Chris Trevor (Flynn, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education. What is the government doing to support the teaching profession and why is quality teaching important?

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Flynn for his question. I know that he is a great supporter of his local schools and the teachers in his schools. A little earlier today I was in the Great Hall, where it was my very great pleasure to award to principals, teachers and support staff the Australian Awards for Teaching Excellence. It was a great occasion, where we celebrated the achievements of some outstanding Australians who have dedicated their lives to education. Tomorrow is World Teachers Day, the celebration of World Teachers Day in Australia. On this side of the House—and I am sure that I speak for the Independents as well—we are great supporters of teachers.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand that opposition members may be interjecting about that and do not quite share that support for Australian teachers. But we are great supporters of teachers and we are supporting the celebration of World Teachers Day in Australia.

We are also investing in improving the quality of teaching in Australian schools. We know that there is nothing more important to a child’s education than the quality of the interaction between that child and their teacher. That is why we are investing $550 million in improving teacher quality and school leadership. This money is being invested in ventures like Teach for Australia, to bring the highest performing graduates into teaching. This summer the first cohort of Teach for Australia will be in training and next school year they will be in disadvantaged schools that need teachers with enthusiasm, high-performing graduates there working with those kids.

Our quality teaching initiatives also extend to paying the best teachers more to go to the classrooms that need them the most. This is being started in New South Wales, where highly accomplished teachers will be paid $100,000 to teach in disadvantaged schools, bringing their skills to the parts of the country where they can make the most difference. This is to be celebrated. It is a celebration of teaching, but of course we celebrate great teaching because we know what a difference it can make for the education of Australian students.

When it comes to our education revolution there is a linked set of reform measures to make a difference for every child in every school. These are a set of reform measures to lift standards right around the country and to end the spectre we currently have in this country, and have had for far too long, of kids from poorer households not getting the great education that they deserve. We will continue to deliver our measures for an education revolution and, of course, tomorrow we will be celebrating teachers and teaching in this country as part of World Teaching Day.