❓ Question regarding the WA government's 'Independent Public Schools' initiative and its potential to improve education. The Minister outlines the program's goals and implementation.
AnsweredQoN 597Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
INDEPENDENT PUBLIC SCHOOLS
It was good to see the minister make an excellent announcement on the true education revolution in WA’s schools this morning at Ashdale Secondary College in the electorate of Wanneroo. Will the minister outline — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, member for Wanneroo. I thought that the member for Warnbro might have known by now that I am interested in hearing the questions. I was struggling to hear the question being asked, but I was making my way through it until the member interjected. I formally call the member for the second time. Mr P.T. MILES : Will the minister please outline how this significant reform will improve education in Western Australia’s public school system? Dr E. CONSTABLE
It was good to see the minister make an excellent announcement on the true education revolution in WA’s schools this morning at Ashdale Secondary College in the electorate of Wanneroo. Will the minister outline — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, member for Wanneroo. I thought that the member for Warnbro might have known by now that I am interested in hearing the questions. I was struggling to hear the question being asked, but I was making my way through it until the member interjected. I formally call the member for the second time. Mr P.T. MILES : Will the minister please outline how this significant reform will improve education in Western Australia’s public school system? Dr E. CONSTABLE
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Wanneroo for his question. The Premier and I visited Ashdale Secondary College this morning. It is the most beautiful of the state’s newest schools. It is beautifully designed and has about 140 year 8 students. I am sure that it will grow into a very large school, given the growth of that part of the state. I congratulate the former Minister for Education and Training for building that school and the many other schools that were built when he was the minister. The design of our new schools is a great credit to those involved in that process, including not only the architects, but also the department and others. It is an excellent school. During the last election campaign exactly a year ago, a major policy commitment of the then opposition was to give more autonomy to government schools. Over the past 11 months we have seen a range of election commitments fulfilled. The first of those was the teachers’ agreement, in which we showed how much this government values our teachers through the successful negotiation of that agreement and the pay increases that were given to the teachers. We now have the best-paid teachers in Australia. Through our building and maintenance program, aside from the Building the Education Revolution’s building program, this government has committed $400 million in this financial year — Point of Order Mr J.R. QUIGLEY : The minister is just reading from her notes verbatim. I think it is called an idiot sheet. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mr Speaker — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : From my vantage point, I can attest that the minister has handwritten notes with a few points down the page. It just proves how articulate the Minister for Education is. It is a credit to our education system. Questions without Notice Resumed Dr E. CONSTABLE : There have been a range of other major initiatives, including our initiative on — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, member for Wanneroo. I thought that the member for Warnbro might have known by now that I am interested in hearing the questions. I was struggling to hear the question being asked, but I was making my way through it until the member interjected. I formally call the member for the second time. Mr P.T. MILES : Will the minister please outline how this significant reform will improve education in Western Australia’s public school system? Dr E. CONSTABLE replied: I thank the member for Wanneroo for his question. The Premier and I visited Ashdale Secondary College this morning. It is the most beautiful of the state’s newest schools. It is beautifully designed and has about 140 year 8 students. I am sure that it will grow into a very large school, given the growth of that part of the state. I congratulate the former Minister for Education and Training for building that school and the many other schools that were built when he was the minister. The design of our new schools is a great credit to those involved in that process, including not only the architects, but also the department and others. It is an excellent school. During the last election campaign exactly a year ago, a major policy commitment of the then opposition was to give more autonomy to government schools. Over the past 11 months we have seen a range of election commitments fulfilled. The first of those was the teachers’ agreement, in which we showed how much this government values our teachers through the successful negotiation of that agreement and the pay increases that were given to the teachers. We now have the best-paid teachers in Australia. Through our building and maintenance program, aside from the Building the Education Revolution’s building program, this government has committed $400 million in this financial year — Point of Order Mr J.R. QUIGLEY : The minister is just reading from her notes verbatim. I think it is called an idiot sheet. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mr Speaker — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : From my vantage point, I can attest that the minister has handwritten notes with a few points down the page. It just proves how articulate the Minister for Education is. It is a credit to our education system. Questions without Notice Resumed Dr E. CONSTABLE : There have been a range of other major initiatives, including our initiative on — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
