Further discussion on the Twomey Report [Deputy Speakers advises Mark McGowan to draw his response to a close. In other words, Mark McGowan was wasting parliamentary debate time... again.] [Day / McGowan]

JOINT STANDING COMMITTEE ON THE COMMISSIONER FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE [Well worth a read]

School canteens and DET policy – McGowan states $1 million was spent on developing and implementing the policy. [Why so much? Could it be ECU was paid a large fee to review the DET ‘Canteen’ policy, as ECU was paid $150,000 to review the DET ‘Managing Student Behaviour Policy’?] [Kucera / McGowan]

Voluntary contributions from parents to DET schools and course fees charged to parents: $8 million voluntary and $43.3 million for fees charged to parents. [In no way is public education FREE!] [Fels / Chance]

Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure: Country education not improved in the WA budget. [Baston / Hallet]

EDUCATION AND TRAINING LEGISLATION AMENDMENT AND REPEAL BILL 2008  Second Reading [VET and VOC ] [Day / McGowan]

Mark McGowan tables the Twomey Report in parliament.

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND CONDUCT DIVISION — OUTSTANDING COMPLAINTS [29% of outstanding complaints remain unresolved.  From Mar 2007, 392 extra complaints received and of these 243 unresolved.] [Collier / Ravlich]

“The social dividend that did come through in education was that outcomes-based education was scrapped.” [Donaldson]

Payment for teachers supervising trainees on practicum experience. [$12.45 per day: NOT ENOUGH!] [Scott / Ravlich]

ECU paid $150,000 to evaluate the DET behaviour management and discipline strategy [but has anyone seen the report?]. [Collier / Ravlich]

Motion: "That this house expresses its concern at the lack of comprehensive and effective behaviour management and pastoral care strategies in Western Australian public schools", and quotes Katherine Summers' article at length. [Collier]
[or, Reasons why parents choose private schools] Well worth a read.

Rudd’s computer roll-out programme into WA.

Rebuilding public schools – Mark McGowan uses 2005 data provided by the Australian Education Union to support his carousel comments. [Hyde / McGowan]

DET schools discipline and behaviour management – Since 2005, an average of $52,000 has been allocated to 273 individual DET schools for this purpose.  $14.2 million of taxpayers money and for what result? [Collier / Ravlich]

Community Attitude Reports [on matters such as mental health, health, education, and law and order]. Chance relies: “The reports will be released once the Government has fully considered them.” Sound familiar? [Morton / Chance]

Earth Sciences Course and corporate sponsorship [Llewellyn / Ravlich]

Outside [independent?] auditing of government education bodies in WA (2002 – 2007): none for DET, none for the CC and none for the Dept of Education Services. [Spare a thought for the schools being grilled by the ERG people!] [Halligan / Ravlich]

The Minister of Education relocates office at an expense to taxpayers of  $641,800 [Moore / Ravlich]

Teachers refused leave without pay application – 188 refused by DET and of these 90 resigned from teaching with DET. [Strange human resources management by DET] [Collier / Ravlich]

Margaret River Primary School – uncovered walkway to demountable classrooms and lack of continuous power supply at the school for students to use computers. [House / Ravlich]

Proposal for a ‘short course’ Diploma of Education [Collier / Ravlich]

DET schools: Toilet stench, leaking taps, lack of doors on toilets etc.

2007 Literacy and numeracy assessment – Aboriginal students and remote schools. [Constable / McGowan]

Twomey Report – Once again, Mark McGowan does not answer the question. [Thomas / McGowan]

Industrial action threatened by teachers. Mark McGowan jumps on the carousel, inviting the Libs to join him... We made teachers a FANTASTIC offer which they rejected... [Edwards / McGowan]

Dongora DHS – rain water leakages, mould spores and student asthma attack. [Woodhams / McGowan]

Grievance: How DET supports an autistic student in a rural location. [Thomas / McGowan]

