 |
JOINT COMMUNIQUÉ
10-11 July 2003
Commonwealth, State and Territory Ministers for
Education and Training meeting in Perth for the Ministerial Council
on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs have agreed to
progress initiatives of national significance for education in
Australia.
The following motions were unanimously passed by all
members of the Council:
Sexual abuse in schools
Council:
-
requested
the preparation of model uniform legislation to be considered by all
States and Territories, that provides for nationally consistent
procedures and processes for the conduct of criminal record checks
of persons seeking to work in educational settings with children;
-
agreed to
advise the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General of its intention
to consider model uniform legislation that would affect the
operation of spent conviction legislation throughout Australia; and
-
endorsed the
decision of AESOC that Queensland have lead responsibility for
progressing this issue, in collaboration with other jurisdictions.
Nationally Consistent Curriculum Outcomes
Council:
-
noted the
executive summary of Curriculum provision in the Australian States
and Territories: Research Report for the Ministerial Council on
Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs 2003 which is the
result of considerable work undertaken to map curriculum approaches
across jurisdictions and identify both areas of commonality and
difference.
-
directed
AESOC to manage a national project on behalf on State and Territory
Education Ministers to deliver consistent curriculum outcomes in all
schools across Australia, in the four domains of English, Maths,
Science and Civics and Citizenship. The project is to build upon the
areas of commonality identified in the mapping exercise in the
research report.
-
endorsed the
development of Statements of Learning, as described in paragraphs 17
to 30 (attached), that define and deliver common curriculum outcomes
to be used by jurisdictions to inform their own curriculum
development and implementation.
-
approved, in
the first instance, the development of one set of statements of
learning in English;
-
requested
AESOC to scope, develop and arrange funding for the statements in
the first domain and to have a final draft ready by the end of
February 2004 so that Ministers can make a decision out-of-session
in March 2004 on further work being undertaken on the additional
three domains; and
-
directed
AESOC to develop a position paper by December 2003 that addresses
the issue of states and territories moving to a more uniform
starting age for schooling and common nomenclature within the
context of a 2010 target date for commencement. This work to inform
the development of the first set of statements of learning
especially in relation to the determination of the junctures of
schooling for which statements would be written.
Review of Higher Education
Council:
-
Noted the
Commonwealth paper on the Review of Higher Education
-
Agreed to
the merit of developing best practice in university governance
arrangements, and for States and Territories to work with the
Commonwealth to reach agreement on a set of National Governance
Protocols;
-
As outlined
in the paper, agreed to work with the Commonwealth and provide
advice on developing a mechanism for the distribution of new
university places
-
Agreed to
work with Commonwealth in developing a mechanism to further
streamline university reporting and compliance arrangements, in
particular:
-
agree to a
new Accountability Framework for university reporting which meets
the needs of both State and Commonwealth, and eliminates duplication
and improves information-sharing;
-
reduce the
administrative burden on universities; and
-
develop a
common approach across jurisdictions to regulatory arrangements,
including commercial powers of universities.
-
Agreed to
increased Commonwealth/State cooperation in promoting collaboration
between the higher education and business/industry and other
education sectors, in particular:
-
agree to
work with the Commonwealth to develop national arrangements for
articulation and credit transfer between the higher education sector
and the vocational and training sectors;
-
agree to
greater involvement of the State and Territories in the development
of funding proposals under the Capital Development Pool; and
-
work with
the Commonwealth to develop a new framework for Commonwealth-State
negotiations on higher education policy and planning matters.
-
Agreed to
consider the outcome of this work at a future meeting of MCEETYA
organised especially for the purpose of dealing with these higher
eduction matters.
Signatories to this statement:
Minister for Education (WA) – The Hon. Alan
Carpenter MP (Chair)
Federal Minister for Education – The Hon. Dr. Brendan Nelson, MP
Minister for Education (VIC) – The Hon. Lynne Kosky, MP
Minister for Education Services (Vic) - The Hon. Jacinta Allan MP
Minister for Education (SA) – The Hon. Trish White, MP
Minister for Education (NT) – The Hon. Syd Stirling MP
Minister for Education (Tas) – The Hon. Paula Wriedt MHA
Parliamentary Secretary (NSW) – The Hon. Bryce Gaudry
Minister for Education (ACT) – Katy Gallagher MLA
Minister for Education (Qld) – The Hon. Anna Bligh MP
Minister for Training (Qld) – The Hon. Matt Foley MP
|
