Independent Member for Alfred Cove, Dr Janet Woollard is pleased that the State Government has responded to her request to urgently reinstate funding for in-class literacy and numeracy tuition for Indigenous students in detention centres. 

“While I fully support the Government’s focus and initiatives to raise overall literacy and numeracy standards of all Western Australian students, I was concerned that Indigenous students in detention centres were being overlooked,” said Dr Woollard.  

“I learned that Banksia Hill Detention Centre was unable to continue supplementary in-class numeracy and literacy tuition for Indigenous detainees in 2009.

“These classes were of great benefit in helping to significantly improve their literacy and numeracy skills.” 

Dr Woollard said the discontinuation of the classes was attributed to the manner in which Commonwealth funding had been distributed in WA for the Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme (ITAS).  The scheme is aimed at improving educational outcomes for Indigenous students, particularly in the areas of numeracy and literacy.

“The Commonwealth provided WA with more than $7 million in 2008 for ITAS and from this, Banksia Hill Detention Centre was able to provide supplementary in-class numeracy and literacy tuition to 105 Indigenous detainees,” said Dr Woollard. 

“With the introduction of the Council of Australia’s National Education Agreement in January 2009, the former ITAS funding was provided as part of a lump sum funding payment to the State Treasury.”

Dr Woollard said while the Department of Education had received funding from State Treasury to continue the ITAS program, the Department of Corrective Services did not receive any. 

“I am happy that the Minister for Education, Hon Elizabeth Constable MLA, has given her assurance during Question Time yesterday that the Department of Education will transfer the funds provided by the Commonwealth to the Department of Corrective Services as a matter of urgency.”

Dr Woollard said many of the Indigenous detainees aged 14 or over have literacy standards equivalent to those of 8 year old.

“Literacy and numeracy are the building blocks of a good education.

“By reinstating the funding to the Department of Corrective Services, the Government has reaffirmed its commitment to improve literacy and numeracy standards in WA and close the education gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students,” said Dr Woollard.[1]

[1] The State Government allocated $28.4 million in the 2009-10 Budget for literacy and numeracy initiatives.  The establishment of new children and family centres announced recently were in part to help close the education gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.