❓ The Minister for Education answers a question regarding teacher staffing levels in WA public schools, highlighting the government's success in achieving a full complement of teachers and crediting both current and previous government initiatives.
AnsweredQoN 194Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PUBLIC SCHOOLS — STAFFING
Dr E. CONSTABLE
Dr E. CONSTABLE
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Kingsley for her question. I know that, as a former teacher, she is very interested in schools in her electorate and in schools and teaching in general. Of course, members will know that there was a full complement of teachers in all 779 schools in Western Australia at the beginning of this term, which is a great — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Girrawheen. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons for this full complement of teachers in our schools. Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : One reason is the successful completion of the enterprise bargaining agreement with teachers, which the previous government spent about 12 months floundering with and made a mess of. Within 12 weeks of coming to office, this was concluded to the satisfaction of both the government and teachers. That has made a huge difference to the tenor of schools and to the start of the school year. Having a full complement of teachers was a very important part of the start to the school year. Several members interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons that we had a full complement of teachers. Many of these initiatives were introduced by the previous government, and I am the first to congratulate it on some of the initiatives it put in place, including the scholarships. One hundred and twenty-one scholarship holders were contracted to teach in public schools. The 69 overseas teachers also are very important. You would appreciate that, Mr Speaker, because they are all teaching in regional schools and they are all very experienced teachers. This is a huge injection of experience into our schools. Another thing that has happened as a result of the economic downturn is that a number of experienced teachers have decided to remain in our schools rather than retire early or at the time they might have been expected to retire. All this means that this government really does value the teachers in our schools and will continue to do so. The government is also providing adequate support for teachers in very important programs such as literacy and numeracy, which the previous government did not do to the extent it should have. Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
I thank the member for Kingsley for her question. I know that, as a former teacher, she is very interested in schools in her electorate and in schools and teaching in general. Of course, members will know that there was a full complement of teachers in all 779 schools in Western Australia at the beginning of this term, which is a great — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Girrawheen. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons for this full complement of teachers in our schools. Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : One reason is the successful completion of the enterprise bargaining agreement with teachers, which the previous government spent about 12 months floundering with and made a mess of. Within 12 weeks of coming to office, this was concluded to the satisfaction of both the government and teachers. That has made a huge difference to the tenor of schools and to the start of the school year. Having a full complement of teachers was a very important part of the start to the school year. Several members interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons that we had a full complement of teachers. Many of these initiatives were introduced by the previous government, and I am the first to congratulate it on some of the initiatives it put in place, including the scholarships. One hundred and twenty-one scholarship holders were contracted to teach in public schools. The 69 overseas teachers also are very important. You would appreciate that, Mr Speaker, because they are all teaching in regional schools and they are all very experienced teachers. This is a huge injection of experience into our schools. Another thing that has happened as a result of the economic downturn is that a number of experienced teachers have decided to remain in our schools rather than retire early or at the time they might have been expected to retire. All this means that this government really does value the teachers in our schools and will continue to do so. The government is also providing adequate support for teachers in very important programs such as literacy and numeracy, which the previous government did not do to the extent it should have. Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Girrawheen. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons for this full complement of teachers in our schools. Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : One reason is the successful completion of the enterprise bargaining agreement with teachers, which the previous government spent about 12 months floundering with and made a mess of. Within 12 weeks of coming to office, this was concluded to the satisfaction of both the government and teachers. That has made a huge difference to the tenor of schools and to the start of the school year. Having a full complement of teachers was a very important part of the start to the school year. Several members interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons that we had a full complement of teachers. Many of these initiatives were introduced by the previous government, and I am the first to congratulate it on some of the initiatives it put in place, including the scholarships. One hundred and twenty-one scholarship holders were contracted to teach in public schools. The 69 overseas teachers also are very important. You would appreciate that, Mr Speaker, because they are all teaching in regional schools and they are all very experienced teachers. This is a huge injection of experience into our schools. Another thing that has happened as a result of the economic downturn is that a number of experienced teachers have decided to remain in our schools rather than retire early or at the time they might have been expected to retire. All this means that this government really does value the teachers in our schools and will continue to do so. The government is also providing adequate support for teachers in very important programs such as literacy and numeracy, which the previous government did not do to the extent it should have. Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Girrawheen. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons for this full complement of teachers in our schools. Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : One reason is the successful completion of the enterprise bargaining agreement with teachers, which the previous government spent about 12 months floundering with and made a mess of. Within 12 weeks of coming to office, this was concluded to the satisfaction of both the government and teachers. That has made a huge difference to the tenor of schools and to the start of the school year. Having a full complement of teachers was a very important part of the start to the school year. Several members interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons that we had a full complement of teachers. Many of these initiatives were introduced by the previous government, and I am the first to congratulate it on some of the initiatives it put in place, including the scholarships. One hundred and twenty-one scholarship holders were contracted to teach in public schools. The 69 overseas teachers also are very important. You would appreciate that, Mr Speaker, because they are all teaching in regional schools and they are all very experienced teachers. This is a huge injection of experience into our schools. Another thing that has happened as a result of the economic downturn is that a number of experienced teachers have decided to remain in our schools rather than retire early or at the time they might have been expected to retire. All this means that this government really does value the teachers in our schools and will continue to do so. The government is also providing adequate support for teachers in very important programs such as literacy and numeracy, which the previous government did not do to the extent it should have. Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons for this full complement of teachers in our schools. Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : One reason is the successful completion of the enterprise bargaining agreement with teachers, which the previous government spent about 12 months floundering with and made a mess of. Within 12 weeks of coming to office, this was concluded to the satisfaction of both the government and teachers. That has made a huge difference to the tenor of schools and to the start of the school year. Having a full complement of teachers was a very important part of the start to the school year. Several members interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons that we had a full complement of teachers. Many of these initiatives were introduced by the previous government, and I am the first to congratulate it on some of the initiatives it put in place, including the scholarships. One hundred and twenty-one scholarship holders were contracted to teach in public schools. The 69 overseas teachers also are very important. You would appreciate that, Mr Speaker, because they are all teaching in regional schools and they are all very experienced teachers. This is a huge injection of experience into our schools. Another thing that has happened as a result of the economic downturn is that a number of experienced teachers have decided to remain in our schools rather than retire early or at the time they might have been expected to retire. All this means that this government really does value the teachers in our schools and will continue to do so. The government is also providing adequate support for teachers in very important programs such as literacy and numeracy, which the previous government did not do to the extent it should have. Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : One reason is the successful completion of the enterprise bargaining agreement with teachers, which the previous government spent about 12 months floundering with and made a mess of. Within 12 weeks of coming to office, this was concluded to the satisfaction of both the government and teachers. That has made a huge difference to the tenor of schools and to the start of the school year. Having a full complement of teachers was a very important part of the start to the school year. Several members interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons that we had a full complement of teachers. Many of these initiatives were introduced by the previous government, and I am the first to congratulate it on some of the initiatives it put in place, including the scholarships. One hundred and twenty-one scholarship holders were contracted to teach in public schools. The 69 overseas teachers also are very important. You would appreciate that, Mr Speaker, because they are all teaching in regional schools and they are all very experienced teachers. This is a huge injection of experience into our schools. Another thing that has happened as a result of the economic downturn is that a number of experienced teachers have decided to remain in our schools rather than retire early or at the time they might have been expected to retire. All this means that this government really does value the teachers in our schools and will continue to do so. The government is also providing adequate support for teachers in very important programs such as literacy and numeracy, which the previous government did not do to the extent it should have. Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
