Celebrating Public Education Day

[John Kaye]

Celebrating Public Education Day

Media Release: 20 May 04

Greens NSW Senate candidate and Education Spokesperson Dr John Kaye today 
called for both the Coalition and the Labor party to join with the Greens 
in celebrating the values of public education.

Dr Kaye said: "For the past eight years, the Howard government has used 
public education as a political wedge and as a battle ground for its 
peculiar brand of ideological zealotry.

"Labor's Mark  Latham and Jenny Macklin have lacked the political courage 
to put forward an alternative. Instead of redressing the imbalance between 
private school subsidies and public education funding, and instead of 
finding growth funds for TAFE, all they are offering is a fiddle at the edges.

"Both parties are experimenting with education vouchers which have so badly 
damaged public schools in the USA.

"The Greens call on the Howard Government and the Labor Opposition to join 
with us today in celebrating the work of teachers and students in public 
schools and TAFE colleges.

"We call  to shed their ideological biases and find the courage to stand up 
to the lobbying power of the private education sector.

"The recent budget proves there is plenty of money to fund public education 
to offer a real future for all young Australians. We can afford to pay 
teachers what they are worth, reduce class sizes, fix the buildings and 
help students with special needs.

"Today is an excellent opportunity for John Howard and Mark Latham to make 
the coming federal election a public education bidding war. Swinging voters 
will no doubt be very attracted to any party that can promise a dynamic, 
optimistic future for public education," Dr Kaye said.



For more information:	John Kaye 0407 195 455



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