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Rudd
Calls for Education
Revolution
to Build the World's
Best Workforce
Australian
Prime Minister
Kevin Rudd has
called for an
education revolution
to make Australia
economically stronger
through better
and highly skilled
workforce. In
an address to
the 39th annual
conference of
Pacific Area Newspaper
Publishers' Association
recently, Rudd
also talked about
his government's
commitment to
the 'nation building'
through $ 76 billion
infrastructure
development and
various financial
reforms to make
the Australian
economy strong.
Excerpts.
Today I want to
discuss the core
objectives of
the Government
and the policy
agenda we have
embarked upon
to achieve them
- including our
agenda for a revolution
in Australian
education.
Australia, like
other nations,
faces tough times
ahead because
of the state of
the global economy
and the challenges
of a rapidly changing
world. That is
why the Government
has a plan to
build a more secure
Australia, a stronger
Australia and
a fairer Australia
- to see Australia
through the challenging
times that lie
ahead.
That means tackling
long term challenges
not just putting
them off into
the never never.
That also means
doing what can
practically be
done to help working
families, pensioners
and careers in
the here and now.
We are re-engaging
with the international
community by deploying
Australia's potential
for creative middle
power diplomacy
- to enhance our
long term security
and that of our
wider region.
Our second core
priority as a
Government is
to build a stronger
Australian economy.
Australia, like
other nations,
faces tough economic
times because
of the state of
the global economy.
That is why the
Government is
committed to responsible
economic management
anchored in a
strong budget
surplus.
That is also why
the Government
has a plan to
boost long-term
productivity growth
through a comprehensive
economic reform
program. That
reform plan starts
with an education
revolution with
the long-term
objective of building
in this country
the best educated,
best trained,
best skilled workforce
anywhere in the
world. That must
be our ambition
as a nation.
Our reform plan
also includes
a $76 billion
nation-building
plan to tackle
the nation's infrastructure
bottlenecks, the
single biggest
nation-building
plan in our country's
history. The Government
came to office
at a time when
Australia was
facing some of
the most challenging
global economic
conditions in
almost a quarter
century.
In the past year,
a global financial
crisis has been
triggered by a
wave of defaults
in the US housing
market, with the
most recent manifestation
of the crisis
being the takeover
by federal regulators
of Fannie Mae
and Freddie Mac
which together
hold about $5.4
trillion of debt,
around half of
the United States'
entire mortgage
debt. The global
economy has seen
the greatest oil
price shock in
more than 30 years.
Industrialized
nations have seen
inflation almost
double. Five out
of the seven largest
industrialized
economies have
experienced zero
or negative growth
in recent months.
Global share markets
have fallen by
an average of
20 percent. Global
consumer confidence
levels have fallen
to their lowest
levels since the
early 1990s. We
must face these
global economic
facts. These are
tough global economic
times. And Australia
is not immune.
But the Government
is committed absolutely
to steering Australia
through these
tough economic
times to ensure
our economy emerges
in strong shape
for the future.
We have delivered
responsible economic
management, with
a conservative
Budget grounded
in a $22 billion
surplus.
The surplus was
designed to put
maximum downward
pressure on inflation
and interest rates
to give the RBA
maximum room to
make interest
rate cuts. The
Government has
also embarked
upon the most
comprehensive
microeconomic
reform program
that Australia
has seen since
the early 1990s.
We are committed
to building long
term prosperity
by investing in
five key platforms
for future productivity
growth: an Education
Revolution to
which I have referred;
a nation-building
infrastructure
plan including
roads, rail, ports
and most critically,
a national high-speed
broadband network;
investing also
in innovation;
creating a seamless
national economy
through an ambitious
program of business
deregulation,
and long term
tax reform.
We have laid out
an Education Revolution
for Australia's
future - ranging
through early
childhood education,
school education,
vocational education
and training,
universities and
research.
The Education
Revolution isn't
a slogan, it is
a driving vision
for the Government.
It's at the heart
of building a
21st century economy.
Australia can't
compete against
the rest of the
world by driving
down wages and
conditions. The
low-cost economies
of our region
can always beat
us at that game.
And we can't expect
our resources
sector alone to
shoulder the burden
of building our
future prosperity.
We must invest
in knowledge and
the knowledge-based
industries for
the future. In
our first Budget
we allocated nearly
$20 billion to
the Education
Revolution over
the next four
years.
