❓ Debate over teacher salaries and government spending priorities, specifically comparing education funding to the Mandurah railway project. The Minister defends the government's offer and accuses the union of unrealistic demands.
AnsweredQoN 1068Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer the minister to the fact that tomorrow he will preside over a government school system that is not operating because of strike action by teachers, and also to his statement that the Government is unable to afford any more than he has offered. Is this issue not really about the Government’s priorities, in which it is interested more in spending hundreds of millions of dollars more than is necessary on building the railway to Mandurah than in giving teachers a realistic salary increase? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Darling Range for the question and, for the sake of consistency, for his ongoing interest in education. I thought he could have come up with a better question, given that he has a genuine interest in education. For a start, it is very unfortunate that apparently there will be strike action in our government schools tomorrow. It is very unfortunate for a range of reasons, but fundamentally because it will have an impact on children across Western Australia. It is unnecessary. We are seven weeks out of the previous enterprise bargaining agreement period and there will be a strike. The State School Teachers Union of WA executive is demanding a 30 per cent pay rise when every member of this Chamber knows it is undeliverable. It is unreal. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Why go on strike in demand of it? The teachers union executive admits that it is unrealistic. Let us get real. The Government has offered to the teachers union a deal that is very superior to the one that the Queensland teachers have accepted. Those teachers have stepped away from the national day of action. The so-called national strike that was contemplated remains with Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. Teachers in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory are not interested in this national strike. Queensland teachers have settled for a deal that is significantly inferior to the one we have on offer. I have listened to the comments of the member for Darling Range and I appreciate the position he is in. He said that the teachers deserve a fair deal. I agree with him. There is no doubt that the deal before the teachers is fair; it is a very good deal. I have said to the Chamber before - Mr J.H.D. Day: You are showing your Government’s priorities. They should be paid more. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Everyone in the world would like to pay everyone else more. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is a sobering thought that there sits the former Minister for Education. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for Darling Range for the question and, for the sake of consistency, for his ongoing interest in education. I thought he could have come up with a better question, given that he has a genuine interest in education. For a start, it is very unfortunate that apparently there will be strike action in our government schools tomorrow. It is very unfortunate for a range of reasons, but fundamentally because it will have an impact on children across Western Australia. It is unnecessary. We are seven weeks out of the previous enterprise bargaining agreement period and there will be a strike. The State School Teachers Union of WA executive is demanding a 30 per cent pay rise when every member of this Chamber knows it is undeliverable. It is unreal. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Why go on strike in demand of it? The teachers union executive admits that it is unrealistic. Let us get real. The Government has offered to the teachers union a deal that is very superior to the one that the Queensland teachers have accepted. Those teachers have stepped away from the national day of action. The so-called national strike that was contemplated remains with Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. Teachers in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory are not interested in this national strike. Queensland teachers have settled for a deal that is significantly inferior to the one we have on offer. I have listened to the comments of the member for Darling Range and I appreciate the position he is in. He said that the teachers deserve a fair deal. I agree with him. There is no doubt that the deal before the teachers is fair; it is a very good deal. I have said to the Chamber before - Mr J.H.D. Day: You are showing your Government’s priorities. They should be paid more. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Everyone in the world would like to pay everyone else more. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is a sobering thought that there sits the former Minister for Education. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
I thank the member for Darling Range for the question and, for the sake of consistency, for his ongoing interest in education. I thought he could have come up with a better question, given that he has a genuine interest in education. For a start, it is very unfortunate that apparently there will be strike action in our government schools tomorrow. It is very unfortunate for a range of reasons, but fundamentally because it will have an impact on children across Western Australia. It is unnecessary. We are seven weeks out of the previous enterprise bargaining agreement period and there will be a strike. The State School Teachers Union of WA executive is demanding a 30 per cent pay rise when every member of this Chamber knows it is undeliverable. It is unreal. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Why go on strike in demand of it? The teachers union executive admits that it is unrealistic. Let us get real. The Government has offered to the teachers union a deal that is very superior to the one that the Queensland teachers have accepted. Those teachers have stepped away from the national day of action. The so-called national strike that was contemplated remains with Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. Teachers in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory are not interested in this national strike. Queensland teachers have settled for a deal that is significantly inferior to the one we have on offer. I have listened to the comments of the member for Darling Range and I appreciate the position he is in. He said that the teachers deserve a fair deal. I agree with him. There is no doubt that the deal before the teachers is fair; it is a very good deal. I have said to the Chamber before - Mr J.H.D. Day: You are showing your Government’s priorities. They should be paid more. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Everyone in the world would like to pay everyone else more. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is a sobering thought that there sits the former Minister for Education. