The Canberra Liberals and ACT Greens will join forces to move a censure motion in the Legislative Assembly against ACT Labor Minister Yvette Berry, accusing her of a sustained failure to address serious problems in the education and housing portfolios.
The motion follows the release of the independent ACT Public School System Resourcing Review, which identified widespread issues across the territory’s public school system and comes amid ongoing industrial action by public school staff.
The opposition parties argue the review confirmed concerns that had been raised for years by teachers, learning support assistants, principals, parents and students about increasing pressures in schools.
The review found schools were affected by confusion, inconsistency and poor communication, while growing administrative workloads were pulling teachers away from classrooms. It also identified concerns about a central office growing faster than schools, widening inequality between schools, workplace safety issues, and inadequate support for students with disabilities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
The censure motion will also highlight recent industrial action by educators, with the Liberals and Greens claiming the Education Directorate failed to meaningfully engage with staff concerns, leading to the first strike by ACT public school workers in 14 years.
Housing ACT’s performance will also come under scrutiny during the debate.
The parties point to Ombudsman reports, Auditor-General investigations and a Supreme Court finding that tenants’ human rights had been breached, alongside concerns about specialist disability accommodation, as evidence of ongoing problems within the housing portfolio.
Liberal Shadow Minister for Education Elizabeth Lee said the findings of the school resourcing review reflected issues that school communities had been raising for years.
The Liberals and Greens say the combination of reviews, audits, investigations and court findings demonstrates a pattern of mismanagement and warrants ministerial accountability.
The ACT Government has previously accepted the findings of the school resourcing review and committed to implementing its recommendations, while also defending its record on public housing and support services.
Leave a Reply