❓ Opposition questions the government's investment in regional teaching workforce due to online classes. Minister defends the government's record on education investment and teacher employment, contrasting it with the previous Liberal government.
AnsweredQoN 223Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Schools—Staff—Regions
223. Mr Liam Staltari to
the Minister for Education:
Thank you, Mr
Speaker. I am keeping my hands off my hair!
I refer to figures released by the minister's
department that show that a shortage in specialist teachers has resulted in
nearly 4,000 WA students, almost all of them in the regions, having to take at
least one class online.
(1) Why should regional students be forced to bear
the brunt of this government's failure to invest in our teaching workforce?
(2) Are we on the cusp of the rolling teacher
shortages that we saw under the last Labor government?
223. Mr Liam Staltari to
the Minister for Education:
Thank you, Mr
Speaker. I am keeping my hands off my hair!
I refer to figures released by the minister's
department that show that a shortage in specialist teachers has resulted in
nearly 4,000 WA students, almost all of them in the regions, having to take at
least one class online.
(1) Why should regional students be forced to bear
the brunt of this government's failure to invest in our teaching workforce?
(2) Are we on the cusp of the rolling teacher
shortages that we saw under the last Labor government?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I thank the member for Carine for
the question, but he did not need to pat down his hair; he did it at least 12 times
and did a good job originally!
Can I just add to the comments
that I made earlier around our workforce. The Cook Labor government values
public education and education right around the state, and we value teachers. I
am very happy to stand in this place on our record of eight years, investing in
schools—not in infrastructure but, of course, in the most important
resource in a school, and that is the teacher. Since coming into government, we
have seen some 7,000 additional teachers and education assistants employed.
From having taught during the
Barnett years, which have previously been lauded by the shadow education
minister as some kind of golden age, we know what Liberal governments think
when it comes to teachers and education assistants working in our system. I
will have great delight over the next four years reminding everyone of that.
We went to the election some 100
days ago after eight years of being in government, and it is very clear what
the people of Western Australia thought about who is best placed to continue to
deliver on a world-class education system, and that is this side.
The Speaker: Members, that concludes question time.
the question, but he did not need to pat down his hair; he did it at least 12 times
and did a good job originally!
Can I just add to the comments
that I made earlier around our workforce. The Cook Labor government values
public education and education right around the state, and we value teachers. I
am very happy to stand in this place on our record of eight years, investing in
schools—not in infrastructure but, of course, in the most important
resource in a school, and that is the teacher. Since coming into government, we
have seen some 7,000 additional teachers and education assistants employed.
From having taught during the
Barnett years, which have previously been lauded by the shadow education
minister as some kind of golden age, we know what Liberal governments think
when it comes to teachers and education assistants working in our system. I
will have great delight over the next four years reminding everyone of that.
We went to the election some 100
days ago after eight years of being in government, and it is very clear what
the people of Western Australia thought about who is best placed to continue to
deliver on a world-class education system, and that is this side.
The Speaker: Members, that concludes question time.
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