The SPEAKER : Take a seat, member for Wanneroo. I thought that the member for Warnbro might have known by now that I am interested in hearing the questions. I was struggling to hear the question being asked, but I was making my way through it until the member interjected. I formally call the member for the second time. Mr P.T. MILES : Will the minister please outline how this significant reform will improve education in Western Australia’s public school system? Dr E. CONSTABLE replied: I thank the member for Wanneroo for his question. The Premier and I visited Ashdale Secondary College this morning. It is the most beautiful of the state’s newest schools. It is beautifully designed and has about 140 year 8 students. I am sure that it will grow into a very large school, given the growth of that part of the state. I congratulate the former Minister for Education and Training for building that school and the many other schools that were built when he was the minister. The design of our new schools is a great credit to those involved in that process, including not only the architects, but also the department and others. It is an excellent school. During the last election campaign exactly a year ago, a major policy commitment of the then opposition was to give more autonomy to government schools. Over the past 11 months we have seen a range of election commitments fulfilled. The first of those was the teachers’ agreement, in which we showed how much this government values our teachers through the successful negotiation of that agreement and the pay increases that were given to the teachers. We now have the best-paid teachers in Australia. Through our building and maintenance program, aside from the Building the Education Revolution’s building program, this government has committed $400 million in this financial year — Point of Order Mr J.R. QUIGLEY : The minister is just reading from her notes verbatim. I think it is called an idiot sheet. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mr Speaker — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : From my vantage point, I can attest that the minister has handwritten notes with a few points down the page. It just proves how articulate the Minister for Education is. It is a credit to our education system. Questions without Notice Resumed Dr E. CONSTABLE : There have been a range of other major initiatives, including our initiative on — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
Mr P.T. MILES : Will the minister please outline how this significant reform will improve education in Western Australia’s public school system? Dr E. CONSTABLE replied: I thank the member for Wanneroo for his question. The Premier and I visited Ashdale Secondary College this morning. It is the most beautiful of the state’s newest schools. It is beautifully designed and has about 140 year 8 students. I am sure that it will grow into a very large school, given the growth of that part of the state. I congratulate the former Minister for Education and Training for building that school and the many other schools that were built when he was the minister. The design of our new schools is a great credit to those involved in that process, including not only the architects, but also the department and others. It is an excellent school. During the last election campaign exactly a year ago, a major policy commitment of the then opposition was to give more autonomy to government schools. Over the past 11 months we have seen a range of election commitments fulfilled. The first of those was the teachers’ agreement, in which we showed how much this government values our teachers through the successful negotiation of that agreement and the pay increases that were given to the teachers. We now have the best-paid teachers in Australia. Through our building and maintenance program, aside from the Building the Education Revolution’s building program, this government has committed $400 million in this financial year — Point of Order Mr J.R. QUIGLEY : The minister is just reading from her notes verbatim. I think it is called an idiot sheet. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mr Speaker — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : From my vantage point, I can attest that the minister has handwritten notes with a few points down the page. It just proves how articulate the Minister for Education is. It is a credit to our education system. Questions without Notice Resumed Dr E. CONSTABLE : There have been a range of other major initiatives, including our initiative on — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
Dr E. CONSTABLE replied: I thank the member for Wanneroo for his question. The Premier and I visited Ashdale Secondary College this morning. It is the most beautiful of the state’s newest schools. It is beautifully designed and has about 140 year 8 students. I am sure that it will grow into a very large school, given the growth of that part of the state. I congratulate the former Minister for Education and Training for building that school and the many other schools that were built when he was the minister. The design of our new schools is a great credit to those involved in that process, including not only the architects, but also the department and others. It is an excellent school. During the last election campaign exactly a year ago, a major policy commitment of the then opposition was to give more autonomy to government schools. Over the past 11 months we have seen a range of election commitments fulfilled. The first of those was the teachers’ agreement, in which we showed how much this government values our teachers through the successful negotiation of that agreement and the pay increases that were given to the teachers. We now have the best-paid teachers in Australia. Through our building and maintenance program, aside from the Building the Education Revolution’s building program, this government has committed $400 million in this financial year — Point of Order Mr J.R. QUIGLEY : The minister is just reading from her notes verbatim. I think it is called an idiot sheet. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mr Speaker — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : From my vantage point, I can attest that the minister has handwritten notes with a few points down the page. It just proves how articulate the Minister for Education is. It is a credit to our education system. Questions without Notice Resumed Dr E. CONSTABLE : There have been a range of other major initiatives, including our initiative on — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