Behaviour Management Centres [Mark McGowan refers to historical articles from the West Australian newspaper to support his argument. Way to go the ‘West Australian’!] [O’Gorman / McGowan]

SCHOOLS TRUANCY COMMUNICATION SOFTWARE [Mark McGowan states training for teachers on how to use this software is not required.] [Buswell / McGowan]

School truancy and prosecution of parents. [To date NO parents have been prosecuted under the Education Act 1999.] [Buswell / McGowan]

DET advertising for cleaners and gardeners: $42,380 expended 2007/08. [No central record kept of successful employments yet Mark McGowan states: “The initiative commenced in May and its length of operation will depend on the success of the program.” So, how does DET know how successful the programme has been, if no central records are kept? Also, full answer to the question NOT provided, YET AGAIN!] [Buswell / McGowan]

Twomey Report – will not yet be released. The Parliament gets heated and the Premier ducks and dives. Well worth a look! [McGrath / Carpenter]

Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I have been through the enterprise bargaining agreement process as an education minister and it is a difficult process. Unless one caves in, rolls over and signs the cheque for what would be an exorbitant expense to the state, with flow-on expenses unbeknown, one finds oneself in a very difficult bargaining and negotiating argument.

Dr J.M. Woollard: Thirty-five years as a teacher and a gross salary of $65 000—do you think that’s fair?

APPROPRIATION (CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNT) BILL (NO. 1 and 2) 2008. [Dr Liz Constable gives the Premier and the Minister for Education a DESERVED SERVE! The premier goes into carousel mode.] Well worth a read!

KALAMUNDA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL: $5 million spent on maintenance since 2001.  [Day / McGowan]

Number of operational classrooms at selected schools.  [Not sure what this question is about. Is Troy digging for info about transportable rooms? McGowan’s answer does not fully answer the question.] [Buswell / McGowan]

9 4WD vehicles issued to DET ‘written-off’ between March 2006 and February 2008. [Buswell / Ripper]

Teacher recruitment campaign for teachers from overseas. [A poor question, not answered.] [Buswell / McGowan]

Peter Collier gets stuck into Mark McGowan, Ljiljanna Ravlich, the government in general and DET: Twomey Report, Gerald Daniels Report, teacher dissatisfaction, unsuccessful recruitment campaigns. Well worth a read!

Support for new teachers in remote locations. Ravlich states: “One third of surveyed graduates attributed their decision to stay with the Department to their support from the [In-Class]coaching program.” So, two thirds did not! [Archer / Ravlich]

School gas heating services [Collier / Ravlich]

Student Bahaviour Centres – none for country regions [Collier / Ravlich]

Schools – 1.3 million unauthorised student half day absences in 2007 [Collier / Ravlich]

Assaults against school staff – again dodged by Ravlich [Collier / Ravlich]

New selection process for DET school principals – DG of DET has final say [Collier / Ravlich]

Estimates Committee: Education and Training allocated $3.3 BILLION

Details to follow: Well worth a read !!

Estimates Committee: Curriculum Council allocated $22.2 million
- Replacing the CC with the Education Standards Authority
- Building teachers’ confidence in the CsOS. Worth reading Mark McGowan’s spin response.
- Students with a ‘comprehension disability’ and granted extra time in the TEE. CC charges a fee in excess of  $300.
- VET based CsOS and university pathway option. Will these be ready for 2009 implementation?
- Mark McGowan does not support a national curriculum.
- Mark McGowan removed middle school from Rockingham SHS due to advice:  ‘All the teachers and professionals (What!) tell me that the middle school model has problems’, but he has not done so for other schools and admits ‘split sites’ are a big problem.

Estimates Committee: Country High School Hostels Authority allocated $7.7 million
- Who buys new buses? The government, DET or the Country High Schools Hostel Authority.
- Esperance Residential College hostel built for 80 but now accommodates 100 with others turned away. No money in this budget for accommodation expansion. (Did not Ljil reject an application from the Anglican Schools Commission to establish a new college at Esperance?)

