Voters in the marginal seat of Cowper heard about the importance of voting for a candidate who supports public education at a forum held in Coffs Harbour last night (9 April).
The forum was held to educate parents, teachers and the community about the significance of the outcome of the 3 May federal election.
Federation President Henry Rajendra told the audience the election of a Dutton government put at risk:
- a 10-year agreement to finally deliver full funding to public schools, signed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns earlier this year
- free TAFE courses and considerable TAFE funding.
Mr Rajendra reminded the audience of the Coalition’s poor track record in supporting public education — schools and TAFE.
Coffs Harbour Teachers Association President Rachel Wallis implored audience members to consider candidates who support the full funding of public schools and free TAFE courses.
Public school parent Kristin Vlasto discussed the importance of full funding for public schools.
Local candidates who support full funding for public schools and free TAFE outlined their respective education policies:
- Kaz Heise (independent)
- Greg Vigors (Labor)
- Wendy Firefly (Greens).
Targeted seat
The electorate of Cowper — stretching from Coffs Harbour to Port Macquarie and including Kempsey, South West Rocks, Bellingen and Dorrigo — is one of the lowest socio-economic electorates in the country and has a significant Aboriginal population.
The seat has been held by the National Party for more than 50 years but polling shows that Pat Conaghan may not hold on to the seat. Given the outcome of the federal election is crucial to the future of public education and TAFE, Cowper is one of Federation’s targeted seats in this federal election.
Country Organiser Ian Watson said: “We’ve been campaigning to ensure public education is a key issue in the minds of voters.”
The union’s election campaign billboards have visited about a dozen schools across the electorate, creating media opportunities that will help the voting public understand what’s at stake should a Dutton government be elected.
“Teachers’ support for the events has been considerable, with teachers valuing the opportunity to learn more about the issues facing public education and the policy positions of local candidates and their parties,” Mr Watson said.
Survey shows local teachers concerned about a Dutton government
A recent survey revealed almost three quarters of public school teachers in the Cowper electorate are concerned Peter Dutton will scrap the recently signed $4.8 billion funding agreement for public schools, while 8 in 10 believe the funding is critical to support students who have fallen behind in literacy and numeracy.
As part of the statewide survey of nearly 6000 public school teachers, 190 teachers from Cowper identified several groups of students who would benefit most from the funding agreement:
- students who have fallen behind in literacy and numeracy (77 per cent)
- students with a disability or learning difficulty (73 per cent)
- students needing access to school counsellors (42 per cent)
- students at risk of disengaging or dropping out (41 per cent).