I thank the member for Wanneroo for his question. The Premier and I visited Ashdale Secondary College this morning. It is the most beautiful of the state’s newest schools. It is beautifully designed and has about 140 year 8 students. I am sure that it will grow into a very large school, given the growth of that part of the state. I congratulate the former Minister for Education and Training for building that school and the many other schools that were built when he was the minister. The design of our new schools is a great credit to those involved in that process, including not only the architects, but also the department and others. It is an excellent school. During the last election campaign exactly a year ago, a major policy commitment of the then opposition was to give more autonomy to government schools. Over the past 11 months we have seen a range of election commitments fulfilled. The first of those was the teachers’ agreement, in which we showed how much this government values our teachers through the successful negotiation of that agreement and the pay increases that were given to the teachers. We now have the best-paid teachers in Australia. Through our building and maintenance program, aside from the Building the Education Revolution’s building program, this government has committed $400 million in this financial year — Point of Order Mr J.R. QUIGLEY : The minister is just reading from her notes verbatim. I think it is called an idiot sheet. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mr Speaker — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : From my vantage point, I can attest that the minister has handwritten notes with a few points down the page. It just proves how articulate the Minister for Education is. It is a credit to our education system. Questions without Notice Resumed Dr E. CONSTABLE : There have been a range of other major initiatives, including our initiative on — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
During the last election campaign exactly a year ago, a major policy commitment of the then opposition was to give more autonomy to government schools. Over the past 11 months we have seen a range of election commitments fulfilled. The first of those was the teachers’ agreement, in which we showed how much this government values our teachers through the successful negotiation of that agreement and the pay increases that were given to the teachers. We now have the best-paid teachers in Australia. Through our building and maintenance program, aside from the Building the Education Revolution’s building program, this government has committed $400 million in this financial year — Point of Order Mr J.R. QUIGLEY : The minister is just reading from her notes verbatim. I think it is called an idiot sheet. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mr Speaker — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : From my vantage point, I can attest that the minister has handwritten notes with a few points down the page. It just proves how articulate the Minister for Education is. It is a credit to our education system. Questions without Notice Resumed Dr E. CONSTABLE : There have been a range of other major initiatives, including our initiative on — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mr Speaker — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : From my vantage point, I can attest that the minister has handwritten notes with a few points down the page. It just proves how articulate the Minister for Education is. It is a credit to our education system. Questions without Notice Resumed Dr E. CONSTABLE : There have been a range of other major initiatives, including our initiative on — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : From my vantage point, I can attest that the minister has handwritten notes with a few points down the page. It just proves how articulate the Minister for Education is. It is a credit to our education system. Questions without Notice Resumed Dr E. CONSTABLE : There have been a range of other major initiatives, including our initiative on — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : From my vantage point, I can attest that the minister has handwritten notes with a few points down the page. It just proves how articulate the Minister for Education is. It is a credit to our education system. Questions without Notice Resumed Dr E. CONSTABLE : There have been a range of other major initiatives, including our initiative on — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : From my vantage point, I can attest that the minister has handwritten notes with a few points down the page. It just proves how articulate the Minister for Education is. It is a credit to our education system. Questions without Notice Resumed Dr E. CONSTABLE : There have been a range of other major initiatives, including our initiative on — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, member for Wanneroo. I thought that the member for Warnbro might have known by now that I am interested in hearing the questions. I was struggling to hear the question being asked, but I was making my way through it until the member interjected. I formally call the member for the second time. Mr P.T. MILES : Will the minister please outline how this significant reform will improve education in Western Australia’s public school system? Dr E. CONSTABLE replied: I thank the member for Wanneroo for his question. The Premier and I visited Ashdale Secondary College this morning. It is the most beautiful of the state’s newest schools. It is beautifully designed and has about 140 year 8 students. I am sure that it will grow into a very large school, given the growth of that part of the state. I congratulate the former Minister for Education and Training for building that school and the many other schools that were built when he was the minister. The design of our new schools is a great credit to those involved in that process, including not only the architects, but also the department and others. It is an excellent school. During the last election campaign exactly a year ago, a major policy commitment of the then opposition was to give more autonomy to government schools. Over the past 11 months we have seen a range of election commitments fulfilled. The first of those was the teachers’ agreement, in which we showed how much this government values our teachers through the successful negotiation of that agreement and the pay increases that were given to the teachers. We now have the best-paid teachers in Australia. Through our building and maintenance program, aside from the Building the Education Revolution’s building program, this government has committed $400 million in this financial year — Point of Order Mr J.R. QUIGLEY : The minister is just reading from her notes verbatim. I think it is called an idiot sheet. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mr Speaker — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : From my vantage point, I can attest that the minister has handwritten notes with a few points down the page. It just proves how articulate the Minister for Education is. It is a credit to our education system. Questions without Notice Resumed Dr E. CONSTABLE : There have been a range of other major initiatives, including our initiative on — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
