Class warfare

Stephen wife Shirley daughter Holly. PHOTO Stuart Milligan

Shirley O'Shannessy and husband Stephen will be voting education and job security on October 9. Stephen works on the Melbourne wharves at P&O. Shirley is a teacher at a local primary school.

"More money for state schools? It's really needed," says Shirley. "I don't understand how you can justify giving money to rich private schools. Private schools don't teach tolerance. They are for a select group. That's what our state schools can give our kids -- tolerance, learning to accept everybody. Learning to tolerate difference.

"It all depends on what you value. We don't value monetary things. We value that our kids can get along. That they are part of a community. You get to know your kids' friends; you get to know them and their families -- your neighbours.

"My children go to one of the most wonderful schools around, Eltham High. It's in Melbourne's northern suburbs. The green belt. Bush. It's an extremely successful school. We've had four children there (although one son tried a Catholic School first). I can't speak of it highly enough. The last two years it was deemed equal, if not the best state school across Australia.

"At our school kids are taught about the environment, sports, arts and academic subjects. The kids are cared for. They are a diverse lot. We've got disadvantaged kids and kids with disabilities. Why shouldn't they get the same as the kids going to Scotts College?

"It's a fantastic thing to give kids of working class families the same opportunities in life. A state school education gives everyone a chance to go on to university or TAFE, not just those who can pay. We need more TAFE places, we need people with hands on skills, not just intellectual skills.

"We really need the extra government funding. I teach in a portable. I have to lug all my books 200 metres from where I park my car. I feel like a packhorse. Our school ground is well maintained but only due to parent funding. The mums and dads come in and help with fund raising, with sausage sizzles, selling chocolates. The role of parents is so much more due to cut backs in government spending. There's a lot of effort put in by parents.

"We need more teachers. We need lower class sizes -- it does make a difference. I know if I've got 15-18 kids I can do so much more for them than I can with 28.

"The hours teachers put in are horrendous. People need to balance work and family and have a life. All the teachers I know do a 38-hour week plus 10 hours overtime. I work most nights of the week. A room in our house is set up as a home office. We both work long hours, but I doubt we'd have the money to send our kids to university.

"The classroom is full of challenge. We've got an angry society. People are angry. Angry at the world. Angry because they are disadvantaged. Frustrated by no jobs or not being able to move ahead. That comes back to kids and comes into the school ground. It overflows into the classroom and endangers our staff.

"We need the government to value us. To hear John Howard say we don't teach values at state schools totally offended me. We teach morals, courtesy and respect. He's devalued us. Teachers deserve respect and acknowledgement that we are professionals and believe in what we do. We teach because we care so dramatically about the kids we teach."

Stephen agrees: "I honestly think John Howard has done massive damage. I'll never forgive him for patting Peter Reith on the back after what he did to wharfies over Patrick. I can tell you, I had a breakdown two years ago. The shrink said it was the waterfront thing that caused it. I was at P&O and it was hard to work while fellow members were out the gate. It really did hurt. I know plenty of the Patrick blokes personally. If I could have given them half my wage I would have.

"It's the elitism of the conservatives that gets me. They don't want us to have a fair go. That's all we want -- a fair go. They've got an agenda to crush unionists.

"(Former state Premier) Jeff Kennett set the ball rolling in Victoria. While Kennett was reinstating the silver service in parliament, we were doing chocolate drives to get money for our kids' school."

ALP Policy

Labor's education policy has been dubbed 'class warfare' by the pun loving media. A Latham Government would redress the balance and move millions invested in elite, upper class schools, back to struggling state and religious schools. Latham has pledged $1.9 billion more for public schools by cutting funding to elite private schools, including Sceggs, Sydney and Brisbane Grammer, Scotts College, Knox and Kings.

In total Labor will give a $2.4 billion funds injection to the education system over five years as well as cutting HECS debt, making university education more affordable and creating 20,000 extra TAFE places.

A Labor Government will also attract the best teachers to struggling schools in battling communities by providing new positions with higher rates of pay.

It will also double the Quality Teaching program by injecting an additional $35 million.