Estimates Committee: Education Services allocated $300.55 million
- Mark McGowan is ‘broadly satisfied’ with what WACOT has done.
- Mark McGowan: “I opened a health services building in Fremantle the other day. I had absolutely nothing to do with it but I have my name on a huge plaque at the front! It is always good to open something one has not had anything to do with; it feels more satisfying than those one has worked hard on!” [Left foot into the gob, followed by the other!]
- The government has ‘outsourced’ the inspection of Catholic Schools for their compliance with the standards and requirements of the School Education Act 1999 and School Education Regulations 2000, to the Catholic Education Office!

Estimates Committee: Education and Training allocated $3.3 million
- The Chairman prefaces this session with a caution about questions asked!
- The ‘TWOMEY REPORT’ – where is it?
- Mark McGowan visits Donnybrook DHS and announces its much sought-after toilet block upgrade earlier this year. [How are things going at Booragoon PS?]
- $1.9 million allocated for 2008/09 teacher recruitment from interstate and overseas.
- An 11% success rate for interstate/overseas teachers to commence in 2009.
- ‘Expert Review Group (ERG)’ reports. Mark McGowan expects about 20 reports per annum.
- Teacher recruitment and retention initiatives - $12.2 million spent in 2007/08
- DET teacher retirements: 337 in 2007 and 182 to late May 2008. Mark McGowan finds it difficult to predict the total 2008 figure. An extrapolation of average = 437 in 2008, potential 30% increase year-to-year.
- Mark McGowan on the ‘Transition to retirement initiative’: “Teachers are taking that up but not as rapidly as we would hope.”  142 have taken-up the scheme but Mark McGowan does not know how many are working part-time.
- Mark McGowan again ducks questions from Dr Janet Woollard re conditions at schools in her electorate.
- Problems staffing rural schools. Mark McGowan blames the non-acceptance of the EBA by teachers but does not specifically refer to the SSTUWA. Why?
- Appointment of Principals in rural schools. Local selection is now allowed but Mark McGowan had this to say: “I found anecdotally—that many people were taking up positions that they did not necessarily want to be in; they were just jumping points to get to someone else.”
- 287 people have signed-up for the $60 000 scholarship programme. $30 000 in the final year and $30 000 in the final year of agreed employment. [Bond system?]
- Teachers to be allowed to teach. Others will be employed to conduct social work, IT system maintenance etc.
- Mark McGowan: “The consistent running down of the public education system by people on the basis of trying to pursue their own agendas is a great danger to public education, and I would really urge them not to do it.”
- Mark McGowan: “Anecdotally, I can tell members that when I drove around the streets of Meekatharra with the school principal, he wound down his car window to ask kids why they were not at school. That is the extent of the effort made in some communities to get kids to school.” [left foot in followed soon by the right foot!]
- Mark McGowan:  ” ….the exact total percentage decline in market share each year is one per cent, although our numbers remain fairly static. That is because of the growth in population.”  Sharyn O’Neill:  “We will at the very least continue to plan to maintain and indeed grow the share we have.”
- Mark McGowan: “I will defer to my financial adviser, Mr McCaffrey, who I am sure has an explanation of what the blank is.”  Mr P.J. McCaffrey: “I do not have an explicit answer…”
- Indigenous early childhood education initiative.
- Mark McGowan supports ‘First Steps’.
- Mark McGowan is not aware of ‘Trilogy’.
- Wongan Hills traineeships and apprenticeships pilot programme. Mark McGowan has no idea as to what this programme is about and refers to Norma Jeffery who has no idea what the programme is planning for the future.
- $63 million to rebuild Governor Stirling SHS! [Can just see ‘Governor Stirling College’ coming]
- Dr E. CONSTABLE: “I understand the demands. Maybe the government should change its priorities, can the stadium for a while and do something about what I think is a much higher priority; that is, the needs of schools. “
- Mark McGowan: ‘We are examining ways of establishing primary school behaviour centres to deal with students”.
- Years 7-9 middle school too expensive for DET schools yet private schools are going this way.
