Yang Jian: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeYang Jian: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 03 November 2015. Volume:709;Page:7563. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]8.Dr JIAN YANG (National) to the Minister of Education: What recent announcements has she made regarding New Zealand’s education legislation?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education): Yesterday I launched a public consultation document updating the Education Act 1989 and invited New Zealanders to have their say on the revamp of education legislation that will make it fit for the future. I encourage anyone—including the Opposition—interested in helping to create a world-class education system to participate. All of the information is online and easy to access and use even for youth.Dr Jian Yang: How important is the update of the Education Act 1989?Hon HEKIA PARATA: When the reforms known as Tomorrow’s Schools were introduced in 1989 they transformed the way education was administered. For the first time local communities through their boards of trustees not a centralised bureaucracy became responsible for running schools. That will remain. However over the past 26 years the world has changed as have the demands on our system and the responses that are required. This Government is clear that raising the achievement of all students should be the centrepiece of our Education Act. We know more now than we ever did about where kids are within our education system and we are concerned to ensure they get it through a lever of—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I want to give my last warning to Ron Mark. If he is going to continue to barrack like that then he will not see the end of question time.Ron Mark: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I will draw your attention to an incident in this House a little while ago—Mr SPEAKER: Can I just have the point of order please?Ron Mark: The point of order is about the inconsistency of rulings from the Chair—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! The member will resume his seat if he wishes to stay. Throughout the last two questions there has been a constant barrage from that member making it very difficult for me to hear what was going on. I give the warning quite seriously to the member: if he wishes to stay I suggest he quietens down; if he does not wish to stay then I can assist him very quickly. Supplementary question—Ron Mark: Point of order.Mr SPEAKER: No I have dealt with the matter.Ron Mark: A new point of order.Mr SPEAKER: A fresh point of order?Ron Mark: Fresh point of order.Mr SPEAKER: If it—correction. But just before—the member will take a seat. I am happy to entertain a fresh point of order but if it is in any way relitigating the territory we have just covered I will then be asking the member to leave the House immediately.Ron Mark: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Does the ruling still stand that we should not read our speeches?Mr SPEAKER: There has never been a ruling that you must not read a speech. It has certainly been an encouragement for people not to read speeches. Very often through question time as the member will observe as he spends more time in this House Ministers do read from a scripted answer.Ron Mark: Speaking to the point of order.Mr SPEAKER: No. We have dealt with the matter. The matter—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! Supplementary question the honourable—[Interruption] Order! Can I just remind Ron Mark that that is the very last warning.Chris Hipkins: If the review of the Education Act is so important—Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: Order! Again—Rt Hon Winston Peters: A fresh point of order.Mr SPEAKER: Order! Just a minute.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I don’t need a ruling.Mr SPEAKER: That is exactly what the member said last time on an occasion like this but I still want to deliver it so he then cannot accuse me of acting precipitously. I have dealt with this matter. If the member wants to raise a fresh point of order I will hear it but if I consider it is in any way relitigating the territory just covered by his colleague Ron Mark then I will not hesitate to ask the right honourable member to leave the Chamber.Rt Hon Winston Peters: The Standing Orders are very clear about members being referred to if they are not in the House. When you gave your reply to Ron Mark you used the phrase “if he spends more time in the House”. That is not allowed by the Standing Orders—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! The member will resume his seat. I said “as he spends more time in the House”. As he becomes more experienced with the Standing Orders and watches question time more often he will have—[Interruption] Order! Ron Mark will leave the Chamber. Ron Mark would you leave the Chamber.Ron Markwithdrew from the Chamber.Chris Hipkins: If the review of the Education Act is so important why has she allowed only a 6-week consultation period for New Zealanders to have their say which coincides with senior exams school prize givings end-of-year results tertiary education enrolments and the end of the school year?Hon HEKIA PARATA: It is because the period that we are consulting comes after 2 years of consulting by the task force on legislation and regulations. It comes after about 40 national and regional fora at which the proposed changes were discussed and it comes at a period of time that having consulted with schools they have identified as a period in which they welcome consultation.Chris Hipkins: Supplementary question. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! Would Tracey Martin please settle down.Tracey Martin: Point of order.Mr SPEAKER: No. [Interruption] Order! The member will resume her seat. Again she is stepping in the same territory where one of her colleagues has just been. There was a question asked. It deserved an answer. I am trying to listen to it. If the member wants to take a supplementary question do so but do not interrupt the proceedings of my House and expect me to comfort the member. Supplementary question Chris—Tracey Martin: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: If it is a fresh point of order I will hear it. Otherwise the member will get exactly the same treatment if she is relitigating the territory I have been through.Tracey Martin: Is it still appropriate for a member to take offence when told to shut up across the House by another member?Mr SPEAKER: I did not hear that but with the amount of interjection from the member I am not surprised. It is unhelpful—[Interruption] Order! The member will resume her seat. It is not helpful for any member to my right to interject that way but I can understand why a response may have been loosely given in that respect because the level of interjection from the member was unacceptable.Chris Hipkins: Why will not this review include the issue of the support that schools—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! Can the member please start the question again. If he is interrupted by a member—a particular member—of New Zealand First she will be leaving.Chris Hipkins: Why will not this review include the fundamental issue of the support that schools receive from her department and whether or not it is inadequate when the proportion of frontline staff at the Ministry of Education is declining and she confirmed yesterday that her ministry is planning to cut up to $23 million due to Budget pressures?Hon HEKIA PARATA: This review is about the Education Act 1989. It sets out specifically what its themes are. If the member is interested in other elements in the wider education portfolio then he should ask a primary question on those.