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If Tony Abbott is serious about Closing the Gap in education, he must back Gonski - AEU
by Emma Belfield 24 February 2014
T
he Australian Education Union said that The release of the latest ‘Close the Gap’ report demonstrates once again the need for action on the Gonski school funding changes. “To improve school attendance rates over the long term, we need to first understand why attendance
Tony Abbott and his daughter Frances at Cape York Aboriginal Academy in Hope Vale. Image: The Age
rates are poor for many Indigenous students, especially in remote parts of the country. We must also acknowledge the impact that disadvantage has on many Indigenous students’ opportunity to achieve their best at school,” AEU Federal President Angelo Gavrielatos said today.
“In his speech yesterday, the Prime Minister acknowledged the achievement gaps in literacy for Indigenous students, yet he still refuses to back Gonski,” Mr Gavrielatos continued. “Yesterday, Tony Abbott said it was the duty of every teacher to ensure children get to school, yet he
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remains silent on the massive cuts in both Western Australia and the Northern Territory that have seen hundreds of teaching and support staff positions lost,” said Mr Gavrielatos. “We know we will not see widespread improvement unless school attendance improves, but the question remains about why attendance rates are low, particularly in remote parts of the country, and what should be done about it. It is doubtful that truancy trucks and force will be effective in the long term; there isn’t a teacher in the country who believes that children can be forced to learn.” Mr Gavrielatos said. “The Abbott government’s truancy program in the NT is focussed on getting kids to school, yet has rewarded the Giles Government’s refusal to back Gonski and savage cuts to education with a $272 million blank cheque to the Territory government,” said Mr Gavrielatos. None of that money will reach the Territory’s school kids who need it most, nor is there any change overall to the schools funding framework in NT schools to ensure it adheres to a needsbased model. “We must work with local communities to build programs in schools that support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids to thrive at school. There are any number of innovative, communityled programs that deserve greater support that are instead at risk of closure - including long-standing bilingual and bicultural programs,” said Mr Gavrielatos. “We know that education can
change lives and is a crucial link to employment and other opportunities,” Mr Gavrielatos continued. “There is no single solution that will suit all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in all parts of the country. We must work in collaboration with these diverse communities, hear what parents want and need for their children, and work together to tackle these unacceptable gaps in
the educational achievement,” said Mr Gavrielatos. “Gonski provides us with a once in a generation opportunity to fix the broken model of schools funding. If the Prime Minister wants to achieve his ‘number one priority in Indigenous Affairs’, he must get deliver on the promise of Gonski and secure fullyfunded six year agreements for the whole country,” concluded Mr Gavrielatos.
National NAIDOC Poster Competition and nominations for the National NAIDOC Awards are now open. Forms are available online at www.naidoc.org.au or at your nearest Indigenous Coordination Centre. Poster competition entries close Friday 28 March. Award nominations close Wednesday 23 April.
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