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Why go on strike in demand of it? The teachers union executive admits that it is unrealistic. Let us get real. The Government has offered to the teachers union a deal that is very superior to the one that the Queensland teachers have accepted. Those teachers have stepped away from the national day of action. The so-called national strike that was contemplated remains with Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. Teachers in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory are not interested in this national strike. Queensland teachers have settled for a deal that is significantly inferior to the one we have on offer. I have listened to the comments of the member for Darling Range and I appreciate the position he is in. He said that the teachers deserve a fair deal. I agree with him. There is no doubt that the deal before the teachers is fair; it is a very good deal. I have said to the Chamber before - Mr J.H.D. Day: You are showing your Government’s priorities. They should be paid more. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Everyone in the world would like to pay everyone else more. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is a sobering thought that there sits the former Minister for Education. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Why go on strike in demand of it? The teachers union executive admits that it is unrealistic. Let us get real. The Government has offered to the teachers union a deal that is very superior to the one that the Queensland teachers have accepted. Those teachers have stepped away from the national day of action. The so-called national strike that was contemplated remains with Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. Teachers in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory are not interested in this national strike. Queensland teachers have settled for a deal that is significantly inferior to the one we have on offer. I have listened to the comments of the member for Darling Range and I appreciate the position he is in. He said that the teachers deserve a fair deal. I agree with him. There is no doubt that the deal before the teachers is fair; it is a very good deal. I have said to the Chamber before - Mr J.H.D. Day: You are showing your Government’s priorities. They should be paid more. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Everyone in the world would like to pay everyone else more. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is a sobering thought that there sits the former Minister for Education. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
I have listened to the comments of the member for Darling Range and I appreciate the position he is in. He said that the teachers deserve a fair deal. I agree with him. There is no doubt that the deal before the teachers is fair; it is a very good deal. I have said to the Chamber before - Mr J.H.D. Day: You are showing your Government’s priorities. They should be paid more. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Everyone in the world would like to pay everyone else more. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is a sobering thought that there sits the former Minister for Education. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr J.H.D. Day: You are showing your Government’s priorities. They should be paid more. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Everyone in the world would like to pay everyone else more. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is a sobering thought that there sits the former Minister for Education. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Everyone in the world would like to pay everyone else more. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is a sobering thought that there sits the former Minister for Education. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is a sobering thought that there sits the former Minister for Education. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is a sobering thought that there sits the former Minister for Education. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is a sobering thought that there sits the former Minister for Education. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for Darling Range for the question and, for the sake of consistency, for his ongoing interest in education. I thought he could have come up with a better question, given that he has a genuine interest in education. For a start, it is very unfortunate that apparently there will be strike action in our government schools tomorrow. It is very unfortunate for a range of reasons, but fundamentally because it will have an impact on children across Western Australia. It is unnecessary. We are seven weeks out of the previous enterprise bargaining agreement period and there will be a strike. The State School Teachers Union of WA executive is demanding a 30 per cent pay rise when every member of this Chamber knows it is undeliverable. It is unreal. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Why go on strike in demand of it? The teachers union executive admits that it is unrealistic. Let us get real. The Government has offered to the teachers union a deal that is very superior to the one that the Queensland teachers have accepted. Those teachers have stepped away from the national day of action. The so-called national strike that was contemplated remains with Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. Teachers in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory are not interested in this national strike. Queensland teachers have settled for a deal that is significantly inferior to the one we have on offer. I have listened to the comments of the member for Darling Range and I appreciate the position he is in. He said that the teachers deserve a fair deal. I agree with him. There is no doubt that the deal before the teachers is fair; it is a very good deal. I have said to the Chamber before - Mr J.H.D. Day: You are showing your Government’s priorities. They should be paid more. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Everyone in the world would like to pay everyone else more. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is a sobering thought that there sits the former Minister for Education. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
I thank the member for Darling Range for the question and, for the sake of consistency, for his ongoing interest in education. I thought he could have come up with a better question, given that he has a genuine interest in education. For a start, it is very unfortunate that apparently there will be strike action in our government schools tomorrow. It is very unfortunate for a range of reasons, but fundamentally because it will have an impact on children across Western Australia. It is unnecessary. We are seven weeks out of the previous enterprise bargaining agreement period and there will be a strike. The State School Teachers Union of WA executive is demanding a 30 per cent pay rise when every member of this Chamber knows it is undeliverable. It is unreal. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Why go on strike in demand of it? The teachers union executive admits that it is unrealistic. Let us get real. The Government has offered to the teachers union a deal that is very superior to the one that the Queensland teachers have accepted. Those teachers have stepped away from the national day of action. The so-called national strike that was contemplated remains with Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. Teachers in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory are not interested in this national strike. Queensland teachers have settled for a deal that is significantly inferior to the one we have on offer. I have listened to the comments of the member for Darling Range and I appreciate the position he is in. He said that the teachers deserve a fair deal. I agree with him. There is no doubt that the deal before the teachers is fair; it is a very good deal. I have said to the Chamber before - Mr J.H.D. Day: You are showing your Government’s priorities. They should be paid more. