Press Release

Socialist Alliance Releases Victorian Education Policy.

Trent Hawkins, the Socialist Alliance candidate for Moreland recently stated "The issue is one
of priorities for government and the problem is that the ALP is prepared to spend $570 million
a year for a desal plant we don't need and a $50 million on a new coal fired power station that
no-one wants but can't commit to building one school in Coburg. Pretty poor prioritisation
really."

The Socialist Alliance recently released its Education Policy for the Victorian State Elections.
One of its aims is that the community in Moreland have the right to a government high school
and is backing the campaign 'High School for Coburg.'

"The benefits of a local government school are numerous. There is less financial burden on
parents. While childhood obesity is a growing concern in Australia, a local government school
would offer significant health benefits because students can walk or ride to school and they
have less travelling time.

When students can attend a neighbourhood school they can also socialise with their
classmates and parents get to meet each other and they have easier access to their child's
school. Local schools provide the opportunity to build a school community rooted in the local
area - the Moreland area" said Trent Hawkins.

"The State ALP has done nothing to halt the drift to private schools."

"In fact they have encouraged it by pushing many schools into amalgamations, producing
very large schools, which parents recognise as educationally and socially unsound. They
have encouraged this trend by not adequately funding government schools, so that class
sizes in both primary and secondary are still too large and teachers feel overworked."

"Teachers need more time to fulfil all the tasks placed on them by government and then still
be able to be caring and effective teachers. Additionally, many schools require better
resources, such as libraries staffed by teacher librarians and enough working computers for
student use" argued Trent Hawkins.

The Socialist Alliance pledges

o A big increase of funding to government schools and to TAFE institutes

o A Victorian Government Schools Agreement that is enforced at a State-wide level, with no
local school/TAFE agreement exceeding the maximum conditions.
o Abolition of the contract system for hiring staff
o Lift TAFE teacher pay levels to match those of teachers in schools
o NO Fees in TAFE
o Genuinely free education so that parents aren’t constantly paying fees and extra charges
for public education as this discriminates against children from poor families and excludes
children from many school activities if parents can’t afford to pay.
o The establishment of Secondary Colleges at Coburg, Yarraville and Richmond and other
under-resourced areas to meet growing needs
o Schools for Indigenous students, such as the KODE schools to be adequately funded and
resourced