Ms LAWRIE - 2013-08-28
You have made it clear that principals have to make tough decisions about what subjects are cut and which teachers are sacked. This is a terrible burden for principals. At Casuarina Senior College, which will lose five teachers for the 2014 year, students have already been asked to make subject selections for next year. This is much earlier than usual, so the principal can be informed on which subjects to cut and which teachers to sack. As a student said to me, ‘What type of government gets students to choose who will be sacked?’
Why are you removing critical teachers and limiting subject choices in our senior colleges across the Territory?
ANSWER
This all comes back to resources; it all comes back to the choices governments have to make. Perhaps the student could have asked a better question: what sensible government would put itself into debt so much that future governments have to make tough decisions and live within their means?
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Actual debt was $1.6bn when they came to government. Understand you have the wrong priorities.
Madam SPEAKER: Please be seated, there is no point of order.
Mr CHANDLER: We were heading towards a debt where our interest payments alone were approaching $1m per day. Imagine if I could go to that school tomorrow with a $1m cheque.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Can the minister tell us why he is removing teachers from our schools?
Mr CHANDLER: It comes down to resources and budgeting. I went through this yesterday. No Cabinet member was sitting in Cabinet the day the full fiscal position was explained to us. We have to do better with slightly less, and we can do that. We have some smart people out there. I want to see principals with the autonomy to make decisions, principals working together with their school councils having the power to decide their priorities in the school. They should not be my priorities; they should be the principals’ and the school councils’ priorities …
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevant. The priority is why is he removing teachers from our schools? Answer the question!
Mr GILES: Speaking to the point of order, Madam Speaker. Our government is putting more money into education this year than Labor put in last year. Clearly, there is no point of order.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, you have the call.
Mr CHANDLER: The Northern Territory government puts in approximately $15 700 per student across the Northern Territory. By comparison, other states put in around $9700. The Northern Territory government is putting approximately one third more per student into education.
They want to talk about cuts and what we may be doing in education. If we signed up to Gonski - can you imagine if I had to go to Alawa Primary School and say, ‘You will lose $1 256 000 …
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The Leader of the Opposition did not mention Gonski. We are asking the minister why he is cutting teachers.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order, member for Nightcliff.
Mr CHANDLER: Why are they afraid to talk about Gonski? Because the emperor has no clothes, that is why.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113. The question is not about Gonski and what might happen; it is about cutting teachers, which is happening. Why are you cutting teachers in our senior schools?
Mr CHANDLER: This comes down to resources, and if you can imagine for one moment, with the fiscal resources we have, the savings measures we had to look at, imagine if we signed up to Gonski. Imagine what Alawa Primary School would do with $1.2m less. Imagine the cuts government would have to make if we signed up to this miracle Gonski program. I could go through the list - Darwin High School would lose a further $2.136m if we signed up to your miracle scheme. It is ridiculous. They want to give control to Canberra, away from Territorians, and to cut more money from Territory education, and they are sprouting like they have a miracle cure. You guys put us in this fiscal position. If Territorians are angry, they are angry at you.
Why are you removing critical teachers and limiting subject choices in our senior colleges across the Territory?
ANSWER
This all comes back to resources; it all comes back to the choices governments have to make. Perhaps the student could have asked a better question: what sensible government would put itself into debt so much that future governments have to make tough decisions and live within their means?
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Actual debt was $1.6bn when they came to government. Understand you have the wrong priorities.
Madam SPEAKER: Please be seated, there is no point of order.
Mr CHANDLER: We were heading towards a debt where our interest payments alone were approaching $1m per day. Imagine if I could go to that school tomorrow with a $1m cheque.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Can the minister tell us why he is removing teachers from our schools?
Mr CHANDLER: It comes down to resources and budgeting. I went through this yesterday. No Cabinet member was sitting in Cabinet the day the full fiscal position was explained to us. We have to do better with slightly less, and we can do that. We have some smart people out there. I want to see principals with the autonomy to make decisions, principals working together with their school councils having the power to decide their priorities in the school. They should not be my priorities; they should be the principals’ and the school councils’ priorities …
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevant. The priority is why is he removing teachers from our schools? Answer the question!
Mr GILES: Speaking to the point of order, Madam Speaker. Our government is putting more money into education this year than Labor put in last year. Clearly, there is no point of order.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, you have the call.
Mr CHANDLER: The Northern Territory government puts in approximately $15 700 per student across the Northern Territory. By comparison, other states put in around $9700. The Northern Territory government is putting approximately one third more per student into education.
They want to talk about cuts and what we may be doing in education. If we signed up to Gonski - can you imagine if I had to go to Alawa Primary School and say, ‘You will lose $1 256 000 …
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The Leader of the Opposition did not mention Gonski. We are asking the minister why he is cutting teachers.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order, member for Nightcliff.
Mr CHANDLER: Why are they afraid to talk about Gonski? Because the emperor has no clothes, that is why.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113. The question is not about Gonski and what might happen; it is about cutting teachers, which is happening. Why are you cutting teachers in our senior schools?
Mr CHANDLER: This comes down to resources, and if you can imagine for one moment, with the fiscal resources we have, the savings measures we had to look at, imagine if we signed up to Gonski. Imagine what Alawa Primary School would do with $1.2m less. Imagine the cuts government would have to make if we signed up to this miracle Gonski program. I could go through the list - Darwin High School would lose a further $2.136m if we signed up to your miracle scheme. It is ridiculous. They want to give control to Canberra, away from Territorians, and to cut more money from Territory education, and they are sprouting like they have a miracle cure. You guys put us in this fiscal position. If Territorians are angry, they are angry at you.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016