Mr MILLS - 2008-06-11
Your government was repeatedly warned that your government’s haste in pushing through the middle schooling changes would result in considerable problems at Casuarina Senior College. Yesterday, it was confirmed that more than 50 students from Casuarina have been expelled this year. Now you have had a chance to be briefed, can you tell the House how many students have been expelled; how many suspensions or expulsions were for bomb threats; how many were for gang-related activity; how many were for violence; how many were for the possession of drugs; and how many were for the possession of weapons?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. He persists on going through with this. I am advised, as of 20 May, the number of suspensions in Territory schools is down about 10% compared to the last financial year. Having said that - and I am sure the Leader of the Opposition, being a former principal of a school would – we support school communities and principals in addressing behavioural issues across all our schools. We cannot have students disrupting other students who want to learn.
A comprehensive code of behaviour was launched by the previous Education minister and the Chief Minister last year to ensure students’ learning will not be disrupted. The Safe Schools NT Code of Behaviour, which I can provide to the Leader of the Opposition if he has not read it, outlines the right of all people to be treated with respect and dignity, the rights of students to learn, the rights of teachers to teach …
Mr Mills: Bearing arms.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: … and the right of everyone to be safe. All schools have the student wellbeing behaviour management policies that clearly detail behavioural expectations for students …
Mr Mills: Bombs.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: Well, you asked the question, I will get to it.
Mr Mills: With due respect, I have asked the question but I am not getting an answer.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Resume your seat, Leader of the Opposition.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: I am answering it.
Mr Mills: No, that is nothing to do with the question I asked.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms SCRYMGOUR: Madam Speaker, the policies clearly detail behavioural expectations for students and the consequences for not adhering to the school rules ...
Mr Mills: Like carrying bombs or knives.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: Suspension is one strategy that schools can use for serious breaches. As well as having this, we have backed it up with a number of behavioural officers in school and appointed 23 school counsellors that simply were not there under the CLP government. We know that there is disruption; there has been fighting in some of the schools. That has been happening across schools. It is not a new issue. You went to school. We all went to school. There were fights in schools …
Mr Mills: I have received e-mails today that would frighten you, if you have not seen them.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: The problem is that we inherited an education system that simply was not resourced …
Mr Mills: Oh, come one!
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms SCRYMGOUR: We deal with it by putting in place resourcing, principals and schools to be able to implement comprehensive policies that deal with this issue, as well as putting the additional school counsellors and wellbeing officers in place to deal with this issue. This will certainly go some way to dealing with it.
The Leader of the Opposition talked about our middle schools. Well, we are proud of our new middle schools structure, and the new facilities that we have provided with it, including the state-of-the-art Darwin Middle School, and the opportunity that it is providing for students in the early, middle and senior secondary years ...
Mr Mills: Any state-of-the-art outcomes?
Ms SCRYMGOUR: This is a bloke who has, and has had, no policy on student behaviour ...
Members interjecting.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: I ask the question of the Leader of the Opposition: is this the same man who condones the disruption of the learning environment in our schools? Of course, principals, when they have problems - and read the Code of Conduct – will suspend students if their behaviour falls within those categories. Of course, principals will act. We have to look after the safety of our teachers as well as other students who are in the schools. Is the Leader of the Opposition proposing that we should not take the action, or that principals should not do it …
Mr Mills: We want to know the nature of the problems.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: … but that we should just sit on our hands and not do it? I fully support the principals. We have some fantastic principals in our senior and secondary schools who are doing the work. They have to protect, and also look after and manage their teaching staff and other kids so that we do have a fantastic learning environment.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. He persists on going through with this. I am advised, as of 20 May, the number of suspensions in Territory schools is down about 10% compared to the last financial year. Having said that - and I am sure the Leader of the Opposition, being a former principal of a school would – we support school communities and principals in addressing behavioural issues across all our schools. We cannot have students disrupting other students who want to learn.
A comprehensive code of behaviour was launched by the previous Education minister and the Chief Minister last year to ensure students’ learning will not be disrupted. The Safe Schools NT Code of Behaviour, which I can provide to the Leader of the Opposition if he has not read it, outlines the right of all people to be treated with respect and dignity, the rights of students to learn, the rights of teachers to teach …
Mr Mills: Bearing arms.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: … and the right of everyone to be safe. All schools have the student wellbeing behaviour management policies that clearly detail behavioural expectations for students …
Mr Mills: Bombs.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: Well, you asked the question, I will get to it.
Mr Mills: With due respect, I have asked the question but I am not getting an answer.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Resume your seat, Leader of the Opposition.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: I am answering it.
Mr Mills: No, that is nothing to do with the question I asked.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms SCRYMGOUR: Madam Speaker, the policies clearly detail behavioural expectations for students and the consequences for not adhering to the school rules ...
Mr Mills: Like carrying bombs or knives.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: Suspension is one strategy that schools can use for serious breaches. As well as having this, we have backed it up with a number of behavioural officers in school and appointed 23 school counsellors that simply were not there under the CLP government. We know that there is disruption; there has been fighting in some of the schools. That has been happening across schools. It is not a new issue. You went to school. We all went to school. There were fights in schools …
Mr Mills: I have received e-mails today that would frighten you, if you have not seen them.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: The problem is that we inherited an education system that simply was not resourced …
Mr Mills: Oh, come one!
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms SCRYMGOUR: We deal with it by putting in place resourcing, principals and schools to be able to implement comprehensive policies that deal with this issue, as well as putting the additional school counsellors and wellbeing officers in place to deal with this issue. This will certainly go some way to dealing with it.
The Leader of the Opposition talked about our middle schools. Well, we are proud of our new middle schools structure, and the new facilities that we have provided with it, including the state-of-the-art Darwin Middle School, and the opportunity that it is providing for students in the early, middle and senior secondary years ...
Mr Mills: Any state-of-the-art outcomes?
Ms SCRYMGOUR: This is a bloke who has, and has had, no policy on student behaviour ...
Members interjecting.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: I ask the question of the Leader of the Opposition: is this the same man who condones the disruption of the learning environment in our schools? Of course, principals, when they have problems - and read the Code of Conduct – will suspend students if their behaviour falls within those categories. Of course, principals will act. We have to look after the safety of our teachers as well as other students who are in the schools. Is the Leader of the Opposition proposing that we should not take the action, or that principals should not do it …
Mr Mills: We want to know the nature of the problems.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: … but that we should just sit on our hands and not do it? I fully support the principals. We have some fantastic principals in our senior and secondary schools who are doing the work. They have to protect, and also look after and manage their teaching staff and other kids so that we do have a fantastic learning environment.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016