Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee, , 1:47:42 to 1:52:14
Senators question the decision by education ministers not to release the independent performance evaluation of the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) despite significant public interest.
Topics: Education, Integrity
Speakers: Senator Penny Allman-Payne, Ms. Meg Brighton, Mr. Tony Cook, Unknown Speaker, Senator Matt O'Sullivan
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>> um thanks very much chair um I just have a question about the independent performance evaluation uh from arrow um we've had a number of people try and get access to it by FOI and we've tried in the Senate through an OPD um are you able to elaborate on why it's expected that the release of the report would cause damage in between the relations between Commonwealth and
>> Uh thanks Senator for the question. So the Australian government um uh on behalf of all education ministers commissioned that review um and in that capacity was all education ministers as the company members of ERO. Um that report went to education ministers and consistent with the conventions of education ministers um ministers make a decision whether they will release the report or not um the education ministers agreed not to release the final report and I believe Minister Clare um also as part of the response to the order for the production of documents uh referred to that as Well, um it's a matter of convention that release of any reports and documents have to have the agreement of all education ministers. Uh so that's um uh that's the reason why it hasn't been uh released. Um in terms of the FOI considerations, the FOI decision makers have regard to the various criteria that gets applied to FOI uh decisions and one of those criteria is about com state relations and that points to particularly the conventions of education ministers meetings.
Um ERO's website says and I quote, "We welcome scrutiny to enhance the integrity of our processes. Is refusing to release the report consistent with
So Sandra, again it's probably not for Arrow. Um the decision still doesn't sit with them un in this circumstances. The decision sits with all education ministers. Uh the decision that's been made by that committee is that for the report to not be released respons I get what you've made the point and I would absolutely say they're up about transparency. This is an education minister's meeting decision rather than a decision.
576 education academics, teachers, and school leaders have signed an open letter calling for the report to be released. Do you recognize that there is substantial interest from educators in the release of this report and that not releasing it actually reduces trust in why it hasn't been released? And because the assumption is being made that those findings uh must be poor particularly when one of the reasons for uh refusing the FRRI was that it may damage um people's confidence in the organization.
>> Um Senator certainly aware that there's a lot of interest around it. Absolutely. And I take your point around that. Um again and I'm I'm not trying to be difficult. Um we can only operate within the education minister's um uh protocols. um ministers have decided not to release the report. Um uh I I don't even know who or what ministers may have made in terms of individual ministers, but that's the decision that's been made by the education ministers meeting as a
It just seems very inconsistent when teachers around the country are under incredible scrutiny and continually being told that they have to be held to account and we've got education ministers refusing to actually release the findings of what is supposed to be the peak educational research body in this country. I just find that astounding. Uh but I guess we all will continue to lobby all of the state ministers to say that this is not okay. uh and teachers and educators deserve to know what that review said because I don't understand how people can be expected to have confidence in them if the ministers don't want to tell us what that found. Um but I'll move on. Um my understanding is uh in response to an increase in sexual harassment and assault amongst high school students, the minister announced an independent evaluation of the CR RE framework would commence later this year. Uh and I note that that framework was only finalized uh earlier this year. Has an independent evaluator been appointed and if not, how will they be