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Everyone in the world would like to pay everyone else more. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is a sobering thought that there sits the former Minister for Education. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Why go on strike in demand of it? The teachers union executive admits that it is unrealistic. Let us get real. The Government has offered to the teachers union a deal that is very superior to the one that the Queensland teachers have accepted. Those teachers have stepped away from the national day of action. The so-called national strike that was contemplated remains with Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. Teachers in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory are not interested in this national strike. Queensland teachers have settled for a deal that is significantly inferior to the one we have on offer. I have listened to the comments of the member for Darling Range and I appreciate the position he is in. He said that the teachers deserve a fair deal. I agree with him. There is no doubt that the deal before the teachers is fair; it is a very good deal. I have said to the Chamber before - Mr J.H.D. Day: You are showing your Government’s priorities. They should be paid more. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Everyone in the world would like to pay everyone else more. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is a sobering thought that there sits the former Minister for Education. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Why go on strike in demand of it? The teachers union executive admits that it is unrealistic. Let us get real. The Government has offered to the teachers union a deal that is very superior to the one that the Queensland teachers have accepted. Those teachers have stepped away from the national day of action. The so-called national strike that was contemplated remains with Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. Teachers in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory are not interested in this national strike. Queensland teachers have settled for a deal that is significantly inferior to the one we have on offer. I have listened to the comments of the member for Darling Range and I appreciate the position he is in. He said that the teachers deserve a fair deal. I agree with him. There is no doubt that the deal before the teachers is fair; it is a very good deal. I have said to the Chamber before - Mr J.H.D. Day: You are showing your Government’s priorities. They should be paid more. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Everyone in the world would like to pay everyone else more. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is a sobering thought that there sits the former Minister for Education. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
I have listened to the comments of the member for Darling Range and I appreciate the position he is in. He said that the teachers deserve a fair deal. I agree with him. There is no doubt that the deal before the teachers is fair; it is a very good deal. I have said to the Chamber before - Mr J.H.D. Day: You are showing your Government’s priorities. They should be paid more. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Everyone in the world would like to pay everyone else more. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is a sobering thought that there sits the former Minister for Education. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr J.H.D. Day: You are showing your Government’s priorities. They should be paid more. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Everyone in the world would like to pay everyone else more. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is a sobering thought that there sits the former Minister for Education. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Everyone in the world would like to pay everyone else more. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is a sobering thought that there sits the former Minister for Education. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is a sobering thought that there sits the former Minister for Education. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is a sobering thought that there sits the former Minister for Education. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is a sobering thought that there sits the former Minister for Education. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I tell you what: this Government accords an extremely high priority to public education. I do and this Government does. The member should look at our figures across three budgets and see where the money has gone. It has gone to public education. That does not mean to say that, when a situation like this arises, we immediately tear up the commitments to every other area, otherwise government would stop; it would be unmanageable. It is a very high priority. We have spent a lot of money, over and above what was required from the last EBA - which, incidentally, was unfunded, thanks to the former minister. We paid! We paid to reduce class sizes, we paid to provide teachers with laptops, and we paid to implement behaviour management and discipline strategies. That was all there. An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
An opposition member: Taxpayers paid. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: That is right; the taxpayers paid. We had to find the money as well as all the commitments we had made in our election campaign on the understanding that all that other stuff was funded; it was not. I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
I think the member for Darling Range agrees with me that tomorrow’s action is unnecessary. Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr J.H.D. Day: I do not support it. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. I could put the member on the spot by asking him to tell me what is a fair figure. I will not do that. Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr J.H.D. Day: Last time they got an average increase over three years of 4.5 per cent a year. Maybe that would be a bit more realistic. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Yes. The member should study the detail. The deal before the teachers right now is superior to the previous deal. For his own peace of mind, he should look at what is on offer. We have $25 million on offer for improved behaviour management and discipline strategies in 200 primary schools and 35 high schools. The previous Government did not have any of that; none of that was funded. This deal is so much better than the previous deal that they do not compare. It is unfortunate. Lots of us in this Chamber are parents of children in government schools. We do not want to see government schools shut down for half a day. It is unnecessary and should not be happening. I am very disappointed because we, as a Government, have put a lot of work into trying to restore faith in the public education system. The action tomorrow threatens to undo a lot of that good work and it is very unfortunate.
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