Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Mason for his question to me in my representing capacity. I believe that the senator is referring to the Partnerships in ICT Learning report findings. He is nodding, so at least we are on the same page. We make a number of points about this. This report was commissioned in 2005 and completed in 2007. As the senator would know, it does highlight the importance of providing pre-service and in-service teachers with the skills to integrate ICT into the classroom in a useful way. It also stresses the importance of investment in hardware infrastructure and in teacher professional development in bringing the benefits of ICT into Australia’s classrooms.

I remind the Senate that this government, consistent with our election commitments, is investing $1.2 billion over four years in the digital education revolution. We recognise that support for teachers to make effective use of ICT in learning and in teaching is a key element of this revolution. Research such as the Partnerships in ICT Learning report obviously informs those issues underlying the government’s approach to the digital education revolution and our policy, which clearly aims to improve the use of technology in teaching and learning in order to prepare young people for living and working in the 21st century.

I advise the senator through you, Mr President, that the Commonwealth is committed to working with deans of education to ensure that new student teachers achieve competence in the educational use of ICT, and also with the states and territories to ensure that existing teachers develop or upgrade their competence in the educational use of ICT. To support the DER—the digital education revolution—priority on teaching capabilities for pre-service and current teachers, a teaching for the digital age advisory group has been established to provide advice on an implementation plan for consideration by COAG in December 2008. I think that addresses the issues the senator has raised.