Education and Training Speech to 2011 ACT ALP Conference

Education is central to a strong community – so it is central to what ACT Labor is about.

When it comes to education our greatest obligation is to Canberrans who rely on us to help them gain the skills they need for happy and productive lives.

We meet this obligation in education above all others - and we do so unapologetically.

That’s why this Labor Government has – and continues to – invest more than any other in education and training.

To put this ACT commitment in context, Federal Labor’s Building the Education Revolution program invested $150 million in ACT public schools.

In 2011-2012, this ACT Labor Government is investing more than $834 million in education and training.

We are upgrading every school – and building new schools where they are most needed.

As a result our schools are great places to learn – and great places to work.

Delegates, we have worked hard to ensure our schools move with the times – to give students the education they need.

And we will continue to do so.

I recently released a document called Excellence and Enterprise: Advancing public schools of distinction.

This document - outlining our next steps in school reform - was developed after extensive consultation with the community – and with education stakeholders.

The framework is a long-term approach to improving public secondary schooling in the ACT.

Under this plan ACT Public High Schools and Colleges will be able to specialise in certain subjects to meet the changing needs of students into the future.

Principals – our educational experts - will have a greater say in how they run their school to better meet the needs of their community.

They will have more say in who teaches at their school.

And because Labor understands that a great education requires great teachers we seek the ability to better reward teachers.

We want to make it possible for a great classroom teacher to stay in the classroom teaching and still be eligible for promotion and a six-figure salary.

We want to see these teachers continue to share their enthusiasm and knowledge with their students – and with their colleagues as mentors.

We want to make teaching once again a profession of choice and prestige.

The aim is simple - to ensure every Canberra can get the best education possible.

We will continue to work with schools and with teachers to deliver on our goal.

Delegates, education and training does not stop at year 12 – nor does the need to ensure our education system is meeting the needs of students – and employers.

Federal Labor has set about the process of completely overhauling post-school education. This began with a review conducted by an independent expert panel, led by Emeritus Professor Denise Bradley.

Following this review Federal Labor committed an additional $5.4 billion to support higher education and research.

This is a quantum leap in funding is designed to support high quality teaching and learning. It’s designed to improve access and outcomes for students from low socio economic backgrounds and build new links between universities and disadvantaged schools.

ACT Labor embraces this reform.

We do so because it’s about making sure our intuitions deliver for students and for the entire community. But it will mean change in the way we do things here in the ACT.

In the wake of her national review I asked Professor Bradley to examine the way forward for the Canberra Institute of Technology and the University of Canberra.  Professor Bradley’s report will be released on Wednesday. The report finds that the status quo in ACT higher education is not sustainable.

Neither CIT or UC have the sufficient scale or mass to effectively compete in the new higher education environment. 

We can’t afford to let these institutions wither on the vine because what they deliver is so important to ensuring Canberra is a community skilled to succeed in the 21^st century.

Delegates - we have a road of reform ahead of us.

But in this area of education – as in others in the past – this Labor Government will not shirk the responsibility for ensuring our education system moves with the times and meets the needs of our community.