The SPEAKER : Take a seat, member for Wanneroo. I thought that the member for Warnbro might have known by now that I am interested in hearing the questions. I was struggling to hear the question being asked, but I was making my way through it until the member interjected. I formally call the member for the second time. Mr P.T. MILES : Will the minister please outline how this significant reform will improve education in Western Australia’s public school system? Dr E. CONSTABLE replied: I thank the member for Wanneroo for his question. The Premier and I visited Ashdale Secondary College this morning. It is the most beautiful of the state’s newest schools. It is beautifully designed and has about 140 year 8 students. I am sure that it will grow into a very large school, given the growth of that part of the state. I congratulate the former Minister for Education and Training for building that school and the many other schools that were built when he was the minister. The design of our new schools is a great credit to those involved in that process, including not only the architects, but also the department and others. It is an excellent school. During the last election campaign exactly a year ago, a major policy commitment of the then opposition was to give more autonomy to government schools. Over the past 11 months we have seen a range of election commitments fulfilled. The first of those was the teachers’ agreement, in which we showed how much this government values our teachers through the successful negotiation of that agreement and the pay increases that were given to the teachers. We now have the best-paid teachers in Australia. Through our building and maintenance program, aside from the Building the Education Revolution’s building program, this government has committed $400 million in this financial year — Point of Order Mr J.R. QUIGLEY : The minister is just reading from her notes verbatim. I think it is called an idiot sheet. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mr Speaker — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : From my vantage point, I can attest that the minister has handwritten notes with a few points down the page. It just proves how articulate the Minister for Education is. It is a credit to our education system. Questions without Notice Resumed Dr E. CONSTABLE : There have been a range of other major initiatives, including our initiative on — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
Mr P.T. MILES : Will the minister please outline how this significant reform will improve education in Western Australia’s public school system? Dr E. CONSTABLE replied: I thank the member for Wanneroo for his question. The Premier and I visited Ashdale Secondary College this morning. It is the most beautiful of the state’s newest schools. It is beautifully designed and has about 140 year 8 students. I am sure that it will grow into a very large school, given the growth of that part of the state. I congratulate the former Minister for Education and Training for building that school and the many other schools that were built when he was the minister. The design of our new schools is a great credit to those involved in that process, including not only the architects, but also the department and others. It is an excellent school. During the last election campaign exactly a year ago, a major policy commitment of the then opposition was to give more autonomy to government schools. Over the past 11 months we have seen a range of election commitments fulfilled. The first of those was the teachers’ agreement, in which we showed how much this government values our teachers through the successful negotiation of that agreement and the pay increases that were given to the teachers. We now have the best-paid teachers in Australia. Through our building and maintenance program, aside from the Building the Education Revolution’s building program, this government has committed $400 million in this financial year — Point of Order Mr J.R. QUIGLEY : The minister is just reading from her notes verbatim. I think it is called an idiot sheet. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mr Speaker — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : From my vantage point, I can attest that the minister has handwritten notes with a few points down the page. It just proves how articulate the Minister for Education is. It is a credit to our education system. Questions without Notice Resumed Dr E. CONSTABLE : There have been a range of other major initiatives, including our initiative on — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
Dr E. CONSTABLE replied: I thank the member for Wanneroo for his question. The Premier and I visited Ashdale Secondary College this morning. It is the most beautiful of the state’s newest schools. It is beautifully designed and has about 140 year 8 students. I am sure that it will grow into a very large school, given the growth of that part of the state. I congratulate the former Minister for Education and Training for building that school and the many other schools that were built when he was the minister. The design of our new schools is a great credit to those involved in that process, including not only the architects, but also the department and others. It is an excellent school. During the last election campaign exactly a year ago, a major policy commitment of the then opposition was to give more autonomy to government schools. Over the past 11 months we have seen a range of election commitments fulfilled. The first of those was the teachers’ agreement, in which we showed how much this government values our teachers through the successful negotiation of that agreement and the pay increases that were given to the teachers. We now have the best-paid teachers in Australia. Through our building and maintenance program, aside from the Building the Education Revolution’s building program, this government has committed $400 million in this financial year — Point of Order Mr J.R. QUIGLEY : The minister is just reading from her notes verbatim. I think it is called an idiot sheet. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mr Speaker — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : From my vantage point, I can attest that the minister has handwritten notes with a few points down the page. It just proves how articulate the Minister for Education is. It is a credit to our education system. Questions without Notice Resumed Dr E. CONSTABLE : There have been a range of other major initiatives, including our initiative on — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
