Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth) Share this | Hansard source

I thank members in the House for their contributions to this debate on the Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Amendment Bill 2013. I particularly note the most recent comments by the member for Lyne—recognising the responsibility that this parliament has not only to make absolutely sure that we do everything within our powers to assist the endeavours of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people both in education and more broadly but also, in doing that, to identify how crucial it is that we do have a national plan for school improvement in place, a major part of which is focused specifically on addressing those levels of disadvantage that prevent students reaching their full potential and which, sadly, are still too prevalent in Indigenous communities.

I also respond to the comments from the shadow minister who, it seemed to me on considering his remarks, was almost talking down Indigenous education and the efforts of the many dedicated educators across Australia. In his remarks around the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program—a government initiative providing secondary scholarships to Indigenous students; often kids from remote and very remote locations—he made a number of comments. I need to make it clear that the program has not been cut; that the program is continuing; and that in 2012 the government prioritised Indigenous education in the Northern Territory by providing additional funds to support initiatives such as more teachers, school nutrition program for students and the like. It was made clear at the time, and publicised in the budget papers, that there was not a reduction in funding for Indigenous education. In fact, the budget ensured that current scholarships remained funded and that 210 new scholarships were funded for 2013. This was also done at a time when the government had provided $22 million for the very successful Australian Indigenous Education Foundation, an organisation which in some ways parallels the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program—again, an organisation which also provides alternative secondary education and tertiary options for Indigenous students.

More recently, we announced an additional $10 million which the government has provided for the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation. That announcement was made this year, as well as the government's decision to provide an extra $12 million to the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program to support an additional 204 scholarships in 2014.

This government recognises the important role that organisations such as the AIEF play. I was very concerned about the previously reported remarks of one of the Leader of the Opposition's staff in relation to that foundation. But the fact is that there is a suite of measures that are necessary to support and deliver, to ensure that young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students get the very best opportunities that they can for education and that they are supported in their education journey, because they certainly bring in many instances a heavy weight of disadvantage with them.

Remarks have been made by some members opposite about the performance of Indigenous students in NAPLAN. It is important that we put on the record how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are performing in relation to the national testing. The fact is that we have seen an increase in performance over the 2007-2011 period, but the 2012 result was disappointing. That may, in part, have been due to some of the community unrest in places such as the Warlpiri Triangle in the Northern Territory. Certainly, in those schools during that period of unrest and community concern about issues unrelated to education, many young people did not actually attend school for different durations.

The fact is that, if you look at the longitudinal data that is in the final section of the 2012 NAPLAN report, it is showing us that that across years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in both reading and numeracy, between 2008 and 2012, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children gained in reading and numeracy achievement at a higher rate than the total Australian student body. I have previously mentioned this in the House, but we have also seen good gains as well, proportionally, in year 12 attainment—in other words, the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students concluding year 12 and consequently being much better prepared for further study, work or vocational training.

It is absolutely true that we must do more now as a matter of national urgency to ensure that Indigenous school populations are better supported in their school setting, are able to achieve their potential and that the significant gap that still exists between the education results of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students is closed.

That is why the Gillard government's National Plan for School Improvement, a funding model which would deliver resources on a needs-based funding model across the nation, is so crucial. Under the government's plan we would see about $5.5 billion of total public funds directed to support approximately 200,000 Indigenous students in about 8,000 schools. That is absolutely essential. It is not only about the figure itself, important though that is, but also about the targeted investment of those sums to ensure that there is certainty in the provision of support and programs in schools to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to get better education under their belt as they journey through school.

We have specifically identified in that National Plan for School Improvement the requirement for the implementation of personalised learning plans for every Indigenous student. It is a way of ensuring that the student, their teacher, school leaders, their parents and community—in many cases, aunts and uncles—are well aware of the progress that the student is making and are well placed to build on progress or to seek additional support or action if progress is faltering.

That is particularly important when students move, as they may do, from one school to another. It is particularly important because sometimes young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids bring a significant degree of disadvantage into the classroom. Ensuring that each student's education progress is carefully monitored, understood and supported is one of the important elements in lifting the performance of these kids nationwide.

Other things need to happen as well. Amongst those is engagement with community, which is focused on the child's learning and on supporting the child as they learn in school. Many studies point to how important a feature of Indigenous education this is and, again, under the National Plan for School Improvement that should and could be given effect to.

When we talk about the National Plan for School Improvement we can look at the different loadings that apply to provide resources to school communities. Whether it be the Indigenous loading itself or the loadings for remoteness, school location or socioeconomic status background, all of these can and should apply and would apply to significant proportions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

Unfortunately, at the moment the opposition is simply sticking with a broken system, trying to persuade states not to sign on to the National Plan for School Improvement, notwithstanding that the New South Wales Premier, Barry O'Farrell, has taken that step in the interests of his state. And, as of about 55 minutes ago, I am pleased to be able to report to the House that the Australian Capital Territory, too, has now determined that it will join the Commonwealth in a new National Plan for School Improvement. I pay tribute to Chief Minister Katy Gallagher and to her government for taking this step on behalf of the students of the ACT.

But still we have an opposition leader and a shadow minister who are opposed to the National Plan for School Improvement and the additional investment that it can and would deliver into schools, particularly to schools in regional and rural Australia, including schools that are schooling Aboriginal kids, whilst at the same time sticking with a broking funding model that would see fewer resources going to schooling over time. It is a very clear choice. If we are serious about education, we need to get this National Plan for School Improvement in place and underway.

The passage of this bill amends the IETA act to increase the legislative appropriation for the period January 2012 to January 2014. The increased appropriations will enable the School Nutrition Program and the 200 additional teachers, both education components of the Stronger Futures NT national partnership, to now be administered under IETA. It also allows the Achieving Results Through Indigenous Education, or ARTIE, student engagement project to be administered through the current IETA Sporting Chance Program. I know that members on both sides of the House had reflected on what an important program Sporting Chance is, and that is certainly true.

The Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Act has seen a focus on improving the education outcomes of these most educationally disadvantaged students and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The programs that are funded under IETA generally have supported greater engagement for Indigenous parents, particularly through a program that members would know, the very successful Parental and Community Engagement Program, the PaCE program, that has seen about 500 community-based projects around Australia. It is a good program and I certainly commend it very strongly to the House. It enables communities to have a hands-on role in education of their children, and where these projects have been supported they inevitably prove valuable in making sure that kids stay at school, focus on their work and obviously have better prospects when they get through high school out into the world at large.

Student engagement in education has been supported through the Sporting Chance Program. In 2013 we will have delivered more than $58 million supporting 75 programs assisting over 13,000 students. Other programs that are supported include the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program, which I referred to at the beginning of my remarks. The Indigenous Youth Mobility Program supports young people from remote areas to move to centres where they have a chance to get qualifications and obtain sustainable employment. These are set to continue. The amended act will ensure that we continue to address the most difficult barriers to education that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students face, which is attendance and being engaged in school.

To conclude, I affirm this parliament's strong and necessary responsibility to make sure we do everything within our powers to assist, both in the provision of resources and robust policies, young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in the education system and more broadly. The fact is that for most of these young people education is literally a passport out of poverty, and we have an extraordinary responsibility as a nation to make sure that these, who are amongst our most disadvantaged young people, are given the support they need to be the very best that I know they can be. I commend the bill to the House.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

Message from the Governor-General recommending appropriation announced.

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