Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

Young Australians deserve the very best education to reach their best potential. Today's disastrous NAPLAN results show there is a national crisis in Australian schools, compounded by Labor's failure to deliver the evidence-based teaching reforms which every child and their family deserve.

One in three students are failing NAPLAN, just as they did last year. Thirty-one per cent of all students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 can't read properly; 30 per cent are not meeting proficiency standards in writing and spelling; nearly 40 per cent do not understand the correct use of grammar; and some 32 per cent are failing maths. Given the average year 10 student is a year behind in their learning compared with 20 years ago, the decline is serious, and these reforms are critical for every Australian classroom.

Delivering a back-to-basics education sharply focused on literacy and numeracy underpinned by explicit teaching and a knowledge-rich commonsense curriculum is critical to raising school standards. We know explicit instruction, the teaching of phonics and other proven teaching methods work. To deliver anything less is, frankly, negligence. Getting back to basics also means ridding the classroom of indoctrination and other activist causes. Our nation's hardworking teachers and other educators deserve much greater support, like evidence-based teaching resources such as lesson plans so they can excel in the classroom and save hours of work each week.

The Albanese government has failed to deliver the national school reforms it promised, and Australian children and their families are paying the price. Rather than putting students first, education minister Mr Clare has become embroiled in a school funding war, a mess of Labor's own making. I also condemn the Australian Education Union, which recklessly and irresponsibly opposes evidence-based teaching reforms. It is time Mr Clare did his job and delivered these reforms that every child deserves. (Time expired)