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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-03-07 Daily Xml
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Schools, Advertising Campaigns

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:38): My question is to the Minister for Education, Training and Skills. Is the government giving consideration to using public advertising campaigns to address any other behaviour issues in schools? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Violence, bullying, antisocial behaviour and, especially in recent times, vaping all present significant challenges in schools; however, they are not addressed by the government's $900,000 advertising campaign.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:39): Of course, the government is keen and open-minded towards using taxpayers' funds thoughtfully in order to be able to achieve high-quality public policy outcomes. We have demonstrated that on more than one occasion. The thing about the advertising campaign on the mobile phone ban in schools is that it wasn't the government's idea, as the Minister for Education enunciated earlier. This was actually an idea that came from the Secondary Principals' Association.

Mr Tarzia: They advise; you decide.

The SPEAKER: The member for Hartley is warned.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: In fact, I could be more specific again for the shadow minister. The education minister hosted a range of secondary principals here at Parliament House at a function—I think it was late last year—and they themselves expressed an appetite for an advertising campaign. The moment I heard that idea, I thought it was one that was worthy of examination and ultimately—

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is warned.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —for us to institute it and that is a campaign that is now rolling out over the period that is the same time as the mobile phone ban is being rolled out across schools throughout the state. But I can say that we have been, on this side of the house, really heartened by the response from all involved in respect of the success of the ban where it has been implemented thus far. In fact, I think many members will be familiar—

Mr Brown interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Florey!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Premier, there is a point of order from the member for Morialta, which I will hear under 134.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: The Premier has been entirely logical and consistent up until this point, until he says that he is talking about the success—

The SPEAKER: What is your point of order, member for Morialta?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: The question specifically goes—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Treasurer is called to order. The member for Badcoe is warned for a second time.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —to vaping and antisocial behaviour and whether they will be considered for advertising campaigns too.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I have the point of order. Some latitude, of course, is provided to the Premier and the leader. I will listen carefully.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: There was an opinion piece published in today's Advertiser from the principal of Findon High School, Kathleen Hoare, and I would invite the—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: I would invite the shadow minister to familiarise himself with the opinion piece, if he hasn't had a chance already. The interesting thing about it is that it goes directly to the shadow minister's question because the principal articulates all the benefits towards our diminishing antisocial behaviour as a result of the implementation of the ban. In fact, to quote the words of Ms Hoare, the school principal, in respect of the ban, she says:

…kids are talking and interacting with each other. The school is filled with sounds of engagement, rather than the sounds of phones.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: 'It's a different vibe—

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Morialta is warned. Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —and makes me feel positive we made the right decision to tighten our mobile phone ban policy.'

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is warned.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: At the expense of paraphrasing Ms Hoare, what she articulates later on in the opinion piece is that, as schools progressively roll out the policy, they can look to the experience of Findon High or where the ban has been implemented with a degree of confidence that it's the right thing to do—

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is on three warnings.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —so the campaign goes a long way. I have noted the commentary from the opposition that has been rolled out progressively throughout the implementation of this ban constantly seeking, in effect, to undermine the policy, raising questions about the policy or seeking to critique the implementation of the policy—

Mr Tarzia interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Hartley!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —but the shadow minister should be under no misapprehension about the fact that on this side of the house we are proud to be getting things done. We made the commitment to the people of South Australia at the election and we are actually delivering upon it. We are not commentating on it, we are not talking about it, we are actually doing it and we are rolling out this ban less than 12 months after forming office. It has been done in a thoughtful, considered way, ensuring that schools have the resources where required to be able to facilitate the ban, but also providing a degree of flexibility to schools about how they roll it out and also supporting them by ensuring that every single parent in the state knows that this is the government that is delivering on its election commitments and making education in our schools a better experience.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

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