Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (15:26): I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak on an adjournment debate. It has been some time. I do not want to spend 10 minutes talking about the Leader of the Opposition's speech, other than to reflect that it takes an extraordinary level of chutzpah I thought I would never see again after Christopher Pyne retired from the federal parliament to be able to have a look at a report that is eviscerating of one's own time as minister for health and one's former government's time in the health department and say that it reflects a level of incompetence in the current government.

It takes extraordinary chutzpah—or 'hootspah', as Christopher Pyne would remind me it is supposed to be pronounced—for the Leader of the Opposition to try to frame it that way. Not content with their failure to prosecute this argument last Thursday, the Leader of the Opposition has a crack this afternoon. Good luck to him, because that is indeed the pleasure these adjournment debates give us, where we can speak for 10 minutes on any topic that delights us. The Leader of the Opposition has chosen to have another crack at this topic, having failed to prosecute it effectively in the past. I think he has failed again, but I give him full marks for the chutzpah.

I am particularly keen to talk about two issues, one of which is of significant substance to our education system in South Australia.

Mr BROWN: Point of order, Mr Speaker: I draw your attention to the state of the house.

A quorum having been formed:

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: I am so pleased to have this time to now talk about the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration, which was signed by education ministers around the country this morning. I am expecting my copy any minute. I was very pleased to be here in the parliament today. It is an important declaration for the people of Australia, for the students of Australia, in the years to come. It will help us to find and drive the national policy agenda for our state and our nation for years to come, as did the former Hobart and Adelaide declarations—and, up until today, what was the current Melbourne declaration—on educational goals for young Australians.

That is not to say that every aspiration in the Melbourne declaration over the last decade or so has been fully achieved, but it has been a good measure to help all principals, school leaders, teachers and system leaders be defined around a united purpose. We believe that the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration will provide that unified purpose going forward.

Its focus is fundamentally to help all young Australians realise their potential. That fits in very well with our government's repeatedly stated ambition that we want all young South Australians—whatever classroom they are in, whatever school they are in, whatever city or suburb or country town they are in in South Australia—to be fully supported to realise their potential. So the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration fits in very strongly with the South Australian government's agenda for improvement.

The Mparntwe declaration requires education systems to promote excellence and equity. We are looking to empower all young Australians to become successful lifelong learners, confident and creative individuals and, critically, active and informed members of their community. We want to support the whole child to be successful in their community, successful in their career, successful in their life. I commend the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration to all members. I think that the opportunity it provides our system in the years ahead will indeed be significant.

The Education Council, which met over the last 24 hours to discuss the Mparntwe declaration amongst other matters, has had a very productive year—a productive two years, in fact. Last year, I had the opportunity to chair the council; this year I do not but I have been enjoying the opportunity to participate.

Some of the matters on the Education Council's agenda that have been of the highest importance throughout the last two years have been a reflection on what has been called Gonski 2.0—the review of educational achievement in Australia, conducted by David Gonski and his panel of experts. That panel included our very own Wendy Johnson from Glenunga International High School, who did that work last year. There were a number of priority areas set that the Education Council has been pursuing, significantly with the federal government providing funding, and indeed with everyone making a contribution.

There are three areas on that agenda that are getting particular focus and we were able to announce today that progress is being made. One critical one is in relation to the learning progressions and online formative assessment. Some people from the more progressive wing of education policy debate, and indeed some people from the more conservative wing of education policy debate, have in some circles been critical of this progression.

I am very optimistic that when the public is fully aware of the opportunities it represents, the insight that was given by the Gonski committee and the work that is being done and that ministers had the opportunity to be exposed to yesterday, it will give so much confidence to the value that this work will create to help us achieve the goal of not just that every student will be given the opportunity to have one year of learning for every year in school. Of course, there are many students who we want to see more than one year of progression from every year they are in school, and I think that these progressions and the online formative assessment tools that are being worked on will help us get there.

Another key initiative that is being prioritised is the national evidence institute. Schools across Australia have the opportunity to be bombarded with thousands and thousands of products from companies or non-government organisations or different people supporting different types of professional development at the moment, and the national evidence institute will be establishing their operations in 2020 and will provide a lot more clarity to educators around that.

One issue I have spoken about before in the house is the Unique Student Identifier, on which significant progress is being made. The Unique Student Identifier will help us support the progress of all students across South Australia and across the country, because not every student stays in the same school the whole way through. Last year, for the first time, the full extent of students dropping out of our public high schooling system was revealed. Previously, we had heard the former government talking about 90 per cent, 100 per cent, 110 per cent retention rates through to the end of high school. When we actually looked at the figures on the number of year 10 SACE students commencing and also students in public high schools going through to complete their SACE, the numbers were much lower. We do not want to lose track of these students, so the USI will be important.

Critically important in relation to the reading instruction in initial teacher education review, the Education Council agreed that the 'Accreditation of initial teacher education programs in Australia: standards and procedures' document would be amended to include explicit reference to early reading instruction, including phonics, and an increase in the component allocated to English and literacy within primary initial teacher education programs. This fits in so neatly with what we are doing in South Australia. We are the first state to have the year 1 phonics check, that is going to be so important for our students. We are so pleased that all ministers saw the value in that.

Finally on this matter, I would like to reflect the feelings of the room yesterday, which welcomed the commonwealth's decision to continue funding and provide ongoing funding for the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). It does critically important work and fits in neatly with the Universal Access National Partnership review, which is going into the support we give to preschools.

That review is important, of course, because we have been very clear with the commonwealth that we want them to fund us over a long period of time for their component of that preschool funding. At the moment, we are going year to year. That is inadequate. This review comes first and then the new agreement, so we are very excited about the opportunities for South Australian early childhood education facilities once that is complete.

I want to take my remaining time to reflect on the life of a great South Australian who passed away in the last couple of weeks and whose achievements I think are known to the house. The legacy of his life should be reflected in this house. Eric Webb lived in Rostrevor on Spring Gully Road. He was one of the early establishers, along with his stepfather and family, of Spring Gully Foods, as it is now, and Spring Gully Pickles, as it was then.

Eric's life was one of service to his staff, to his family, to the South Australian business community, to our local community and to the South Australian community at large. He made an impact wherever he went. He was a Rotarian and was honoured at his funeral on Friday at the Rostrevor Baptist Church by an honour guard of Rotarians in their dozens from the Campbelltown Rotary Club and around South Australia. Staff from Spring Gully Foods came in their dozens to the funeral to honour somebody who had been chairman of their board, their boss, their friend and a member of their family.

Eric's family—his sons, Kevin and Ross, who are the face of the company; his daughters; his grandchildren; and, indeed, the generations of Webbs—are so well known to so many people in our community. Our hearts went out to all of them on Friday at the funeral and continue to. Eric is somebody I have known for about 10, 12 or maybe 15 years. I always found him to be one of the kindest, most generous and most supportive men I have ever met. I can only imagine what sort of loss he will be as a father and as a grandfather—indeed, as a great-grandfather to be—for that family.

While we mourn his loss and we are so sorry for that loss, the legacy he has created, both through his business and the contribution it has made to the community, is one that will never be forgotten in our area. His children and grandchildren continue to live that purpose and those values to this day. They will uphold his spirit and I know how proud he was of them.

At 15:39 the house adjourned until Wednesday 5 February 2020 at 10:30.