1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: So a new contract system being rolled out to deal 2 00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:04,400 Speaker 1: with our chronic school absentees and problem. Old deals have 3 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:06,920 Speaker 1: been scrapped. We got forty new contracts for eighty three 4 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:09,760 Speaker 1: rather new contracts. A bunch of schools will get extra support. 5 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:12,960 Speaker 1: There's money for basics like uniforms and transport. David Seymour 6 00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 1: as the Associate Minister of Education and is in charge 7 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:17,960 Speaker 1: of all that this needs. Back with this morning, Good 8 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:20,159 Speaker 1: morning mate. Overall, are you winning or not? 9 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 2: We are because attendance is improving and it's probably I 10 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:28,280 Speaker 2: would say that the number one thing that matters today 11 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:31,080 Speaker 2: is how many children actually go to school in terms 12 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:33,960 Speaker 2: of defining our long term future. That's why we're fixing it. 13 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 2: In the case of these attendance contracts, I went around 14 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 2: the country, talked to principles, deans, attendance offices and schools 15 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 2: and said, well, you know, what do you getting from 16 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 2: your attendant service contracts. The answer was highly variable. Ero 17 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 2: at the same time did a more scientific investigation and 18 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:55,800 Speaker 2: found that it's actually terrible in many places. So we 19 00:00:55,920 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 2: have dumped the contracts that we had with recontracted eighty 20 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:05,960 Speaker 2: three new regions. We've also improved the access to data, 21 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 2: so new software, so they spend less time looking for 22 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:11,559 Speaker 2: children and more time actually getting them back to school 23 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 2: and staying there. This is on top of adding about 24 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 2: twenty million a year in extra funding for attendant services 25 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 2: because you can't just throw money at it, but it 26 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:25,240 Speaker 2: does help when you have such a big problem. So altogether, 27 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:27,360 Speaker 2: from the start of next year we will have a 28 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 2: much better use of tax payer money getting children back 29 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:33,199 Speaker 2: to school through attendant services and making sure they stay there. 30 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:35,560 Speaker 1: Good too pronged a question out of the were the 31 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 1: old agreements you being ripped off or were they just useless? 32 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: And are the new people better and do you know 33 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:41,839 Speaker 1: they're better? And are the people out there to provide 34 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 1: better services or finding people to do the job hard work? 35 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 2: Well, first of all, it's just a system that didn't 36 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 2: get a lot of attention for a long time. I 37 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 2: suspect so there's some really great people out there. I've 38 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:54,960 Speaker 2: met a lot of them. There were some that frankly 39 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 2: were just useless, and the Aero report was pretty damning 40 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 2: in that sense. We're going to get better. Well, what 41 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:06,440 Speaker 2: we've done is started from zero. Nothing's guaranteed, said, these 42 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:08,880 Speaker 2: are the criteria, here's your new contracts. Here's how we're 43 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:12,640 Speaker 2: going to measure the performance. Here's your money. We'll be watching. 44 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 2: So I hope that that is going to lead to 45 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 2: much more consistent and higher performance across the country. So 46 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 2: when principals look for the attendant service to give them 47 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 2: a hand getting children back to school and staying there, 48 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:26,600 Speaker 2: the call will be answered a lot more frequently and 49 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:27,799 Speaker 2: consistently than it has been. 50 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: And so how much of it's the attendant service and 51 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:33,920 Speaker 1: their efficiency and effectiveness versus the parent who's a dropkick. 52 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:39,720 Speaker 2: Well, look, I mean there's no question that it's very 53 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:42,800 Speaker 2: hard to get this done. By getting this done, I 54 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 2: mean get students back to school at the government's target 55 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:49,440 Speaker 2: rate if the parents don't want to play ball. But 56 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:52,520 Speaker 2: what I do know is that good attendant services can 57 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 2: get into the home, they can find the barriers, and 58 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:58,639 Speaker 2: that's why we've also put aside a small amount of 59 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 2: money that they can use for things like transporting uniforms. 60 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:04,640 Speaker 2: And sometimes the reason a child won't attend are things 61 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:06,760 Speaker 2: you wouldn't expect, you wouldn't think was a big deal, 62 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 2: but it is for them. So look, parents' attitudes definitely 63 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 2: play a role, But I work on the basis that 64 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 2: most people, most of the time are actually trying to 65 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:17,080 Speaker 2: make the world work, and we've got to work with them. 66 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 1: Let's hope it works some more. I appreciate your time 67 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:21,120 Speaker 1: to OVID see more Associate Minister of Education. 68 00:03:21,639 --> 00:03:24,560 Speaker 2: For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to 69 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 2: news talks. It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow 70 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.