EDUCATION SYSTEM

Mr PISONI (Unley) (15:11): My question is to the Minister for Education and Child Development. Why, after 10 years of Labor, has our education system fallen out of the top five systems in the world, and why did we go backwards under Labor with a premier who claimed he would be the 'education premier' and with the present Premier who was previously the education minister? I seek leave to explain, Madam Speaker. Yesterday, the Prime Minister—

The SPEAKER: Member for Unley, I think you have put a considerable amount of comment in that question. However, I will allow you to explain.

Mr PISONI: My explanation will justify the question, Madam Speaker. Yesterday, the Prime Minister told the National Press Club:

By 2025, I want Australian schools to be back in the top five schooling systems in the world.

The federal education minister, Peter Garrett, said:

If we look at where we sat as a nation in education terms 10 years ago, we can see that we are capable of getting ourselves back to that position.

The SPEAKER: I am not sure how that explanation covered the question. However, Minister for Education.

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI (Hartley—Minister for Education and Child Development) (15:14): This is a very interesting question, and I would like to start, as the member for Unley suggested I do, back in 2002, 10 years since we have been in power. What did this government inherit when it came to power in 2002? A school retention rate of 68 per cent, Madam Speaker—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister will be allowed to answer the question in silence.

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: For those who couldn't hear, Madam Speaker, when we came to power in 2002, the 10-year period that the member for Unley refers to, we inherited a school retention rate of 68 per cent. One-third of our students in this state were completely abandoned, completely forgotten, by those opposite.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister.

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: Thank you, Madam Speaker. So, in 2011, I am very proud of the fact that our school retention rate is 87.5 per cent. Nonetheless, Gonski: the issue of the moment. I think it takes a great deal of courage for any government to acknowledge that we should aim to be the very best that we can be. This is an aspiration that this government has for our children in our community: every chance for every child. One of the top seven strategic priorities for—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Bragg and the member for Kavel will leave the chamber for 10 minutes. There was a considerable amount of noise. If I have misjudged him, too bad, but there is a lot of noise coming from that corner.

The honourable members for Bragg and Kavel having withdrawn from the chamber:

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Hammond, you can go and have a piece of birthday cake too.

The honourable member for Hammond having withdrawn from the chamber:

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! This is ridiculous. When the Minister for Education gets up she is entitled to some silence. I will not have people shouting at her the whole time she is trying to answer the question. Minister.

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I do think it takes a lot of courage for a government to say, 'We want to do better. We call on everybody who has a role in educating our children. We want to do better.' I think this is a very good thing. In South Australia, notwithstanding the fact that we need to negotiate the details—the commonwealth has now declared its position and has acknowledged that $6.5 billion will be the ongoing recurrent spend required if we want to be No. 5 in the world by 2025. We are No. 10. We are in the top ten. I think we are doing very well. What Gonski speaks to is an aspiration for our community. I think this is a very good thing. It takes guts, if you are a government, to say, 'We are doing okay but we want to do better,' because the power of Gonski and the power of the commonwealth is that—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: Madam Speaker, I mean, really.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! If the minister is objecting to some words that came across the chamber, I did not hear what it was, but if you do have a comment that you objected to then if you want to tell me what it was?

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: I am fine. I would just like to answer the question uninterrupted, if that is at all possible.

The SPEAKER: I would agree with you. There will be silence. Minister, did you want to finish answering that question?

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: Yes, please, Madam Speaker. The power of Gonski is that the new funding model it proposes is per student and then a series of loadings, a model not so dissimilar to what we have in South Australia. We have a student-centred funding model and then schools get extra funding for disability, Aboriginality, etc. This recognises the uniqueness of every child, whether they are in the public system or the private system. Although the detail is yet to be negotiated, I do not think anybody has an argument with what Gonski seeks to do. We are confident that in South Australia—and I look forward to working with my colleagues in other states—we can negotiate a way forward. I ask members opposite to declare what their position is in relation to Gonski. What are they going to do? Will they be supporting the legislation?