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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-06-18 Daily Xml
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TEACHERS, INDUSTRIAL ACTION

The Hon. M. PARNELL (15:42): I want to talk today about the underfunding of the public education system in South Australia. Yesterday, I was very pleased to attend the massive rally on the steps of Parliament House, where we saw an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 teachers, parents and students rallying to show the government that they wanted a better deal for public education.

Much of the talk around the teachers' dispute has centred on pay rates and the fact that our teachers are the lowest paid. However, for me the dispute is also about the quality of education for our children, and that debate is inextricably linked to the work environment and the conditions under which our teachers teach and our students learn.

The Australian Education Union has, I think quite rightly, condemned the government's lack of movement on negotiating a decent set of wages and conditions for our teachers. But on the issue of overall funding of the education system, the Australian Education Union has just released a report by Adam Rorris, an education consultant who comes highly credentialed, having advised governments in Australia and overseas. In summary, this report states:

The overall finding [and this is the main finding of the report] is that children in Australian public education systems are attending schools with per capita investment budgets that are below those enjoyed by private sector schools.

The case for investing heavily in Australian public schools is now very strong. Apart from the intrinsic returns that can be generated by these investments, there is an immense gap in the resources available to public schools compared to the private sector....The current funding imbalance affects the quality of schooling and puts the public schools and their students at a disadvantage [compared] to the private sector.

This imbalance also damages public schools by creating a resource incentive for families to move their children towards the private sector. Families may perceive that if they place their child in a private school they will have access to better facilities. This can impact on the size and demographic structure of public education enrolments. Ending the public/private divide in Australian schooling is a commendable objective. Restoring some balance in the resources provided across both sectors would be a good way to commence the healing process.

That is the summary of the 'Rebuilding Public Schools 2020 Investment Targets' report. But specifically in relation to South Australia, the report concludes:

South Australia will need to reach $3.6 billion [in expenditure]—a significant jump from the current projected allocation of $848 million.

So, we do need to put the teachers' demands in perspective. They are well supported by research that shows that we have to start redressing that balance.

According to the Australian Education Union, the per capita funding model does not come with additional funds for implementation and, as a result some 175 schools (about one in three) will be worse off. The AEU analysis shows that country schools, those in disadvantaged areas and special schools will be the hardest hit. It means that seven Aboriginals schools, 127 primary schools, 13 junior primary schools, 13 secondary schools and 15 areas schools will be worse off by up to $250,000.

The education union has acknowledged that its action yesterday was inconvenient for parents, and it urged parents to support its decision to take the stop-work action because it states that it was in the long-term interests of their children's education.

I have had three children go through public education, and I have two still in public schools. I was very pleased to see my children's teachers at the rally yesterday, and I was glad that my high school age child saw fit to come along and support her teachers at Glenunga International High School. I was very pleased to see that the teachers of the local primary school my son attends were all there, too.

I put on the record my congratulations to the Australian Education Union, the teachers and the parents who took the trouble to come out yesterday and tell the government what they want in terms of an education system for our children. My final plea is to urge the government to get back to the negotiating table so that we can resolve this dispute and have the best possible public education system in this state.

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