Literacy and Numeracy Strategy

Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (14:35): A supplementary question: why was the literacy and numeracy directorate within the Department for Education, which had been responsible for delivering on the government's literacy and numeracy strategy, abolished in 2015?

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Minister for Education and Child Development, Minister for Higher Education and Skills) (14:35): Structure, yes, I noticed that during estimates I was asked over 50 questions about structure. I was not asked one about NAPLAN—not one about NAPLAN, apart from by the member for Mount Gambier, and not one by the opposition spokesperson on literacy or numeracy, which suddenly has become of interest because there is a bit of a sniff of the media in the air. I have forgotten the question.

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan interjecting:

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE: Structure, of course. The structure of the Learning Improvement Division, as it is now called, was designed in order to work more closely with schools. For that reason, it was restructured in a way that plugged into primary schools and plugged into secondary schools, rather than being divided on subject matters. Of course, literacy and numeracy have remained fundamental to the work, particularly for the primary school area.