We have begun
allocating funding
from our $2.5
billion Trades
Training Centres
program for Australian
secondary schools,
our $1.2 billion
digital education
revolution for
Australian secondary
schools as well.
And we are working
for the first
time in the country's
history on a national
school curriculum
covering English,
maths, the sciences
and history.
We are funding
630,000 training
places for the
Skilling Australia
for the future
programme. And
investing an additional
half a billion
dollars from our
first Budget to
begin rebuilding
our university
infrastructure.
The Government's
commitment to
the Education
Revolution is
matched by our
commitment to
nation-building
infrastructure.
The Government's
nation-building
program is now
in motion. In
just nine months,
we have committed
$76 billion in
these critical
areas of infrastructure
bottleneck. These
long-term investments
will help build
the foundations
of the nation's
future prosperity.
On the deregulation
agenda, through
the Council of
Australian Governments
which has come
back to life,
we are working
on 27 areas of
regulatory reform
with the single
objective of building
a seamless national
economy. It's
time for the Federation
to enter the 21st
century. I will
work with every
State and Territory
Government towards
that goal and
I don't intend
to allow politics
to get in the
way.
Finally, we have
established the
Henry Commission
as the starting
point for long-term
reform of the
tax, welfare and
retirement income
system - another
crucial element
in building a
stronger Australian
economy for the
future.
We're delivering
on our commitment
to tax relief
for working families,
with a $46.7 billion
tax package, a
$4.4 billion Education
Tax Refund, the
first in the country's
history, to help
with the kids'
education and
an increase in
the Child Care
Tax Rebate from
30 to 50 percent.
We've also provided
$7.5 billion in
additional payments
to pensioners
and careers in
the Budget and
begun a detailed
review of retirement
incomes with a
view to placing
pensioners on
a more secure
footing for the
future.
As well as meeting
the challenges
of building a
more secure, stronger
and fairer Australia
today, the Government
also recognises
that Australia
must prepare now
for the challenges
of the future.
What will be the
shape of China,
what will be the
shape of India,
what will be the
shape of the Asia
Pacific region.
And how does Australia
carve intelligently
its future in
the midst of this
ocean of change.
Like other nations,
Australia faces
long-term challenges,
including climate
change and water,
the ageing of
our population
and long-term
food and water
supply. That is
why the Government
has a plan to
act on climate
change, to tackle
the long-term
needs of the hospital
system as well
as a plan of action
on the future
of the Murray-Darling
Basin.
We are acting
on these challenges.
After a long period
of inaction, we
have drawn a line
in the sand on
climate change.
We recognise it
as the greatest
economic, environmental
and moral challenge
of our time. That's
why the Government
ratified Kyoto
on the day we
came to power.
It's why we will
be implementing
a Carbon Pollution
Reduction Scheme
to achieve the
lowest cost reduction
in carbon emissions
for Australia.
It's why we are
supporting an
energy efficiency
strategy for the
nation. It's why
we will introduce
a new national
renewable energy
strategy for the
nation.
And we applaud
the leadership
being shown by
many media organisations
and other organisations
on reducing carbon
emissions and
embracing sustainable
business practices.
What we do as
nations must be
matched by what
we do as households,
what we do as
corporations.
The planet, at
the end, is at
stake. We have
begun on a long-term
strategy to reform
also the health
and hospital system
and end the blame
game between different
levels of government.
We have established
the National Health
and Hospitals
Reform Commission
and the National
Preventative Health
Taskforce, and
we have invested
in our public
hospital system
and in the reduction
of elective surgery
waiting lists.
This task has
just begun. And
through COAG we
are negotiating
now a new Australian
Health Care Agreement,
a major step in
our long-term
program of health
reform, to take
effect mid-2009.
For me, a first-class
education is both
a matter of basic
fairness as well
as being a national
economic imperative.
We have committed
as a Government
to lifting school
retention rates
from 75% to 90%
by 2020. We are
doing this so
that nine out
of every ten children
have the choice
of a job, learning
a trade or completing
a university degree.
We know completing
schooling to Year
12 level is important
not just as a
pathway to further
education, but
because without
it Australians
are significantly
more likely to
be unemployed.
Each additional
year of schooling
is associated
with around a
10 percent increase
in earnings. Children
who receive a
better education
are less likely
to commit crimes
in later life.
