Private Music Instructors

Mr TRELOAR (Flinders) (15:20): My question is to the Minister for Education and Child Development. Will the minister change the regulations in the Education Act to ensure that schools can choose to continue to allow private music instructors to tutor on their sites during the school day as they have been doing for thousands of children for many years?

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Minister for Education and Child Development, Minister for Higher Education and Skills) (15:20): I felt that we had discussed this fully yesterday, but I am happy to keep talking about it. The regulations are not where the guidance on how music is to be taught in schools is held, so I could say that the simple answer is no because that is not the relevant place. More importantly, though, the question is about how we are going to ensure that students continue to have access to instrumental music teaching.

As I have explained, the consent decision that was handed down by the Industrial Relations Commission requires us to more stringently use the guidelines in terms of the cascade of how those decisions are made, starting at the beginning of the school year next year. During this term we have been working that through with the affected schools and we will continue to do so in order to make sure that those guidelines are adhered to, as the Industrial Relations Commission requires and also so that we do not disadvantage students in access to instrumental music.