Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

This complements the record funding that our government is delivering to the school systems right around Australia. It complements what we have done in the new national curriculum that will apply from next year. It complements our parental engagement strategy. All of this comes together with our new teacher quality agenda to give schools, principals, education authorities, and, most importantly, parents, families and the community greater confidence in what is happening in the classroom and for literacy and numeracy outcomes of students around Australia.

This is an important benchmark to set. When it comes to what our teachers should have, and their capabilities and competencies within the classroom, the top 30 per cent of Australians for literacy and numeracy is not an unreasonable expectation. The vast majority of our teachers do an outstanding job, but it is critically important that we ensure public confidence in the teaching profession because, by having such excellent standards, we will then attract even better students into the teaching profession in years to come. I am confident these reforms will help to enhance the reputation of our teachers around Australia. (Time expired)