Fix this text
EDUCATION
Fix this textJOURNAL OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES TEACHERS FEDERATION
Fix this textAgreement No. PP255003 00104
Fix this textVo 1. 82 N 0.4 April 9. 2001
Fix this textGetting loud for public education
Fix this text"Let's Get Loud": Felicity Cameron leads students getting vocal for public education.
Fix this textby Dennis Long
Fix this textPublic Education Day was
Fix this textmarked on March 15 with an
Fix this textextraordinary range of events cel-
Fix this textebrating public education and its
Fix this textplace in Australian society.
Fix this textSchools and TAFE colleges
Fix this textthroughout NSW organised com-
Fix this textmunity events. Articles on pages
Fix this text3, 10, 13, 14, 15 and 28 report a
Fix this textfraction of these activities.
Fix this textSchools and colleges also
Fix this texthanded out leaflets alerting the
Fix this textpublic to the threat posed to pub-
Fix this textlic education by the Howard
Fix this textGovernment, with about 630,000
Fix this textEnglish language leaflets, 80,000
Fix this textleaflets in eight community lan-
Fix this textguages aimed at school parents
Fix this textand 60,000 TAFE-specific
Fix this textleaflets distributed.
Fix this textThe Department of Education
Fix this textand Training supported Public
Fix this textEducation Day with promotion in
Fix this textInform and with an in-service
Fix this textcourse on the day establishing an
Fix this textAmbassadors for Public Edu-
Fix this textcation program (see story page 3).
Fix this textThe Department also worked
Fix this textwith the Federation to stage an
Fix this textevent at Australian Technology
Fix this textPark in Redfem which allowed
Fix this textstudents to get loud in support of
Fix this textpublic education and showcased
Fix this textsome of the enormous talent
Fix this textbeing developed in the public
Fix this texteducation system. This polished
Fix this textand tightly scripted show featured
Fix this text79 students.
Fix this textThe dynamic performance,
Fix this textwhich was videotaped for distri-
Fix this textbution, was compered by Natasha
Fix this textY continued page 2
Fix this textCommunities rally against school rationalisation
Fix this textby Maree O'Halloran
Fix this textLess than one week after Public
Fix this textEducation Day, the State
Fix this textGovernment has released a "draft
Fix this textproposal" to rationalise inner city
Fix this textschools. The proposal is under-
Fix this textpinned more by property values
Fix this textand asset sales than an educa-
Fix this texttional vision.
Fix this textInstead of a comprehensive,
Fix this textexpansionist plan for public edu-
Fix this textcation, the Government's draft
Fix this textproposal for the inner city contin-
Fix this textues the piecemeal restructuring
Fix this textprocess of the past. For many
Fix this textyears school communities in the
Fix this textinner city have faced the constant
Fix this textthreat of restructuring or closure.
Fix this textThe State Government appears to
Fix this texthave banked on the school com-
Fix this textmunities being demoralised. Ho-
Fix this textwever, school communities have
Fix this textrallied with strength and vigour
Fix this textpost the announcement. Parents,
Fix this textstudents, teachers and community
Fix this textmembers have begun active cam-
Fix this textpaigns to oppose the school clo-
Fix this textsures, expose the weaknesses of
Fix this textthe draft proposal and demand
Fix this textgenuine consultation before deci-
Fix this textsions are implemented.
Fix this textThe atmosphere at the 1000
Fix this textstrong community meeting at
Fix this textMarrickville school hall on
Fix this textThursday March 29, 2001 was
Fix this textakin to a bushfire. The State Gov-
Fix this texternment has set alight the smoul-
Fix this textdering community anger about
Fix this textthe chronic under-funding of pub-
Fix this textlic education and the proliferation
Fix this textof private schools. By the next
Fix this textmorning media reports indicated
Fix this textthat there may be a change of
Fix this textheart about Marrickville.
Fix this textMajor community events and
Fix this textmeetings with politicians have
Fix this textalready been held for Maroubra,
Fix this textDulwich Hill, Cleveland Street,
Fix this text"When size doesn’t matter The following private schools, with enrolments
Fix this textfrom 30 to 183, receive funding from the State Government. 1. Birchgrove
Fix this textCommunity School, 2. Inner City Montessori School, 3. St Brendans, 4. St
Fix this textJames, 5. The Athena School, 6. Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 7. St Marys School.
Fix this textHunters Hill, Glebe, Balmain and
Fix this textLeichhardt. School communities
Fix this textare currently considering alter-
Fix this textnate and better proposals to put to
Fix this textthe Government than what has
Fix this textbeen planned for their schools.
Fix this textFederation Council on March
Fix this text20 resolved to "actively support
Fix this textthose staffs and school communi-
Fix this textties which resist attempts to
Fix this textimpose closures, forced amalga-
Fix this textmations or other rearrangements
Fix this textunacceptable to the school com-
Fix this textmunity".
Fix this textThe announcement of the inner
Fix this textcity draft proposal also pro-
Fix this textclaimed the beginning of a new
Fix this textera for this arrogant State
Fix this textGovernment: the era of "non-
Fix this textnegotiable consultation". The
Fix this textMinister wrote in the Daily
Fix this textTelegraph on March 2: "The plan
Fix this textis in draft form and I urge all
Fix this textmembers of the public to come
Fix this textforward and have their say on the
Fix this textfuture of their local school."
