Wanted: Full-time Education Minister

While the Coalition supports the Deputy Prime Minister's travel to India, her busy schedule of overseas travel highlights why Australia needs a full time Education Minister focused on fixing the litany of program failures she has left behind, according to Shadow Education Minister Christopher Pyne.

"Today we learned that schools such as Yakanarra Community School, Mornington Island State School and Yirrikala Community School lost their promised funding opportunity for desperately needed science and language centres," said Mr Pyne. 

"It's the latest example of the Government's flawed priorities - at least $7.3 million being spent on plaques and display signs could have been spent on science and language centres instead.

"Julia Gillard gets an 'F' for the long list of failures in education under her stewardship:

• Primary schools stimulus debacle - $1.7 billion blow-out;
• Building the Education Revolution - under investigation by the Auditor-General for waste and mismanagement;
• BER roadside signs - under investigation by the Australian Electoral Commissioner for potential breaches of the Commonwealth Electoral Act;
• Computers in Schools - $1.2 billion blow-out;
• Youth Allowance - changes unfairly punish rural and regional students and young Australians already on a gap year.
• Trades Training Centres - promised for every high school during the election, but now being delivered as only one Centre for clusters of up to ten schools;
• International Students - failed to act early enough leaving our international reputation as an outstanding international education destination at risk.

"Meanwhile, she's also been struggling in her preferred field of Industrial Relations, as last week's backflip on Award Modernisation can testify.

"Julia Gillard clearly has too much on her plate.  Australia deserves better than a part-time Education Minister."

September 2, 2009

Media Contact:

Adam Howard

0400 414 833