I thank the member for Wanneroo for his question. The Premier and I visited Ashdale Secondary College this morning. It is the most beautiful of the state’s newest schools. It is beautifully designed and has about 140 year 8 students. I am sure that it will grow into a very large school, given the growth of that part of the state. I congratulate the former Minister for Education and Training for building that school and the many other schools that were built when he was the minister. The design of our new schools is a great credit to those involved in that process, including not only the architects, but also the department and others. It is an excellent school. During the last election campaign exactly a year ago, a major policy commitment of the then opposition was to give more autonomy to government schools. Over the past 11 months we have seen a range of election commitments fulfilled. The first of those was the teachers’ agreement, in which we showed how much this government values our teachers through the successful negotiation of that agreement and the pay increases that were given to the teachers. We now have the best-paid teachers in Australia. Through our building and maintenance program, aside from the Building the Education Revolution’s building program, this government has committed $400 million in this financial year — Point of Order Mr J.R. QUIGLEY : The minister is just reading from her notes verbatim. I think it is called an idiot sheet. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mr Speaker — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : From my vantage point, I can attest that the minister has handwritten notes with a few points down the page. It just proves how articulate the Minister for Education is. It is a credit to our education system. Questions without Notice Resumed Dr E. CONSTABLE : There have been a range of other major initiatives, including our initiative on — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
During the last election campaign exactly a year ago, a major policy commitment of the then opposition was to give more autonomy to government schools. Over the past 11 months we have seen a range of election commitments fulfilled. The first of those was the teachers’ agreement, in which we showed how much this government values our teachers through the successful negotiation of that agreement and the pay increases that were given to the teachers. We now have the best-paid teachers in Australia. Through our building and maintenance program, aside from the Building the Education Revolution’s building program, this government has committed $400 million in this financial year — Point of Order Mr J.R. QUIGLEY : The minister is just reading from her notes verbatim. I think it is called an idiot sheet. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mr Speaker — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : From my vantage point, I can attest that the minister has handwritten notes with a few points down the page. It just proves how articulate the Minister for Education is. It is a credit to our education system. Questions without Notice Resumed Dr E. CONSTABLE : There have been a range of other major initiatives, including our initiative on — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mr Speaker — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : From my vantage point, I can attest that the minister has handwritten notes with a few points down the page. It just proves how articulate the Minister for Education is. It is a credit to our education system. Questions without Notice Resumed Dr E. CONSTABLE : There have been a range of other major initiatives, including our initiative on — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : From my vantage point, I can attest that the minister has handwritten notes with a few points down the page. It just proves how articulate the Minister for Education is. It is a credit to our education system. Questions without Notice Resumed Dr E. CONSTABLE : There have been a range of other major initiatives, including our initiative on — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : From my vantage point, I can attest that the minister has handwritten notes with a few points down the page. It just proves how articulate the Minister for Education is. It is a credit to our education system. Questions without Notice Resumed Dr E. CONSTABLE : There have been a range of other major initiatives, including our initiative on — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : From my vantage point, I can attest that the minister has handwritten notes with a few points down the page. It just proves how articulate the Minister for Education is. It is a credit to our education system. Questions without Notice Resumed Dr E. CONSTABLE : There have been a range of other major initiatives, including our initiative on — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
The SPEAKER : Order! I have let question time continue for four minutes longer than I was going to let it continue for a little while ago. I formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
Dr E. CONSTABLE : It has been a great group therapy session for them again today. The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
The major announcement today about independent public schools will provide our public schools with much-needed flexibility. It will provide flexibility in their financial management, in their curriculum — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : Flexibility to a select group. Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
Dr E. CONSTABLE : It will not be just a select group. If the member listened, she might learn something. From today, we will call on schools and school councils in the public school system to submit expressions of interest to become an independent public school. In the very first phase, 30 schools will be selected. I expect that to be a very difficult task because of the number of people and principals who have shown an interest in doing that so far. I expect that a very large number of schools will put up their hands to become independent public schools. In the first phase, we will select 30 schools and during the fourth term this year, the schools that are selected will go through a process of transition and induction to become an independent public school. One of the main purposes of establishing an independent public school system is to enable appropriate decisions to be made on the ground close to the communities. In the first phase, a wide range of schools will apply, including large, small, rural and metropolitan schools. We are even encouraging clusters of schools to work together. When we were at Ashdale today, the community college and three feeder primary schools showed an interest in working together to establish a K-12 setting. We will have a variety of different settings, different schools and school sizes. An independent public school system will provide schools with the flexibility to make sure that the very best opportunities are given to school communities. It will ensure that the schools are able to respond to the needs of the students through the financial management of the school and through the curriculum. It will enable the schools to hire the right selection of staff for the purposes of the particular school. This fantastic and exciting development in our school system is being embraced by many hundreds of schools already.
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