Fix this textDespite that comment and after
Fix this texttaking great pains to announce the
Fix this textproposal was a draft, the Minister
Fix this textwas also quoted in the Daily
Fix this textTelegraph as saying: "The clo-
Fix this textsures are not negotiable...those
Fix this textschools are either dead or dying."
Fix this text"Dead or dying". Where is the
Fix this textaffirmation of public education?
Fix this textWhere is the acknowledgment of
Fix this textquality education under difficult
Fix this textconditions? Written assurances
Fix this textmust be given regarding transpar-
Fix this textent and genuine consultation over
Fix this texta longer timeframe.
Fix this textThe frightening effect of the
Fix this textinner city proposal is apparent
Fix this textfrom the Minister's news release
Fix this texton March 23:
Fix this text"No closures planned for coun-
Fix this texttry schools
Fix this text"The State Opposition claims
Fix this textthere is a 'secret plan' to close
Fix this textcountry and regional schools as a
Fix this textresult of the Inner Sydney
Fix this textSchools Strategy.
Fix this text"There are no plans to close any
Fix this textregional or country schools.
Fix this text"The State Government's Inner
Fix this textSydney Schools Strategy relates
Fix this textto schools in the inner east and
Fix this textinner west of Sydney.
Fix this text"It has no effect on any schools
Fix this textanywhere else in NSW."
Fix this textThe reason for such a news
Fix this textrelease the closure of small
Fix this textprimary schools as well as small
Fix this textsecondary schools in the city had
Fix this textmade small and successful
Fix this textschools in country areas fearful
Fix this textthey too would face closure.
Fix this textSize doesn't seem to matter in
Fix this textprivate schools. The State Gov-
Fix this texternment funds at least nine pri-
Fix this textvate schools in the inner city with
Fix this textless than 400 secondary students.
Fix this textPlan
Fix this textFederation acknowledges that a
Fix this textplan is required for the inner city
Fix this textcommunity. Such a plan must be
Fix this textpremised on four key points:
Fix this text1. an optimistic and expansionist
Fix this textfuture for quality public educa-
Fix this texttion
Fix this text2. the value of successful compre-
Fix this texthensive high schools and small
Fix this textprimary schools
Fix this text3. a rejection of the view that
Fix this textbecause a school is "small" it is
Fix this textincapable of providing high qual-
Fix this textY continued page 4
Fix this textState-wide action needed on piecemeal
Fix this textThe State Government's piece-
Fix this textmeal restructuring of public sec-
Fix this textondary schools and some public
Fix this textprimary schools rolls on. The
Fix this textGovernment's proposal for the
Fix this textInner City is yet another exam-
Fix this textple of this process.
Fix this textA critical mass of members,
Fix this textparents and students has now
Fix this textbeen affected or imminently
Fix this textcould be. Parents and commu-
Fix this textnity members have expressed
Fix this textserious concerns about the
Fix this textstrategic direction for public
Fix this texteducation. As has been noted in
Fix this textprevious editions of Education,
Fix this textthe Catholic system is embrac-
Fix this texting a comprehensive 7-12 model
Fix this textat the very time when Director-
Fix this textGeneral Dr Ken Boston appears
Fix this textto have sounded the death knell
Fix this textfor public education's compre-
Fix this texthensive high schools and small
Fix this textschools in general.
Fix this textReview of secondary
Fix this texteducation
Fix this textFederation has been calling for a
Fix this textreview of secondary education
Fix this textfor some years. The review
Fix this textY continued page 4
Fix this textWorkers compensation
Fix this textunder attack
Fix this text"Act of bastardry"
Fix this textdenounced by union
Fix this textmovement.
Fix this textTime to act on
Fix this textTHA issue
Fix this textTake a moment to pen a
Fix this textnote to the THA, but
Fix this textmore importantly your
Fix this textlocal member.
Fix this textIt's easy and takes two shakes of a lamb's tail!
With your Trove account you can:
http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-680978259
N.S.W. Teachers' Federation & New South Wales Public School Teachers' Federation. (1919). Education : journal of the N.S.W. Public School Teachers Federation Retrieved July 29, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-680978259
N.S.W. Teachers' Federation and New South Wales Public School Teachers' Federation. Education : journal of the N.S.W. Public School Teachers Federation Sydney: The Federation, 1919. Web. 29 July 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-680978259>
N.S.W. Teachers' Federation & New South Wales Public School Teachers' Federation. 1919, Education : journal of the N.S.W. Public School Teachers Federation The Federation, Sydney viewed 29 July 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-680978259
{{Citation
| author1=N.S.W. Teachers' Federation.
| author2=New South Wales Public School Teachers' Federation.
| title=Education : journal of the N.S.W. Public School Teachers Federation.
| year=1919
| section=volumes.
| issn=0013-1156
| issue=Vol. 82 No. 04 (9 Apr 2001)
| location=Sydney
| publisher=The Federation
| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-680978259
| id=nla.obj-680978259
| access-date=29 July 2025
| via=Trove
}}
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