Good afternoon.
I know lunch is shortly so I’m going to make a few brief comments, but I just want to firstly acknowledge the traditional owners of the land and pay my respects to elders, past, present and emerging, and of course, also to Andy Mison, your president.
It’s a great honour to address you at your Australian Secondary Principals Association National Education Summit.
As leaders in secondary education, you play an essential role in shaping the future of our nation, and I really want to acknowledge the extraordinary work you do every day, supporting students throughout our great land.
Education is a great enabler, the foundation for opportunity, economic prosperity and social mobility.
But to fulfil this promise, we must ensure our schools are supported to meet today’s challenges, including principal wellbeing.
We recognise the pressures you face: an overcrowded curriculum, increasing classroom disruption, concerns about safety and wellbeing and ongoing workforce shortages.
We stand with you and are committed to working alongside you to ensure every Australian child receives a world-class education.
That, ladies and gentlemen, means meaningful consultation, because you are the experts.
Despite the dedication and professionalism of our teachers and principals, our education system faces significant challenges.
The PISA results highlight worrying trends.
Since 2006, Australia has slipped in global rankings – now 16th in mathematics, 12th in reading and 10th in science.
Year 12 attainment has dropped from 82% in 2019 down to 78.7% in just a couple of years.
Attendance rates are concerning and visible across all sectors.
The new 10-year funding and reform agreements, which we will match dollar for dollar, were an opportunity for real reform and to provide much greater support to principals and teachers.
While we back some of the measures such as the phonics and numeracy checks, there are very few clear obligations in these agreements as to how teachers will be better supported in the classroom including in relation to improved classroom behaviour.
As one young former teacher said to me who wasn’t able to cope and left the profession, I didn’t become a teacher to have chairs thrown at me.
Despite the funding boost, as you might have read today, there are plenty of smoke mirrors – the agreements remain secret, defying a Senate order for transparency.
We are also concerned that most of this funding is being pushed well into the 2030s – meaning that a Year 7 student today may not see any real benefits from this investment before they finish school.
So, all in all, we believe that these agreements represent a real missed opportunity.
Despite these challenges, we know so many schools are achieving incredible outcomes and I want to congratulate you for that.
At the big risk of naming one school – I visited Sanderson Middle School in Darwin last week – which is supported by several Teach for Australia associates and is doing the most incredible job at supporting indigenous disadvantage and also encouraging positive behaviours.
The school has an engagement classroom, which is really helping Indigenous teenagers with very low levels of literacy and numeracy.
And they also have a responsible thinking room, which is a place for disruptive students to receive the support they need in a really positive way.
This is a great success and a real credit to principal Rob McIntosh and his team.
So, in brief, the Coalition stands firmly behind Australia’s principals, teachers and administrators.
We know that without proper support, principals and teachers are being asked to do too much.
We are committed to delivering an education system which supports the right of every single principal and every teacher to excel in the classroom.
That’s why our back to basics plan is focused on the fundamentals, founded in the evidence.
Reading, writing, maths and science.
The best support for teachers, including high-quality curriculum materials and professional development.
Safe and orderly classrooms which allow teachers and students to thrive; and improved teacher training, because you deserve no less.
We believe in the power of education to change lives.
Thank you for all that you do to transform the lives of young Australians.