John Minihan (Progressive Democrats)

I welcome the Minister for Education and Science to the House and I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this motion. Along with health care, care of the elderly and child care, education is one of the key policy areas that define a society. Decisions made in the area of education have far-reaching and long-lasting affects not only on our economy but on our society. The influence of education is all pervading. Law and order, social integration, race relations and civil society are all affected by education policy. The position of Minister for Education and Science brings with it huge responsibilities responsibilities to which this Minister has risen with the assurance and sure-footedness of one who has spent much of her working life promoting the cause of education.

It was with disappointment that I first viewed the motion put forward by Senators O'Toole, Ross and Norris. Challenges remain in this area but I am proud that the Government has achieved much and will continue to make progress on delivering the facilities people need and deserve. The Senators' ire would be better directed at previous Administrations where underprovision took its toll on all aspects of education. When this Government took office in 1997, it resolved to make amends by addressing these issues in a strategic and meaningful way.

The facts speak for themselves. A decade ago, some 190,000 primary school pupils were in ordinary classes of more than 30, of which 52,000 had class sizes greater than 35. Today, those figures have reduced by 44% and 83%, respectively. The Senators' ire should have been directed at those Administrations which allowed nearly 42% of primary school pupils to be taught in classes of more than 30.