TEACHER RECRUITMENT

Ms FOX (Bright) (16:10): Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Ms FOX: I am sorry; hell hath no fury like a woman scorned! My question is to the Minister for Education and Children's Services. What new steps are being taken to give school principals more say in recruiting teachers who suit their particular schools, and to give greater certainty to contract teachers, who make a positive difference for children?

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Education and Children's Services; I hope you stay awake long enough on your feet.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I have no idea what is wrong with the opposition at the moment. It must be a private joke, obviously.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Minister for Education, Minister for Early Childhood Development) (16:11): It is a kind welcome back to the country, I must say.

The SPEAKER: I think it must be. At least you are awake.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I thank the honourable member for Bright for this question and acknowledge her expertise as a professional educator as well as her obvious and deep interest in the topic of the education of the children of our state, especially those children in her electorate. I have actually been out and about visiting schools within not only the member for Bright's electorate but also the member for Bragg's electorate, I think. In each of those schools I have met a number of teachers, as well as students and parents—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —and the feedback I have received from those teachers, including young teachers on contracts, is that there are many wonderful things happening in our schools. However, one thing that concerns both the principals and those young teachers who find themselves in the less permanent positions, the contract positions, is that they feel there is a degree of insecurity about their employment. The principals have also been saying to me that they would like a greater capacity to offer those bright young teachers continuing employment.

Ms FOX: Point of order; sorry, minister. The minister is a notoriously low speaker, and I am on his side of the house, but I cannot hear him.

The SPEAKER: I agree with that; I uphold the point of order. Would the opposition please be quiet! There is still a question to go. If members want to stay here all day I do not mind; we can extend question time, but we do want to hear the minister's answer. I know it is an exciting and wonderful answer that he is giving us, but don't get too excited.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Thank you, Madam Speaker. Principals have been telling me that they want a stronger say in selecting teachers that are the best match for the needs of their particular school. I have also heard principals say that they want a greater capacity to take on those young, brighter students who are coming straight out of their studies and ensure that they are offered permanent employment rather than a series of contracts.

They also know that, when teachers are on a series of contracts and do not know whether they will get employment from one term to the next or how for long they will be in a particular classroom, it has a quite detrimental effect not only on those teachers but also on the school environment. That uncertainty has an effect on a teacher's ability to build relationships with the students in their classroom.

We know that an incredibly important determinant of the results in our schools is the quality of our teachers, and a great deal has been achieved already to improve the recruitment of teachers locally while ensuring that we are still able to run an equitable public education system to ensure that we have the teachers we need in the more remote and difficult-to-staff areas of our state.

However, within that I believe there is room for us to give more autonomy to principals and a greater capacity to offer more permanency to some of these young teachers who have been on a series of contracts. As such, I have asked the department to review teacher recruitment so that there is more selection of teachers on a local basis and more teachers eligible for local selection. I also expect that this will lead to greater employment stability for teachers on contracts, recognising that they are both valued and vital to a dynamic and innovative public education system.

I am pleased for the support the opposition has voiced for this proposal, and appreciate that they have, for once, set aside partisan politics to demonstrate their commitment to the plan, although we will see how long it lasts, because the member for Unley is prone, I think, to playing politics in this area, but, hopefully, he will—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Well, no, this is a sensible policy. He said it is a good idea, and I hope he maintains that position. This particular initiative, as I said—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —has grown out of the discussions I have had at a local level with each of the schools that I have met. I have been incredibly heartened as I have moved about the schools to see not only the—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —diversity of the offering in the public school system, but also the excellence that has been presented. I look forward to visiting many more schools across the state and looking at ways in which we can further improve our public education system.