NATIONAL LITERACY AND NUMERACY TESTS

Mr PISONI (Unley) (14:41): My question is to the Minister for Education and Child Development. Why did South Australia perform worse in all the states in the following NAPLAN categories: year 3 persuasive writing, year 3 grammar and punctuation, year 3 numeracy, year 5 grammar and punctuation, and year 5 numeracy?

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI (Hartley—Minister for Education and Child Development) (14:41): I thank the member for this question, but I ask the member: what is their plan? Where does this get us?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: Where does this get us?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr PISONI: Point of order. If the minister can't do the job, she can stand aside.

The SPEAKER: Thank you. There is no point of order. Sit down. Minister, I refer you back to the question.

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: Because, in addition to the answers that I gave earlier, at the very heart of my aspirations for every student in our state are the Gonski reforms. Key to lifting our performance in our NAPLAN results is Mr Gonski and what he proposes: lifting teacher quality, more power for principals, more information for parents.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: It was me last week who reported that I had said to my department that I want us to relook very fundamentally at our literacy and numeracy strategy, not just because of NAPLAN but because literacy and numeracy are so important—they are such foundation skills—in addition to the many other fantastic things that go on in our schools. But it is me who said at least a day before the opposition spokesperson got off the blocks that I want our students to do better, and we will because it is not our intention to cut 25,000 public sector jobs.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Ashford.