Blog

This morning, Wayne Swan and I walked to school with Elizabeth and Anthony and their kids, Liam and Lauren.

We had a coffee beforehand – and a chat about some of the things Elizabeth and Anthony have to buy to get their kids ready for school. We could have spent the whole day going through it all.

No country can really claim to be the land of the fair go unless that fair go is extended from the start, in our classrooms and our school playgrounds.

But, as we read on the front page of The Advertiser (21/5/12), too many Australian school students are being denied a fair go because of the gap between rich and poor that has developed in our schools.

Our Government knows that being a parent is a huge challenge for anybody and even more so for the more than 11,000 teenage parents who live in Australia.

We are determined to provide these parents with the support and skills that they need to build a good life for themselves and for their young families.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard today announced new budget funding of $200 million to provide extra support for students with disability in Australian schools.

This budget will be about what we value as a nation and even in a tight budget there will be investments in education because every child in every school deserves a great education.

Feature Image: 

photo.JPG

Prime Minister Gillard, Treasurer Wayne Swan and the Minister for School Education, Peter Garrett visited Turner Primary School today to announce the Gillard Labor Government will deliver Australia’s first national system of pay bonuses for the nation’s best teachers.

- The number of teachers to be rewarded will be around 25,000 - that is 10 per cent of the teaching workforce.

- The level of the rewards will be around 10 per cent of salary. Depending on the seniority of the teacher, that can be around $5400 or around $8100.

- The first bonuses will be based on performance in the 2013 school year and paid in early 2014

At the school the Prime Minister said,

“The Federal Budget is an important statement of values and priorities. You put taxpayers’ dollars behind the things you think are most important for the nation. And in this budget we will be continuing the priority I have put on education.

Today I want to confirm with the Federal Treasurer and the Minister for School Education that the forthcoming budget will deliver on our promise to invest in rewarding great teachers around the country. 

Principals from around the nation today received access to their school’s data on the new look My School website which is being launched this Friday.

This morning Prime Minister Gillard and School Education Minister, Peter Garratt, visited Turner Primary School in the ACT and met with the school Principal, Jan Day, to look at the updated website.

The beginning of the school year can be tough for parents facing education costs, but the Education Tax Refund means eligible parents know they will receive a refund for half of claimable expenses come tax time.

You may be surprised by the items that can be claimed, which includes :