INNOVATIVE COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORKS

Mrs VLAHOS (Taylor) (14:52): My question is to the Minister for Education. Can the minister advise how the Innovative Community Action Networks (ICANs) are helping young people improve their future pathways?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Minister for Education, Minister for Early Childhood Development) (14:52): The ICANs are a demonstration of how—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Unley and the member for Morialta will be quiet.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —when communities come together they can achieve real results for our young people. Just a decade ago, under those opposite, almost a third of students did not complete their high school.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: It is a shameful record and I would be shamefaced if I had that record in government. This stands as a damning indictment of the priorities of those opposite. We now have, in the most recent figures, an 84 per cent retention rate to year 12. It is a dramatic turnaround during the life of this government—the highest level since 1994. One of the things that has played a huge role in that has been the ICAN program. I want to give you some examples of what this means for real young people. Jill had left home after suffering abuse. To support herself, she was working at a takeaway shop—

Mrs Redmond: You must have been up all night writing these.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: These are actually the stories of the lives of young people who have benefited from this government's policy.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: If those opposite could perhaps listen to them rather than disrespecting these stories, they might learn something. Jill left home after suffering from abuse. To support herself she was working at a takeaway shop until 9pm, then cleaning until 1am, until she fell pregnant at the age of 15. Determined to get a better life, she decided to go back to school, and after googling her options, discovered ICAN.

The flexibility and support that ICAN offered her as a single mum allowed her to successfully re-engage in schooling. In fact, I am advised that, this week, Jill has sat for her university entrance exams, and if she falls short this time around, she is planning on undertaking a couple more subjects next year to push her over the line. So, a great story of perseverance.

James had not attended school for three years. He had been kicked out of three schools, but was re-engaged through ICAN. With the confidence he gained through the program he undertook, he got his literacy levels up to scratch and won a part-time job. He has now enrolled in an entry certificate in veterinary care at TAFE. In James' own words, 'I've always wanted to be a vet, but I couldn't spell or read, so I didn't think I'd ever do it,' but his involvement in ICANs is getting him there.

Amanda was a student who stopped going to school after she found it too hard to connect with her fellow students. Enrolled through the Flexible Learning Options in ICAN, Amanda found, through her involvement with the outdoor education program, leadership skills that she never knew she had. Engaged through V-Tech, Amanda excelled and was awarded a scholarship to attend the Australian Technical College. She has commenced a four-year automotive apprenticeship and is now excited about her future.

The reality is that many young people face very complex lives. The truth is that, for them, school feels as if it is really for children, and many of these young people have had to experience things that many of us have not had to confront in our lives. Many of them need extra help to overcome the challenges they have had to re-engage with their schooling. That is what this program does. It sits alongside the school but allows them to complete high school and connects them to a range of options that they may not have been able to see for themselves.

I am very pleased to say that, yesterday morning, Riverland ICAN was officially opened by the acting chief executive of the department, and this continues a $32 million statewide rollout of ICANs that began earlier this year and we now see ICANs in 10 regions across the state. I have no doubt that the successes that we have just heard about will be replicated across the state.