Daryl Melham (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Last Thursday, 8 March, I was delighted to welcome the Prime Minister and the minister for school education to my seat of Banks. The Prime Minister and Minister Garrett were there to host a forum to discuss the future of Australian education with principals, teachers and parents. It was an opportunity for education professionals to share their thoughts and ideas with the nation's decision makers.

The forum was held at the Georges River College, Penshurst Girls Campus, and was attended by about 120 people. The principal, Ms Anne Ross, and her staff and students worked extremely hard to make the forum a success. Both the Prime Minister and Minister Garrett expressed their satisfaction with the forum and their pleasure at meeting with the parents and teachers and the quality of their contribution to the national discussion on the future of education.

Ms Ross put together a comprehensive program to showcase the school. The students from hospitality provided a wonderful afternoon tea and served their guests with efficiency and professionalism. The school band played some wonderful music and was later treated to a private discussion with the minister for education.

The members of staff, despite having their school turned upside down for over a week, were superb hosts and contributed significantly to the success of the afternoon. The weather in Sydney over the preceding few days, and indeed that morning, was appalling. The Prime Minister particularly thanked the school cleaners who had done a great job in mopping up the rain.

The guests also toured the small museum unveiled last year to chronicle the history of the school and education for women over the decades. The museum was originally a flat when the school focused on domestic science and students learned the skills of running a home. Given the visit was on International Women's Day, the museum provided an opportunity to reflect on the changes to women's education over the past 50 years and the options now available.

I want to particularly acknowledge the participation of principals, teachers and parents from my electorate of Banks and the neighbouring electorate of Watson who attended the forum with relatively short notice. Listening to the questions and general discussion, there is no doubt in my mind that these are people who are completely dedicated to the future of education in this country.

The Gonski review, which was at the heart of the discussion, is part of the reforms to the education funding model that we need in this country. The Prime Minister made the point during the forum that it is the individual student who should be the focus of a funding model. The audience agreed.

My special thanks to the school principal, Anne Ross for her outstanding effort in pulling this event together. Her commitment and dedication to her profession and to her school was self-evident in the week preceding the forum and on the day. Her pride in her school, its staff and students was reflected throughout. My thanks go also to the Prime Minister and to the minister for school education for holding the first of these national forums in New South Wales at Penshurst. As one principal said afterwards, having met the Prime Minister and minister, 'I now hold great hopes for the future of education in this country.'

The other interesting thing was the genuine delight of those present in having the Prime Minister and the Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth present in the electorate on what was a very special day. It was broadcast on ABC News 24, so there is a tape and people can see the contribution. Irrespective of which side of the parliament the Prime Minister comes from, it is a big thing for a Prime Minister and a minister for school education to be visiting the local community. That was true of the former Howard government.

These people in my electorate—and I have represented them for 22 years—have not been adorned with prime ministers and ministers on a regular free-flowing basis. It is not something that I have sought to try to emulate in my time as the member for Banks. I do not mind ministers and prime ministers. But what I saw showed one of the reasons I do not necessarily like them in the electorate—it is a huge roadshow that imposes a lot on the various communities. It needs to be done properly and professionally. As I said earlier, the school was turned upside down for a week. Sniffer dogs were brought in to ensure the security of the place. That is the way it should be. The feedback I have had from my constituents indicates that they were all delighted to have the Prime Minister and the minister present. So was I. It was a great day. Congratulations to everyone present.

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