The Greens say that while 98% of public schools remain underfunded a new government advertising campaign to encourage people to pursue a teaching career will do little to reverse the mass exodus of teachers from the profession.
As stated by Greens spokesperson on Education (Primary and Secondary), Senator Penny Allman-Payne:
“If Labor’s advertising campaign encourages more people to consider teaching as a career, and to remind the community of the vital role that teachers play in society, then that’s good.
“But what awaits these new teachers when they enter the classroom? A lack of resources and support staff, mountains of paperwork, and a workload that is impossible for many teachers to sustain.
“Teachers aren’t leaving the profession because they’re not getting enough nice TV commercials made about them – they’re leaving because the conditions are appalling, and they’re not able to do the jobs they love.
“If the government wants to attract and keep teachers in the classroom it needs to make sure they have the resources and support they need to actually teach. Because right now, only 1.3% of public schools receive the bare minimum funding they need.
“With the new ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ School Reform Agreement (NSRA) due next year, and Labor in power federally and in every mainland state and territory, there has never been a better time to end decades of decline and fully fund the public education system.
“Every public school in the country must be funded to 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard at the start of the next NSRA, in January 2025.”
