Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Education) Share this | Hansard source

I think that is very appropriate, Senator McLucas, because, as you know, education is very important. You know I know that. We both understand that. I am very concerned that, over the next generation, it will become a far more sought-after profession that many more people will go into—high achievers—and that will mean that we perhaps have to pay teachers more, but it will also mean that the profession has to start looking after itself and not rely totally on the trade union movement. That has not helped the teaching profession, sadly. Also, if we are talking about outcomes here, students benefit when teachers know how to teach. One of the great problems with the teaching profession and their education—this goes back to the education of teachers—is that they are taught how to critique pedagogy, critique the most recent educational theories, but they are not taught to deliver a syllabus. In other words, teachers must—