Mrs FINOCCHIARO - 2015-08-26
Today it was announced that a further six schools will become independent public schools at the start of 2016. I was thrilled to learn that Durack Primary School in my electorate is becoming an IPS. I congratulate Graham Mauger, the Chairperson of the school council, and Sheila Delahay, the school principal, as well as the entire school council and community, and teachers and staff on this wonderful achievement.
Can you please outline to the House what this means for the successful Territory schools.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it was fantastic to announce this. I visited a couple of schools last week and I knew what the results were. They were all talking about how excited they were about independent public schools and the fact they had applied and went through the process. Those members on the other side are delusional if they do not think people are excited because of independent public schools.
The differences have been made in the schools already. There were six last year. These guys pioneered; they took on the challenge of independent public school status.
On the back of ill-information being fed through by the Labor members, they continually trash education in the Territory. It is so wrong. Spreading rumours like schools being closed and other horrible things – guess what? No schools have closed. All the things they have said are wrong. We have turned education in the Territory on its head. It is heading in the right direction. Establishing independent public schools is one of the initiatives of this government, changing the way we do things in education and putting the decision-making back where it should be, which is in the schools. If you guys ever had any connection to a school and school councils, you would know they have been calling for that.
They want to make decisions. They want to know they can get access to the chief executive not through a regional director or a bureaucracy, but directly with any of the initiatives they want. Why do they want this? Because, like a lot of people, they are fed up with bureaucracy and government taking too long to make decisions. They now have the power for two things: autonomy provided through the budgets to do what they want with; and the schools which have taken on the independent public school status are on equal, if not better, footing with our private sector schools.
Darwin High School is the leading high school in the Northern Territory. Is it a private school? No, it is not; it is a public school. Our public schools should be just as good, if not better. Territorians deserve our public school system to be the best it can be, and the independent status given to these schools can do that. It is welcomed in the community. Do yourself a favour and sit down with some of the schools that have gone through it; there were six last year. Ask them why they wanted to go through the process this year.
Can you please outline to the House what this means for the successful Territory schools.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it was fantastic to announce this. I visited a couple of schools last week and I knew what the results were. They were all talking about how excited they were about independent public schools and the fact they had applied and went through the process. Those members on the other side are delusional if they do not think people are excited because of independent public schools.
The differences have been made in the schools already. There were six last year. These guys pioneered; they took on the challenge of independent public school status.
On the back of ill-information being fed through by the Labor members, they continually trash education in the Territory. It is so wrong. Spreading rumours like schools being closed and other horrible things – guess what? No schools have closed. All the things they have said are wrong. We have turned education in the Territory on its head. It is heading in the right direction. Establishing independent public schools is one of the initiatives of this government, changing the way we do things in education and putting the decision-making back where it should be, which is in the schools. If you guys ever had any connection to a school and school councils, you would know they have been calling for that.
They want to make decisions. They want to know they can get access to the chief executive not through a regional director or a bureaucracy, but directly with any of the initiatives they want. Why do they want this? Because, like a lot of people, they are fed up with bureaucracy and government taking too long to make decisions. They now have the power for two things: autonomy provided through the budgets to do what they want with; and the schools which have taken on the independent public school status are on equal, if not better, footing with our private sector schools.
Darwin High School is the leading high school in the Northern Territory. Is it a private school? No, it is not; it is a public school. Our public schools should be just as good, if not better. Territorians deserve our public school system to be the best it can be, and the independent status given to these schools can do that. It is welcomed in the community. Do yourself a favour and sit down with some of the schools that have gone through it; there were six last year. Ask them why they wanted to go through the process this year.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016