Dr E. CONSTABLE : One reason is the successful completion of the enterprise bargaining agreement with teachers, which the previous government spent about 12 months floundering with and made a mess of. Within 12 weeks of coming to office, this was concluded to the satisfaction of both the government and teachers. That has made a huge difference to the tenor of schools and to the start of the school year. Having a full complement of teachers was a very important part of the start to the school year. Several members interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons that we had a full complement of teachers. Many of these initiatives were introduced by the previous government, and I am the first to congratulate it on some of the initiatives it put in place, including the scholarships. One hundred and twenty-one scholarship holders were contracted to teach in public schools. The 69 overseas teachers also are very important. You would appreciate that, Mr Speaker, because they are all teaching in regional schools and they are all very experienced teachers. This is a huge injection of experience into our schools. Another thing that has happened as a result of the economic downturn is that a number of experienced teachers have decided to remain in our schools rather than retire early or at the time they might have been expected to retire. All this means that this government really does value the teachers in our schools and will continue to do so. The government is also providing adequate support for teachers in very important programs such as literacy and numeracy, which the previous government did not do to the extent it should have. Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
Several members interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons that we had a full complement of teachers. Many of these initiatives were introduced by the previous government, and I am the first to congratulate it on some of the initiatives it put in place, including the scholarships. One hundred and twenty-one scholarship holders were contracted to teach in public schools. The 69 overseas teachers also are very important. You would appreciate that, Mr Speaker, because they are all teaching in regional schools and they are all very experienced teachers. This is a huge injection of experience into our schools. Another thing that has happened as a result of the economic downturn is that a number of experienced teachers have decided to remain in our schools rather than retire early or at the time they might have been expected to retire. All this means that this government really does value the teachers in our schools and will continue to do so. The government is also providing adequate support for teachers in very important programs such as literacy and numeracy, which the previous government did not do to the extent it should have. Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons that we had a full complement of teachers. Many of these initiatives were introduced by the previous government, and I am the first to congratulate it on some of the initiatives it put in place, including the scholarships. One hundred and twenty-one scholarship holders were contracted to teach in public schools. The 69 overseas teachers also are very important. You would appreciate that, Mr Speaker, because they are all teaching in regional schools and they are all very experienced teachers. This is a huge injection of experience into our schools. Another thing that has happened as a result of the economic downturn is that a number of experienced teachers have decided to remain in our schools rather than retire early or at the time they might have been expected to retire. All this means that this government really does value the teachers in our schools and will continue to do so. The government is also providing adequate support for teachers in very important programs such as literacy and numeracy, which the previous government did not do to the extent it should have. Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
Another thing that has happened as a result of the economic downturn is that a number of experienced teachers have decided to remain in our schools rather than retire early or at the time they might have been expected to retire. All this means that this government really does value the teachers in our schools and will continue to do so. The government is also providing adequate support for teachers in very important programs such as literacy and numeracy, which the previous government did not do to the extent it should have. Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
I thank the member for Kingsley for her question. I know that, as a former teacher, she is very interested in schools in her electorate and in schools and teaching in general. Of course, members will know that there was a full complement of teachers in all 779 schools in Western Australia at the beginning of this term, which is a great — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Girrawheen. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons for this full complement of teachers in our schools. Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : One reason is the successful completion of the enterprise bargaining agreement with teachers, which the previous government spent about 12 months floundering with and made a mess of. Within 12 weeks of coming to office, this was concluded to the satisfaction of both the government and teachers. That has made a huge difference to the tenor of schools and to the start of the school year. Having a full complement of teachers was a very important part of the start to the school year. Several members interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons that we had a full complement of teachers. Many of these initiatives were introduced by the previous government, and I am the first to congratulate it on some of the initiatives it put in place, including the scholarships. One hundred and twenty-one scholarship holders were contracted to teach in public schools. The 69 overseas teachers also are very important. You would appreciate that, Mr Speaker, because they are all teaching in regional schools and they are all very experienced teachers. This is a huge injection of experience into our schools. Another thing that has happened as a result of the economic downturn is that a number of experienced teachers have decided to remain in our schools rather than retire early or at the time they might have been expected to retire. All this means that this government really does value the teachers in our schools and will continue to do so. The government is also providing adequate support for teachers in very important programs such as literacy and numeracy, which the previous government did not do to the extent it should have. Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Girrawheen. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons for this full complement of teachers in our schools. Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : One reason is the successful completion of the enterprise bargaining agreement with teachers, which the previous government spent about 12 months floundering with and made a mess of. Within 12 weeks of coming to office, this was concluded to the satisfaction of both the government and teachers. That has made a huge difference to the tenor of schools and to the start of the school year. Having a full complement of teachers was a very important part of the start to the school year. Several members interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons that we had a full complement of teachers. Many of these initiatives were introduced by the previous government, and I am the first to congratulate it on some of the initiatives it put in place, including the scholarships. One hundred and twenty-one scholarship holders were contracted to teach in public schools. The 69 overseas teachers also are very important. You would appreciate that, Mr Speaker, because they are all teaching in regional schools and they are all very experienced teachers. This is a huge injection of experience into our schools. Another thing that has happened as a result of the economic downturn is that a number of experienced teachers have decided to remain in our schools rather than retire early or at the time they might have been expected to retire. All this means that this government really does value the teachers in our schools and will continue to do so. The government is also providing adequate support for teachers in very important programs such as literacy and numeracy, which the previous government did not do to the extent it should have. Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Girrawheen. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons for this full complement of teachers in our schools. Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : One reason is the successful completion of the enterprise bargaining agreement with teachers, which the previous government spent about 12 months floundering with and made a mess of. Within 12 weeks of coming to office, this was concluded to the satisfaction of both the government and teachers. That has made a huge difference to the tenor of schools and to the start of the school year. Having a full complement of teachers was a very important part of the start to the school year. Several members interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons that we had a full complement of teachers. Many of these initiatives were introduced by the previous government, and I am the first to congratulate it on some of the initiatives it put in place, including the scholarships. One hundred and twenty-one scholarship holders were contracted to teach in public schools. The 69 overseas teachers also are very important. You would appreciate that, Mr Speaker, because they are all teaching in regional schools and they are all very experienced teachers. This is a huge injection of experience into our schools. Another thing that has happened as a result of the economic downturn is that a number of experienced teachers have decided to remain in our schools rather than retire early or at the time they might have been expected to retire. All this means that this government really does value the teachers in our schools and will continue to do so. The government is also providing adequate support for teachers in very important programs such as literacy and numeracy, which the previous government did not do to the extent it should have. Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons for this full complement of teachers in our schools. Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : One reason is the successful completion of the enterprise bargaining agreement with teachers, which the previous government spent about 12 months floundering with and made a mess of. Within 12 weeks of coming to office, this was concluded to the satisfaction of both the government and teachers. That has made a huge difference to the tenor of schools and to the start of the school year. Having a full complement of teachers was a very important part of the start to the school year. Several members interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons that we had a full complement of teachers. Many of these initiatives were introduced by the previous government, and I am the first to congratulate it on some of the initiatives it put in place, including the scholarships. One hundred and twenty-one scholarship holders were contracted to teach in public schools. The 69 overseas teachers also are very important. You would appreciate that, Mr Speaker, because they are all teaching in regional schools and they are all very experienced teachers. This is a huge injection of experience into our schools. Another thing that has happened as a result of the economic downturn is that a number of experienced teachers have decided to remain in our schools rather than retire early or at the time they might have been expected to retire. All this means that this government really does value the teachers in our schools and will continue to do so. The government is also providing adequate support for teachers in very important programs such as literacy and numeracy, which the previous government did not do to the extent it should have. Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : One reason is the successful completion of the enterprise bargaining agreement with teachers, which the previous government spent about 12 months floundering with and made a mess of. Within 12 weeks of coming to office, this was concluded to the satisfaction of both the government and teachers. That has made a huge difference to the tenor of schools and to the start of the school year. Having a full complement of teachers was a very important part of the start to the school year. Several members interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons that we had a full complement of teachers. Many of these initiatives were introduced by the previous government, and I am the first to congratulate it on some of the initiatives it put in place, including the scholarships. One hundred and twenty-one scholarship holders were contracted to teach in public schools. The 69 overseas teachers also are very important. You would appreciate that, Mr Speaker, because they are all teaching in regional schools and they are all very experienced teachers. This is a huge injection of experience into our schools. Another thing that has happened as a result of the economic downturn is that a number of experienced teachers have decided to remain in our schools rather than retire early or at the time they might have been expected to retire. All this means that this government really does value the teachers in our schools and will continue to do so. The government is also providing adequate support for teachers in very important programs such as literacy and numeracy, which the previous government did not do to the extent it should have. Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
Dr E. CONSTABLE : One reason is the successful completion of the enterprise bargaining agreement with teachers, which the previous government spent about 12 months floundering with and made a mess of. Within 12 weeks of coming to office, this was concluded to the satisfaction of both the government and teachers. That has made a huge difference to the tenor of schools and to the start of the school year. Having a full complement of teachers was a very important part of the start to the school year. Several members interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons that we had a full complement of teachers. Many of these initiatives were introduced by the previous government, and I am the first to congratulate it on some of the initiatives it put in place, including the scholarships. One hundred and twenty-one scholarship holders were contracted to teach in public schools. The 69 overseas teachers also are very important. You would appreciate that, Mr Speaker, because they are all teaching in regional schools and they are all very experienced teachers. This is a huge injection of experience into our schools. Another thing that has happened as a result of the economic downturn is that a number of experienced teachers have decided to remain in our schools rather than retire early or at the time they might have been expected to retire. All this means that this government really does value the teachers in our schools and will continue to do so. The government is also providing adequate support for teachers in very important programs such as literacy and numeracy, which the previous government did not do to the extent it should have. Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
Several members interjected. Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons that we had a full complement of teachers. Many of these initiatives were introduced by the previous government, and I am the first to congratulate it on some of the initiatives it put in place, including the scholarships. One hundred and twenty-one scholarship holders were contracted to teach in public schools. The 69 overseas teachers also are very important. You would appreciate that, Mr Speaker, because they are all teaching in regional schools and they are all very experienced teachers. This is a huge injection of experience into our schools. Another thing that has happened as a result of the economic downturn is that a number of experienced teachers have decided to remain in our schools rather than retire early or at the time they might have been expected to retire. All this means that this government really does value the teachers in our schools and will continue to do so. The government is also providing adequate support for teachers in very important programs such as literacy and numeracy, which the previous government did not do to the extent it should have. Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
Dr E. CONSTABLE : There are a number of reasons that we had a full complement of teachers. Many of these initiatives were introduced by the previous government, and I am the first to congratulate it on some of the initiatives it put in place, including the scholarships. One hundred and twenty-one scholarship holders were contracted to teach in public schools. The 69 overseas teachers also are very important. You would appreciate that, Mr Speaker, because they are all teaching in regional schools and they are all very experienced teachers. This is a huge injection of experience into our schools. Another thing that has happened as a result of the economic downturn is that a number of experienced teachers have decided to remain in our schools rather than retire early or at the time they might have been expected to retire. All this means that this government really does value the teachers in our schools and will continue to do so. The government is also providing adequate support for teachers in very important programs such as literacy and numeracy, which the previous government did not do to the extent it should have. Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
Another thing that has happened as a result of the economic downturn is that a number of experienced teachers have decided to remain in our schools rather than retire early or at the time they might have been expected to retire. All this means that this government really does value the teachers in our schools and will continue to do so. The government is also providing adequate support for teachers in very important programs such as literacy and numeracy, which the previous government did not do to the extent it should have. Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Midland! Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
Dr E. CONSTABLE : It is interesting that at the beginning of this year we announced an $8 million package to support numeracy and literacy and early intervention, and the only response from the member for Midland was that it was a waste of money. The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
The SPEAKER : I have given the members for Midland and Girrawheen ample warnings. I call them both for the first time.
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