- Is Bunbury in a marginal seat? Mark McGowan: “It is a growing area and we have to keep up with the demands. Manea College, of course, is a bit bigger than Bunbury Senior High School; it is a broader south west college that we hope will draw in students from further a field than Bunbury. There has also been the construction of Dalyellup Primary School. There are six or seven new schools just in that area, and members will have seen the cost of new schools. Bunbury Primary School has had an upgrade, and we will consider that for the future.”
- Withers PS loses its demountable classroom for its successful music programme because Mark McGowan says there is a greater need elsewhere.
- How to get Mark to do something for your school: “I have already told the member for Wagin about the bunch of big tough farming blokes from the community—the fellows on the college board—who, with their big gnarled hands, come to see me. They are great fellows. They pointed out some of the issues with the college, even down to the level of some of the doors and partitions between the rooms and so forth.”
- Request for teacher shortfall figures. Mark McGowan: “I met a design and technology teacher the other day who had formerly been a chief petty officer in the Navy. He did a one-year Dip Ed conversion at the University of Notre Dame and enjoyed the teaching lifestyle—he enjoyed teaching rugby and so forth—but he could have got a job at a power station or something and probably would have been paid more money.” [left foot in followed by right foot]
- Mark McGowan: “However, the shortfalls are in the areas in which we are currently experiencing shortfalls. The advice I have just received is that it is the areas of design and technology, maths, physics and chemistry. Languages bounce around a bit, although that is not as significant a problem for obvious reasons. We have had difficulty with the supply of physical education teachers. We had some problems with English teachers.” [left foot in followed by right foot]
- Mark McGowan: “….nine out of 10 teachers at the primary schools I visit are female, while more than half of the principals are male. It is a funny dynamic. I do not have an exact figure; I do not even know whether I can provide the figure for the member.”
- Additionally funded ‘senior schooling engagement programs’ to assist at risk young people in their 16th and 17th year to participate more effectively in schooling. Norma Jeffery : “I am sorry; I do not have the names of the schools, but I am fairly certain that quite a number of them are in the country.”  and more from Norma: “I have been to the Hillside Farm Education Centre too, and it is one of those programs that I think suits young people but I am not sure, because I do not have a list with me, whether that is a program on that list. “[What is this person being paid and for doing what? Look above for the Wongan Hills pilot project comment by Norma. ]
- Mark McGowan spin: “I am unaware of it. The member said that increasing numbers of students in years 11 and 12 are leaving to go to work. It is actually the opposite; an increasing number of students are going on to years 11 and 12 at school these days.” Norma Jeffery: “I may not have the member’s question quite clear, but we have two measures. One measure is the retention rates, and that counts the number of students who started in year 8 and finished year 12. When we count retention rates, we do not count the students who
then perhaps go on to VET and work; they are included in our participation rates. Since the school leaving age was raised, about 95 per cent of students have participated.
- Mark McGowan is concerned about the number of teachers seconded into non-classroom teaching roles [ie education consultant at Herdsman Lake]
- Smart Start program that operates in the great southern, central and upper great southern areas of WA. Support from DET?
- Curtin Vocational Training and Education Centre campus at Kalgoorlie be taken over by TAFE and that that facility become a part of TAFE. Curtain Uni withdraws from  negotiations with DET reps.
- WA government support for the Federal government IT ‘rollout’ revolution.
- DET support for autistic students.
- ‘Football Academies’ and funding by the government. [What about Netball Academies?]
- Funding for 2007/08 behaviour management and discipline strategy $16.6 million.
- Mark McGowan’s response to dealing with assaults on teachers.
- Mark McGowan’s response re size of classes.
- Great discussion re WACE graduation stats: Was the 2007 average 54% or 96%?
- Mark McGowan is not aware of the “Irlen syndrome”.

When will the Government release the Twomey Report and the DET review? [Day / McGowan]
Answer: Twomey Report: After it's been considered by Cabinet
DET Review: Probably NEVER