Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

For the member for Hughes, happy Public Education Day, Sir! Welcome to the public educators today that join us in the federal parliament. This morning, I had breakfast with public educators from across this country. They are people that I am incredibly proud of. I was once in their ranks. I know how hard they work. I want to give a shout out to every public school teacher in this country—those who do the heavy lifting, those who prepare our most disadvantaged children across this country for a future. I want to assure them that on this side of the parliament we support their work. We value the efforts they make, we value their professionalism, we value the work they do for our children.

Public education is the foundation of education in this country. It is on their heavy lifting that this country relies—for the future for these children, for our social cohesion, for our prosperity. I want those opposite to explain it to the teachers and the principals who are here today who have said to me this morning, 'How, Joanne, am I going to explain to parents? How am I going to explain to parents why their children cannot get the same intervention programs next year as they got this year?'

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