Mr HUNT (2:51 PM) —My question is to the Minister for Education, Science and Training. I ask the minister his views on the fundamental importance of values at all levels of education. Is he aware of any alternative views regarding the importance of teaching basic values to Australian students?

Dr NELSON (Minister for Education, Science and Training) —I thank the member for Flinders both for his question and for his commitment to see that the highest standards are taught in Australian schools and, in particular, in the Western Port Secondary College in Hastings and the Rosebud Secondary College, amongst many other fine schools in his electorate.

This government has been concerned, since its election in 1996, to see that Australian parents can have confidence in the schools to which they send their children. My predecessor, the member for Goldstein, put an enormous amount of effort in on behalf of the government to see that literacy and numeracy were tested in Australian schools, and now this government is committed to seeing that we report to parents the results of that testing. We are about to move into information and communication technology as well as science; and, of course, this government has also placed an enormous amount of importance on civics and democracy. Issues about which Australian parents are particularly concerned are not only the standards of teaching in literacy and numeracy but also the values based framework within which education is delivered. For example, you can open a newspaper in Australia on any day of the week in almost any part of the country and you can read these kinds of stories. The Sun Herald in Sydney, on Sunday, 23 June, published a story entitled `Schools call in playground police'. It said:

This is something about which I think all Australians, and parents in particular, are especially concerned. They want to see that Australian governments and those in positions of leadership support security, safety and standards in Australian schools. This unit will respond to critical incidents as extreme as machete attacks.

It is interesting that in this same article, under the heading `Principals worn out by stress' we are told that badly behaved students, staff problems and a lack of support from the New South Wales education department are the major causes of stress for school principals, according to two new surveys. The New South Wales Primary Principals Association, for example, said:

I read the Bulletin this week and I saw that the member for Werriwa was quoted as saying:

He went on to say:

He went on further to say that he described himself as a `hater'.

Shortly, I will be announcing some initiatives to support parents who are concerned to see that appropriate values are taught in schools, alongside the kinds of things that are equally important in reading, writing and communication. For example, Hugh Dillon, a magistrate in Sydney, nominated values like politeness, courage, justice, generosity, compassion, mercy, gratitude, humility, tolerance and humour. The question I put to the member for Werriwa and to the Leader of the Opposition is: if we are to lead our children on the basis that hatred is an acceptable virtue, will it make it easier or harder for parents to raise their children to be the kind of adults that we want them all to be?

Mr Latham —I seek leave to answer the question that has been put by the minister for education.

The SPEAKER —The member for Werriwa will resume his seat; there is no such provision under the standing orders, as he is well is aware.