26/05/2022
On Public Education Day, Thursday 26 May, the AEU acknowledges the outstanding commitment of principals, teachers and education support staff working across preschools, schools and TAFE in Australia.
“Public education is a public good that has the power to transform lives by providing the highest quality education for all students irrespective of their background or circumstances,” AEU Federal President Correna Haythorpe said.
“Every day, our members go to work in preschools, schools and TAFE institutions around the country with hope for their students and communities, determination to ensure every student has the best opportunities to thrive and a vision for the future of our nation – one that will go on to be created by the students they teach.
“Today, they feel a new sense of hope for what will be possible for public education with the incoming Labor government, led by Prime Minister Albanese whose vision for our nation was summed up by the phrase in his election night speech, ‘no one held back, no one left behind.’
“In order to make this vision a reality, the new government must address the deep inequality faced by Australia’s students by investing in public education and the teaching profession.”
The AEU is hosting a Public Education Summit today with AEU members, academics, economists, education experts and allies to identify the immediate actions for public education that the new Labor government should take in the first 100 days of their term and beyond.
“The issues facing public education are unchanged. But we now have an incoming government that we expect will work with the teaching profession via their union, the AEU, to address these issues.
“On Public Education Day, we celebrate the achievements of the teaching profession and we urge the new Labor government to prioritise public education funding and policy reform and to establish clear timelines for the delivery of Labor’s public education election commitments.”
