Questions & Answers Paper No. 158 - Parliament of New South ...

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7046 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS MONDAY 12 OCTOBER 2009 The provision of emergency ambulance services to NSW resident pensioners are covered under reciprocal rights agreements with Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and the ACT. The following restrictions apply: • Western Australia does not recognize the Health Care Concession Card, and • Victoria does not recognize the Commonwealth Seniors Card. NSW residents who hold a Health Care Concession Card and receive an invoice from the WA Ambulance Service or hold a Commonwealth Seniors Card and receive an invoice from the Victoria Ambulance Service are liable for the cost of the service. On 2 November 2006, the then Minister for Health announced that the NSW Government would pay for NSW resident concession card holders who had received an invoice from the Queensland Ambulance Service or South Australian Ambulance Service for emergency ambulance transport. *7344 BUS ROUTE 552—Ms Gladys Berejiklian asked the Minister for Transport, and Minister for the Illawarra— In relation to bus route 552: (1) Why did the Minister change the route of this service without adequate community consultation? (2) What is his response to calls from the community that the previous route be reinstated? Answer— I am advised: (1) The route used by Route 552 bus services has not been changed. Route 552 was introduced following extensive public consultation concerning changes to a number of routes operating in the Parramatta-North Rocks-Carlingford-Epping area. This resulted in Route 546, that previously terminated at Oatlands, being extended to Epping. Route 552 was introduced on a trial basis in response to concerns from residents in Prince Street, Oatlands. (2) Extension of Route 546 to Epping has been very successful, and reversion to the previous Oatlands terminus around Prince Street for Route 546 bus services is not supported. *7345 BUS ROUTE T66—Ms Gladys Berejiklian asked the Minister for Transport, and Minister for the Illawarra— In relation to bus route T66 in Sydney's north-west: (1) Is the Minister satisfied with the number of buses servicing this route? (2) What is a satisfactory number of passengers on such a service? (3) Is it acceptable that passengers stand in excess of 40 minutes to get to work? (4) What consultation process did the Minister engage in, in relation to the new timetable affecting this route? Answer— I am advised: (1) to (4) The Government is committed to meeting the transport needs of north west Sydney and continually monitors service levels. 113 Growth Buses are currently being delivered to Sydney's north west in a major boost to service levels. *7346 SCHOOL LEARNING SUPPORT TEACHER—Mr Peter Besseling asked the Minister for Education and Training, and Minister for Women— (1) What effect on school support resources, staff or funding in the Port Macquarie electorate will result from the Department of Education and Training's plans to change the basis of allocating those resources to schools? (2) What safeguards are proposed to ensure that specific expertise of existing Support Teachers, namely Learning Difficulties, Behaviour, Autism and Integration, will not be lost as a result of these positions being converted into a single, generic teacher classification to be called School Learning Support Teacher? Answer— (1) The proposed School Learning Support Program is currently the subject of consultation with key groups including principals, parents, advocacy groups and unions which will continue until the Produced by Altsoft Xml2PDF
7047 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS MONDAY 12 OCTOBER 2009 middle of 2010, while the proposal is trialled. An evaluation of the existing School Learning Support Coordinator initiative is also currently underway. No decision about the future of this proposal will be made until the consultations, trials and evaluation are finalised. There are 20 public schools in the Port Macquarie electorate. Under the new model that is proposed for supporting students with additional learning needs, these schools would receive an overall net increase of positions and funds. Overall, the schools would have a net increase of positions and funds in dollar terms of $263,036. This staffing and funding resource would be directly allocated to schools and guaranteed for three years. Under the proposed new model, students with sensory impairment, physical disabilities, significant intellectual disabilities and complex high support needs would continue to be funded under current program guidelines. (2) Rather than a loss of specialisation, the aim of this proposal is to increase the level of expertise available directly within our schools by establishing a specialist teacher presence in every school across the State to support students with additional learning needs and their class teachers. The proposed new model does not seek to replace specialist teachers with generalist teachers but to place specialist itinerant teachers directly within schools under a single program, known as the School Learning Support program. This proposal would provide targeted training in the areas of autism, behaviour, motor coordination, speech language and communication, and curriculum access for students with additional learning needs. All teachers appointed to the School Learning Support Program will be able to access this training. Currently, more than one thousand teachers have undertaken part of this training program. Feedback from those teachers has been very positive. School Principals would determine the professional learning needs of staff and be able to provided targeted assistance where they think it necessary through professional learning funds allocated to their schools. In addition, Assistant Principals Behaviour and Assistant Principals Learning Assistance would continue to provide advice and support to schools. *7347 ALLOCATION OF SCHOOL RESOURCES—Mr Peter Besseling asked the Minister for Education and Training, and Minister for Women— (1) Does the Department of Education and Training allocate its funding and other resources, including staff numbers, to schools based on student enrolment data for 1 August each year? (2) If so, what additional resources are available to schools that accept students expelled from other institutions after the assessment date? Answer— (1) The allocation of teaching staff in NSW public schools is determined by formulae based on student enrolments to ensure that resources are distributed equitably across the State. Anticipated student enrolments are submitted in Term 3 each year to allow the anticipated allocation of teachers to a school to be determined for the following year. NSW government school global funding allocations are determined on a school calendar year basis. Semester 1 allocations are calculated on anticipated student and staff numbers. Each school's actual teacher allocation and actual school administrative and support staff allocation for the school year is determined after the February census enrolment date. Semester 2 allocations are based on actual student and staff numbers. In addition, a washup payment is allocated to schools based on revised student and staff numbers as at 30 June. (2) Where student numbers increase during the year to a level that impacts on the staffing formula, an additional teacher allocation is made to the school. *7348 PACIFIC HIGHWAY UPGRADE—Mr Peter Besseling asked the Minister for Roads— What is the time schedule for the opening of sections of the Pacific Highway upgrade between Coopernook and Herons Creek, including the expected dates for traffic to bypass Moorland, Johns River and Kew? Answer— I am advised: Produced by Altsoft Xml2PDF
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Questions & Answers Paper No. 158 - Parliament of New South ...

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