SCHOOLS, MATHS AND SCIENCE

Mr PISONI (Unley) (15:04): My question is for the Minister for Education and Child Development. Why, after 10 years of Labor, has the number of year 12 students passing maths and science fallen from 44 per cent to 37 per cent? Madam Speaker, I seek your leave to insert into Hansard statistical data, taken from the government's own Strategic Plan update, to support those figures.

Leave granted.

Proportion of students receiving a Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) or equivalent with at least one of the following subjects: mathematics, physics and chemistry (2003 baseline)

Source: SACE Board of South Australia

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI (Hartley—Minister for Education and Child Development) (15:05): I am very pleased to take this question. He is talking about 10 years of Labor government, so let's look at what we have done in the 10 years; for instance, let's look at our retention rates. Significant improvements—

Mr PISONI: Point of order, Madam Speaker—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order.

Mr PISONI: Point of order, Madam Speaker—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I can't hear a word you're saying, member for Unley.

Mr PISONI: My question is specifically about maths and science, just as her previous question was specifically about maths and science, and she answered about maths and science. So I expect an answer about maths and science.

The SPEAKER: So your point of order is 98, I presume.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister, I refer you back to the substance of the question. I have no idea what you're talking about; I couldn't hear you before.

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: Madam Speaker, he referred to 10 years of Labor government. Yes, we do have a primary maths and science strategy worth over $50 million. We are very, very proud of that, along with record investments in education in our state. The—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! You will listen to the minister.

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: I think the member is referring to statements that he made in a press release today. That press release, as always, is laced with inaccuracies—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order.

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order: the minister, in answering the question, is making an outrageous claim. The member for Unley in fact inserted a government document with the data in it supporting his question, and the minister is now making an outrageous claim that he is making up the data.

The SPEAKER: Thank you. I do support that the member for Unley inserted a table. Minister.

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: The—

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Point of order: the stickler for standing orders just referred to the Minister for Education as Gracie, which is patronising, and I ask him to withdraw it.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I certainly hope that the member didn't say that.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! This is getting ridiculous. We do not name call across the chamber, and everyone here knows that you do not refer to members by their name: you refer to them by their electorate or their ministry. We will stop it now. Minister, are you ready to resume your answer?

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: Yes, I am. I refer to our primary mathematics and science strategy worth over $50 million. It has funded approximately 2,600 teachers with intensive professional learning in science and approximately 8,600 teachers in maths since the program began in mid-2010. I did refer earlier to a statement that the member had made—and this is important. In that same statement he claims that there are 1,000 fewer teachers registered in South Australia than when this government came to power. I am informed that this is not the case. The Teachers Registration Board—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: —reports to me that, in fact, there are many more teachers registered in 2011 than there were in 2002. The point is that the member for Unley never lets the truth stand in the way of a good story.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr PISONI: Point of order: 127. The member is obviously making personal reflections on another member and I ask her to withdraw it.

The SPEAKER: I think we will move onto the next question. The minister will be very aware that that was out of order. Have you finished your answer, minister?

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: I apologise.

The SPEAKER: Thank you. She has apologised.