Gillard trusts NSW Government ignores principals

The Opposition has today called on Education Minister Julia Gillard to engage with Principals and school councils to resolve problems with her schools stimulus package, rather than "blindly accepting assurances" from State Government Departments that everything is going well, according to Shadow Education Minister Christopher Pyne.

"For several days the Minister has been claiming that over 50 questions raised by the Opposition in Question Time have been based upon false premises, as an excuse to avoid providing any answers," said Mr Pyne.

"In a letter to me she has revealed the basis for that claim - advice from the NSW Department of Education. Basically, the extent of her investigation has been to ask the people who she routinely blames for the shambolic roll-out of her program in the first place.

"The Opposition has brought issues to the Minister's attention in question time on behalf of school principals, parents groups and people involved in their local school communities who understand the issues at the chalkface.

"The Opposition has the greatest respect for the role that principals and local school communities play in making their schools great. When it comes to a choice between listening to the people on the ground, or an education bureaucrat in the Department, Minister Gillard seems to believe that only the bureaucracy knows what is going on.

"This is typical of a Minister with too much on her plate. Australia deserves better than a part time Education Minister."

September 17, 2009

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Adam Howard

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