Locals to lobby for additional support and resources

By Lisa Grey

A country town has united to improve educational outcomes for students.

The community of Condobolin united to fight for additional resources and support for their public schools in December last year. The community showed a commitment to having public schools of the highest quality at the heart of their community.

About 90 community members, representing 34 local organisations, gathered for a public education event at the Condobolin Motor Inn to celebrate the successes of public education.

Federation President Maree O'Halloran addressed the audience, praising the community for their support of public education, teachers and students.

While the event was initially intended to build relationships between Federation, the public schools, TAFE college and the community, it quickly became apparent that the community were keen to create their own committee to lobby for public education. As a result, an alliance was formed where local organisations agreed to support a working committee to lobby for additional support and resources. The 34 organisations represented at the event agreed to the alliance and 18 community members formed a working committee.

The committee will now work towards their own goals for public education, such as an increase in the high school's broadband width, as well as broader goals of teachers and Federation, such as ensuring the continuity of curriculum and attracting and retaining quality teachers.

There is ample evidence from research conducted by the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST), the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and countless universities, both in Australia and overseas, which suggests that students in rural and remote communities are more disadvantaged in education than their metropolitan counterparts. Both the state and federal governments are well aware of this research but have not been active enough in addressing the issue. It is only through making the voice of the community heard that these communities can force the government to act.

The community of Condobolin is to be applauded for their commitment to the future of public education in their town. It would be fantastic to see this type of lobby group in other rural and remote communities to ensure that the challenges of isolation are minimised and to improve educational outcomes for students.

Lisa Grey was an Anna Stewart Officer in term 4, 2007.

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