Page 1970 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 6 May 2009
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policy in that almost all education is for people who would be under the age of 24. For too long I think we have had a youth policy that has been in parallel to education policy rather than intertwined with it—seeing them as operating hand in hand.
In conclusion, I will have a go at the minister for his remarks about how good it is to work with Kevin Rudd’s Labor government, his education revolution which has not quite got off the ground yet. No-one quite knows what this education revolution is. It means a computer for every student apparently but no-one is really quite sure about what that rollout is, what the computer actually is, what the cost of that system is. No-one really knows what this education revolution is, but like all the other slogans of 2007, it sounded pretty good.
Mr Doszpot: It sounded good.
MR COE: That is right, Mr Doszpot; it did sound pretty good. In 2007 the education revolution was all the rage; it was all the rage; Kevin ’07 was all the rage. But here we are in 2009, depression ’09, and we have very little to show for all these slogans that we had in 2007.
Mrs Dunne: I don’t think they will be using depression ’09 as one of their slogans, though.
MR COE: No, I will use that one: depression ’09. We have definitely got recession ’09. I would not be surprised if we get depression ’09 shortly with a couple more quarters of negative growth.
It is interesting that the minister should talk about what a pleasure it is to work with his federal Labor colleagues, but he does not mention his state Labor colleagues. Why would you not mention your state Labor colleagues? Why would you not brag about your state Labor colleagues and how good it is to work with them on COAG?
I wonder what the average mum or dad thinks about their kids’ education in New South Wales. What do they think about the education system in New South Wales? Are you going to be bragging about that? Are you going to be bragging about how good it is to work with the New South Wales minister for education or how good it is to work with Tasmania? I know that they have got a great education system down there that is on fire.
It is very interesting that he should pick and choose his Labor colleagues to brag about. It is all very well to say, “I support an education revolution; I like working with Kevin Rudd,” but why do you not nail your colours to the mast when it comes to your state colleagues? Why will you not nail your colours to the mast of Verity Firth? It is because no-one would want to. The New South Wales education system is in absolute shambles. Here we are with our own minister for education bragging about Labor governments until the cows come home. But then suddenly, if they are not doing so well, they do not get a run or if they have not got a good slogan they will not get a run in one of Mr Barr’s speeches where he commends Labor.
He has got the same format for every speech: at about the 12 or 13-minute mark in a 15-minute speech he starts kicking in the party-political stuff. He chuckles away,
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