Ms MANISON - 2016-05-25
Your own annual report shows you have 164 fewer teachers in classrooms since you came to office in 2012. How many teachers and support staff will yesterday’s budget put back into the classroom?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, we also have 33 executive officer contracts; there were 55 under Labor. We found efficiencies within the education system.
Labor’s proposed policies on education which I have heard of in the last week or so defy fiscal reason. They also fail to mention any evidence-based reform.
In the last few years we have used experts. We have used people who know what they are doing in the fields of education and economics.
Listen to the Minister for Business talk about how you could impact local businesses because you are listening to spin doctors not specialists. You are not listening to educational experts; you are listening to spin doctors.
I mentioned yesterday that in the Territory we are spending $23 578 per student in our budget, the biggest budget the Territory has ever seen for education. That is 45% more than the national average. Around the country, in every other jurisdiction about $16 000 is spent per student. We have, on average, about 12.6 students to every teacher. That is pretty close to what it was under Labor. However, I am concerned about Labor’s unwanted and ill-thought-out policies on education because they are not using the science we based our decisions on over the last few years. I ask, with all sincerity …
Ms MANISON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110, regarding answers being concise and directly relevant to the question. It was a straightforward question on yesterday’s budget. How many additional teachers and support staff will go back into the classroom?
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Wanguri. Minister, you have the call. Get to the point.
Mr CHANDLER: What is more important is if you go to the results in the report – let us look at some NAPLAN results, because results are important; they are what we have been focusing on over the last few years. Labor wants to go back to 2012 and the way they were doing things. We are spending $77m more in this budget than we did last year. Also, we are spending $120m more than Labor did in its last year. They spruik about wanting to spend $120m more …
Ms MANISON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110, regarding answers being concise and directly relevant to the question. It was a straightforward question. How many additional teachers and support staff will the budget deliver back into the classroom?
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Wanguri. Minister, you have the call. Get to the point.
Mr CHANDLER: Madam Speaker, I have raised this a number of times. We have employed about 38 teachers already this year, based on student numbers increasing. We do not have a cap on teacher numbers in the Territory. It will always be based on the number of students. Student numbers are increasing, so are the results and so is the money.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, we also have 33 executive officer contracts; there were 55 under Labor. We found efficiencies within the education system.
Labor’s proposed policies on education which I have heard of in the last week or so defy fiscal reason. They also fail to mention any evidence-based reform.
In the last few years we have used experts. We have used people who know what they are doing in the fields of education and economics.
Listen to the Minister for Business talk about how you could impact local businesses because you are listening to spin doctors not specialists. You are not listening to educational experts; you are listening to spin doctors.
I mentioned yesterday that in the Territory we are spending $23 578 per student in our budget, the biggest budget the Territory has ever seen for education. That is 45% more than the national average. Around the country, in every other jurisdiction about $16 000 is spent per student. We have, on average, about 12.6 students to every teacher. That is pretty close to what it was under Labor. However, I am concerned about Labor’s unwanted and ill-thought-out policies on education because they are not using the science we based our decisions on over the last few years. I ask, with all sincerity …
Ms MANISON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110, regarding answers being concise and directly relevant to the question. It was a straightforward question on yesterday’s budget. How many additional teachers and support staff will go back into the classroom?
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Wanguri. Minister, you have the call. Get to the point.
Mr CHANDLER: What is more important is if you go to the results in the report – let us look at some NAPLAN results, because results are important; they are what we have been focusing on over the last few years. Labor wants to go back to 2012 and the way they were doing things. We are spending $77m more in this budget than we did last year. Also, we are spending $120m more than Labor did in its last year. They spruik about wanting to spend $120m more …
Ms MANISON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110, regarding answers being concise and directly relevant to the question. It was a straightforward question. How many additional teachers and support staff will the budget deliver back into the classroom?
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Wanguri. Minister, you have the call. Get to the point.
Mr CHANDLER: Madam Speaker, I have raised this a number of times. We have employed about 38 teachers already this year, based on student numbers increasing. We do not have a cap on teacher numbers in the Territory. It will always be based on the number of students. Student numbers are increasing, so are the results and so is the money.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016