NAPLAN results

The Hon. S.L. GAME (15:12): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before directing a question to the Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services, representing the Minister for Education, Training and Skills, regarding South Australia's latest NAPLAN results.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.L. GAME: New analysis of 2025 NAPLAN data shows vast differences in the results between boys and girls across our state. For example, over 45 per cent of year 7 boys in South Australia are unable to use punctuation properly, compared with 34 per cent of year 7 girls. The gender disparities are across all four age groups—years 3, 5, 7 and 9—and across all subjects: reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy.

Back in September last year in this chamber, I also referenced UniSA research which showed SA boys doing worse at almost every level of education than girls, leading to substantially poorer outcomes for boys and young men compared with females. I asked the government what it was doing to change this trend of poorer outcomes for boys, but always received generic answers applying to all children, so my questions to the Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services, representing the Minister for Education, Training and Skills, are specifically regarding boys' education and disparity in their engagement and achievement:

1. What is or has the government done specifically to target boys and their education to improve their outcomes?

2. Does the government think it is acceptable that boys continue to underachieve in their education in this state?

3. What is the government's election commitment to boys and the parents of boys who are underachieving in this state?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Autism, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:14): I thank the honourable member for her question. I am happy to seek a further response from the minister in the other house.