Low educational
attainment is
also associated
with inter-generational
poverty and social
exclusion. The
individual, social
and economic benefits
of high quality
schooling are
inseparable from
each other.
Education is critical
to people's life
chances, to our
future economic
growth and to
our community
life. The Government's
revolution must
be both quantitative
and qualitative.
In our first Budget
we allocated $19.3
billion to education
initiatives over
the next four
years. But we
are also implementing
a set of qualitative
reforms.
We have invested
$20 million and
are developing
a national curriculum
in English, maths,
the sciences and
history for all
school students
by the end of
2010. From 1 January
2009 we will be
investing $625
million to encourage
more students
to study maths
and science and
pursue related
careers including
teaching. We need
to act on the
crisis of maths
and science teaching
in our schools.
We are investing
also $62.4 million
to re-establish
a National Asian
Languages and
Studies Program
so that more students
have the opportunity
to learn the language
and civilisations
of our closest
neighbours. And
again a mission
of the Government
is this: to make
Australia over
time into the
most Asia-literate
country across
the collective
West.
The most China
literate country
across the collective
west, as this
region of ours
- the Asia Pacific
region - becomes
the geo-political,
geo-strategic
and geo-economic
centre of the
world in the 21st
Century.
Two weeks ago
at the National
Press Club I set
out our quality
education agenda
for Australian
schools. I announced
the three central
pillars of reform
that the Commonwealth
will be seeking
to achieve in
partnership with
State and Territory
Governments through
COAG.
Firstly, improving
the quality of
teaching; Secondly
making school
reporting more
transparent, and
thirdly lifting
achievement in
the most disadvantaged
schools in our
communities.
As I said when
I released my
outline of the
Education Revolution
in January of
last year, that
is, the month
after I became
leader of the
Parliamentary
Labor Party, this
revolution requires
a substantial
and sustained
increase in the
quantity of our
investment, and
the quality of
our education
outcomes. This
is required at
every level of
education from
early childhood
to advanced research.
We need to set
for ourselves
a new national
vision for Australia
to become the
most educated
country, the most
skilled economy
and the best trained
workforce in the
world. In our
reform agenda
and collaboration
with the States,
we are proposing
two distinct pools
of reform funding.
To support reforms
that advance quality
teaching within
schools, we will
introduce new
National Policy
Partnerships with
the States. These
partnerships payments
are up-front payments
that help drive
reform and payments
that are made
on outcomes achieved.
In the case of
disadvantaged
schools we have
proposed a separate
policy partnership
with the States
to provide more
resources to achieve
better and measurable
outcomes.
Our goal is to
see an average
sized school in
a disadvantaged
area receive in
the order of an
additional $500,000
per year to use
flexibly to lift
student outcomes.
This might enable
a school to employ
additional teacher
aides, pay high
performing teachers
who help lift
student outcomes
to top up on their
regular salary
- or fund after-school
homework or reading
classes.
Over time, reward
funding would
also be available
for the schools
that make real
progress in these
difficult challenges.
We are prepared
to support those
reforms up front
that can make
a difference.
And we are ready
to reward schools
that go the extra
mile to make sure
they continue
to improve.
While the priorities
and the payments
are distinct,
their delivery
needs to be integrated
together so that
it has the maximum
impact on student
learning.
We will judge
each element on
the evidence of
its effectiveness.
But in reality,
none of the reforms
we propose - school
transparency,
teacher quality
and lifting attainment
in disadvantaged
school communities
- can be undertaken
without the other.
In short, reform
is required to
identify the weaknesses
and then to target
additional investment
and to measure
improvement.
In a few weeks'
time I will mark
the tenth anniversary
of my own election
to the national
Parliament. In
my first speech
in Parliament,
I called for an
education revolution.
That was ten years
ago. Within weeks
of becoming leader
of the Federal
leader of the
Parliamentary
Labor Party, I
set out a detailed
case for the Education
Revolution.
Now, in government,
I am determined
to implement that
Education Revolution.
It will require
tough choices,
tough decisions,
tough reforms.
But without significant
change and significant
new investment
we will not achieve
the best we can
in the future.
Therefore, this
Education Revolution
is necessary in
21st century economy,
necessary to give
our kids the best
possible start
in life, and necessary
also for overcoming
entrenched disadvantage.
The Education
Revolution is
central to building
a stronger, fairer
Australia and
one that delivers
a better future
for all Australians.
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