Meeting of the Parliament 16 December 2025 [Draft]
I thank Ross Greer for reminding me how old I am. He was in primary 7 in 2006, which was just yesterday for me.
I also thank all the staff in the Parliament, from those in the non-Government bills unit to the legislation team, the clerks and other officials. I thank Liz Smith for her tenacious and never-say-die approach to the legislation process and the way in which she is meticulous with every single point. She is fierce.
That brings me to the minister. I pay tribute to her for facing Liz Smith and still being alive at the end of the process. She deserves credit for reaching agreement with Liz Smith, despite the complications of the bill.
I, too, will miss Liz Smith in the Parliament. She brings a degree of seriousness, a considered approach and an intellectual rigour that the Parliament will miss.
My view of the bill has fluctuated. In the initial stages, I signed the bill to allow it to proceed. I supported the principle of it. However, during our scrutiny of the bill at committee, I was concerned about costs. As Paul O’Kane has highlighted, school leaders across the country are concerned about the costs, too, and they brought that to our attention. I will return to that issue later.
There is also the matter of additional support needs, which Pam Duncan-Glancy correctly highlighted, as well as the question whether teachers are to be compelled to attend such sessions, whereas previously the arrangements have been voluntary.
My support for the bill has been challenged, but I was persuaded of its merits for a number of reasons. First, the outdoor learning strategy, with a 27-page vision, was published in 2010, yet almost nothing was done for 14 years until Liz Smith introduced her bill. Then, just by chance, we created a working group. That is the solution for everything—create a working group. I am sure that the minister will dispute the notion that nothing happened in that time.