Public Education Funding

21st Jun 04

Mr ORGAN (Cunningham) (1.57 p.m.) — Today is the national public education day of action. I took the opportunity to meet with Fran Matas of the New South Wales Teachers Federation and Maurie Mullheron, principal of Keira Technology High in Cunningham, where I recently attended the launch of a quality teaching and learning interactive CD. The Greens are committed to the prioritisation of funding for the public education sector. Unlike the government and opposition, we believe that government must put public education first.

At the moment the coalition is doing untold damage to Australia's public education system by allowing large amounts of limited public funds to be hived off to the private sector. The 2004 ratio stood at 66 per cent to private and only 34 per cent to public—a shameful figure for any government. As a result, public school infrastructure is being allowed to run down. My electorate of Cunningham is rife with so-called temporary demountables, which are often left in place for decades, instead of funds being made available for their replacement by purpose-built facilities. Government is also putting increasing pressure on staff and failing to adequately remunerate them, while families are being forced to bear increasing costs.

It is vital that we continue to enjoy a quality public education system in this country. It has been an important element of the development of an egalitarian society, which we pride ourselves on as Australians. We cannot allow it to be run down and our children and our society to suffer as a result. Government must provide more money to the sector. `Choice' should not be the mantra at the expense of a quality public education system available to all Australians irrespective of their ability to pay.