Queensland Premier Peter Beattie was doorstopped by the media, ACTU President Sharan Burrow gave a media conference to support public education and Federation Officers including Kathy Deacon (pictured) handed out leaflets.

ALP maintains priority commitment to public education

By Angelo Gavrielatos

The Labor Party restated that public education is a priority commitment at the ALP's National Conference.

Shadow education spokesperson Stephen Smith criticised the Howard Government's schools funding policies for having created "needy government schools". He moved the ALP's education platform, which states:

"Labor recognises that government has a primary obligation for the provision of high quality public schooling that is accessible to all children and young people...public schooling must continue to be free and secular, to shape and be shaped by Australian society and culture, to keep pace with the times, to strive for educational and intellectual excellence, to contribute to the development of the shared values that sustain democratic life and to foster innovation, critical awareness, creativity and optimism towards a shared future...Labor will give priority for public schools through enhanced Commonwealth programs for school."

Mr Smith pledged that the ALP would invest more money in schools "on the basis of need and fairness". He committed the ALP to invest more money for schools in rural, regional remote settings, special education and for Indigenous Australians.

However, in a move that continues to expose a contradiction on the part of the ALP's commitment to "needs based funding", Mr Smith again sought to reassure and appease the private school lobby by restating that the ALP would not take away any money from private schools. This is despite the fact that private schools are operating with resources which exceed a national resource standard. Indeed, private school funding would continue to be indexed to reflect the increase in costs incurred by government to educate students in public schools even when there is absolutely no justification to do so.

Ultimately, the ALP's commitment to public education will be measured by the level of additional funding it proposes to allocate to public education.

The level of under-funding of public schools nationwide has been calculated to be at least $2.9 billion per annum.

Angelo Gavrielatos is the Deputy President.

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