Ms MANISON - 2016-04-20
Your vicious cuts to public education since coming to power have done damage across the Territory. They have resulted in fewer teachers and support staff, and less resources for students. Schools are struggling to make ends meet in our suburbs and the bush. Will you rule out any further cuts to government education in the upcoming Territory budget? Will you commit to reversing the cuts you have made since August 2012 and start repairing the damage you have inflicted on Territory students and schools?
ANSWER
I would like to know what damage you are referring to. We have the best results we have ever had in the Territory.
Education today is a completely different agency, organisation and model to what we had under Labor.
Ms Fyles: With fewer teachers and less resources for our students.
Mr CHANDLER: They can talk all they want. As the Minister for Education I am focused on results. More students are passing their NTCET than ever before, including under any Labor government. More students are receiving A+ results and achieving 99.9 in their ATAR scores than ever before. A total of 178 Indigenous students passed their NTCET this year, which is another record.
We have improved education in the Northern Territory. We have rebased and we now need …
Members interjecting.
Mr CHANDLER: I can answer the question because on this side we are excited about education. As the Minister for Education, I am extremely proud of the reforms we have introduced in the last three-and-a-half years to rebase education in the NT and put us on a trajectory that never would have occurred with the Labor government’s approach.
Ms MANISON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110; answers must be concise and directly relevant to the question asked. I asked the minister if he will rule out any further cuts to government education in the upcoming budget, and reverse the cuts he made since …
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. The minister has three minutes to answer the question.
Mr CHANDLER: It is not always about the dollars; it is how much wisdom is put into how the money is spent. We have spent the money on improving results. I am proud of what the education system has gone through in the last three-and-a-half years.
Some hard decisions have been made, but at the end of the day we have a better education system. The results speak for themselves. Across the Northern Territory we have great schools and tremendous teachers. All we hear from the Labor members and their union mates is trashing it. All we want is to improve results. We want to put the royalties of the onshore gas …
Ms MANISON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110: relevance and being concise. I am asking the minister if we will see any further cuts to government education in the Territory budget.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Wanguri. The minister still has time to answer as he sees fit.
Mr CHANDLER: The royalties from onshore gas will go directly into education. Perhaps the question should be asked of Labor how in the world it will fund what it is promising for education when it wants a moratorium on gas and to take away what those royalties will do for education in the Northern Territory. For once, look at the results and hard work our teachers and department have achieved over the last few years to improve education and get better results than were ever achieved under Labor ...
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired.
ANSWER
I would like to know what damage you are referring to. We have the best results we have ever had in the Territory.
Education today is a completely different agency, organisation and model to what we had under Labor.
Ms Fyles: With fewer teachers and less resources for our students.
Mr CHANDLER: They can talk all they want. As the Minister for Education I am focused on results. More students are passing their NTCET than ever before, including under any Labor government. More students are receiving A+ results and achieving 99.9 in their ATAR scores than ever before. A total of 178 Indigenous students passed their NTCET this year, which is another record.
We have improved education in the Northern Territory. We have rebased and we now need …
Members interjecting.
Mr CHANDLER: I can answer the question because on this side we are excited about education. As the Minister for Education, I am extremely proud of the reforms we have introduced in the last three-and-a-half years to rebase education in the NT and put us on a trajectory that never would have occurred with the Labor government’s approach.
Ms MANISON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110; answers must be concise and directly relevant to the question asked. I asked the minister if he will rule out any further cuts to government education in the upcoming budget, and reverse the cuts he made since …
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. The minister has three minutes to answer the question.
Mr CHANDLER: It is not always about the dollars; it is how much wisdom is put into how the money is spent. We have spent the money on improving results. I am proud of what the education system has gone through in the last three-and-a-half years.
Some hard decisions have been made, but at the end of the day we have a better education system. The results speak for themselves. Across the Northern Territory we have great schools and tremendous teachers. All we hear from the Labor members and their union mates is trashing it. All we want is to improve results. We want to put the royalties of the onshore gas …
Ms MANISON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110: relevance and being concise. I am asking the minister if we will see any further cuts to government education in the Territory budget.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Wanguri. The minister still has time to answer as he sees fit.
Mr CHANDLER: The royalties from onshore gas will go directly into education. Perhaps the question should be asked of Labor how in the world it will fund what it is promising for education when it wants a moratorium on gas and to take away what those royalties will do for education in the Northern Territory. For once, look at the results and hard work our teachers and department have achieved over the last few years to improve education and get better results than were ever achieved under Labor ...
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016