Blue ribbon plan a red herring: McGowan

7/2/07
The Federal Education Minister's latest attempt to deflect attention from the Howard Government's woeful record on education was nothing more than a red herring, Education Minister Mark McGowan said today.
Mr McGowan said the proposals put forward by the Federal Education Minister were misguided.
"The State Government administers an education system that serves people from the remote Aboriginal communities of the Kimberley to the beachside and inner-city suburbs of Perth," he said.
"We need to ensure that every student has access to a quality education and quality teachers - to pay teachers according to the performance of the schools would merely mean that teachers at the wealthier schools would receive the highest rates of pay.
"Why would Ms Bishop want to punish teachers who work in more difficult schools?
"They are the people we should be rewarding.
"What we need to do is attract good teachers to schools where they need them, like schools in lower socio economic areas, outer suburbs, regional and remote communities."
While Ms Bishop claimed there was no flexibility in employment arrangements, she was wrong again.
"The ability for principals to locally select staff has been available in Western Australia since May 2004," Mr McGowan said.
"It is disappointing that Ms Bishop did not even know that about her own State."
The Minister said the Federal Government spent less than one dollar for every $10 spent by the State on education and did not employ a single teacher in WA.
"Furthermore, they have reduced their investment in tertiary education by seven per cent in real terms since coming to power and done nothing to address the decline of maths and science teachers in our schools," he said.
"What we need from the Commonwealth is solutions - not continual attacks on teachers and the public school system.
"I have written to Ms Bishop asking for HECS relief for graduate teachers willing to work in the country - a potential saving of about $20,000 for each student.
"These are the sorts of initiatives that the Commonwealth should be working with the States to implement, but to date there has been nothing but deafening silence.
"To bully the States by threatening to withhold funding is an arrogant and aggressive tactic that is unnecessary.
"Instead the Commonwealth should be working with the State Governments - we would only be too keen to do so provided those efforts were genuine."
Minister's office - 9222 9111