Media Release

KEMP CONDEMNS NSW TEACHERS STRIKE

K0902 9 February 1999

The strike today by the New South Wales Teachers Federation is just the latest in a series of actions by the union damaging public education in New South Wales.

The strike is occurring because the Carr Government has capitulated time and again to this union and allowed it to undermine proper accountability to parents about standards in New South Wales schools.

The weakness of the Carr Government is a matter of record on the Labor side of Government politics.

Former Labor Shadow Minister and ex-Carr adviser Mark Latham has warned federal Labor to avoid making the mistakes of the Carr Government.

"Labor needs to avoid this trap. It needs to avoid repeating the mistakes of Bob Carr in New South Wales; opportunistic in Opposition, followed by broken promises and pedestrian policies in government. Such a path would leave Labor impotent…"

Mark Latham quoted in "Threat to Beazley lurks within Labor" The Australian 14/12/98

The New South Wales Teachers Federation has opposed the National Literacy Plan, opposed schools being pro-active in helping school leavers get jobs and opposed proper reporting by schools to parents. They have also constantly misrepresented to parents the policies of the Commonwealth Government to build up and strengthen public education.

Government schools in New South Wales in 1999 will be receiving $78 million more from the Howard Government than they received from the federal Labor Government in its last year of office.

Indeed around Australia this year, government schools will receive $235 million more than they received under Labor.

Media Contact: Samantha Herron 0412 639 754 or 02 627 77460

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