Teachers take funding campaign to shadow minister

by Kerri Carr

A delegation of teachers campaigned for the ALP to commit to additional targeted funding to public schools when federal shadow education minister Stephen Smith visited the Tweed region on July 26.

A delegation of teachers met with Mr Smith in the office of local MP Justine Elliott.

He was presented with a petition, addressed to ALP leader Kevin Rudd, signed by hundreds of teachers and parents protesting the lack of federal funding for public education.

Country Organiser Nicole Major said Mr Smith "didn't show a great deal of concern or interest in it".

Ms Major said the delegation spoke to Mr Smith about funding for public schools.

She said he spoke about targeted funding, but was not specific for funding for public schools.

"Getting the word public out of him was like getting blood from a stone, but we did get it out of him eventually," she said.

When Mr Smith spoke at Federation's annual conference in early July he said a Labor government would "fund schools on the basis of need and fairness" and that when it came to the funding of private schools it was "not proposing to take one dollar off any of those schools".

Teachers who formed part of the delegation were Byron Bay High School principal Barry Miller, Tweed Teachers Association President and Kingscliff High School Federation Representative Bob Seltin, Banora Point High School Federation Representative Phil Whitehead, Murwillumbah Public School teacher and former Federation Vice President Chris Goudkamp and Kingscliff High School teacher Dean Hilliard.

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Last Modified: 09 Aug 2007