificate of Education and Training. This figure is reflective of a schooling system in crisis, and we as a government have a commitment to fix it. You whinge and want to be Dr Know all the time. We will continue on this platform of reform …
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016