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Public education cannot afford another term of the Morrison Government .
PM Scott Morrison gets the campaign underway . Photo : Jason Edwards
Game on
Education unions come out fighting after election announcement .
By Emilie Lauer
With the federal election underway , some in the education sector believe it has been left on the backburner , with candidates so far campaigning on issues like cost of living , healthcare and employment .
After announcing that Australians will head to the polls on May 21 , Prime Minister Scott Morrison told voters the election is not about himself but about “ Australians and their future ”.
“ It ’ s a choice between an economic recovery that is leading the world and a Labor opposition that would weaken it ,” he said
In its budget , the coalition committed $ 228.5 million to “ improve the education outcomes of Australian school students ”, with an emphasis on regional and rural areas as well as Indigenous programs .
The coalition also announced $ 19.4 million to fund up to 20 new services in disadvantaged regional and remote areas where there is a lack of suitable child care .
Labor Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said he believes “ Australians deserve better ”.
“ This government doesn ’ t have an agenda for today , let alone a vision for tomorrow . They demonstrated that in their budget , which was nothing more than a ploy for an election campaign ,” said Albanese .
In its budget response Labor allocated $ 440 million to the education sector with the aim of putting “ every school on a path to its full and fair level of funding ”.
The opposition said it will put the emphasis on student and teacher wellbeing but also on infrastructure , with new grant funding for building upgrades and better classroom ventilation in response to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis .
If elected , starting July 2023 , the Labor party said it will make child care more accessible and cheaper with a $ 5.4 billion investment .
In the wake of the election announcement , the Australian Education Union ( AEU ) committed to a $ 3.5 million campaign for a change of government using advertising , social and digital media as well as direct mailing .
“ Public education cannot afford another term of the Morrison Government ,” said AEU Federal President Correna Haythorpe .
“ He has ripped billions from public schools , refusing to take responsibility for the school sector that teaches the vast majority of Australian children .
“ His failure to fund public schools properly means every student in Australia is missing out on $ 1,800 school funding , on average , every year ,” she said .
According to NSW Teachers Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos : “ The Morrison Government likes to talk about record levels of funding , yet their record on funding is one of billions of dollars in special deals and slush funds for private schools .
“ Their blatant favouritism towards private schools has left every single public school in NSW underfunded and without the necessary resources for the students who need it the most .
“ The Morrison government does not deserve your vote ,” said Gavrielatos . ■
NSWTF President Angelo Gavrielatos . Photo : Damian Shaw
2 | educationreview . com . au