NTEU WELCOMES ANNOUNCEMENT OF RUDD'S 'EDUCATION REVOLUTION'
23 January 2007
NTEU welcomes the Leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), Mr Kevin Rudd’s, release of a discussion paper entitled, The Australian Economy Needs and Education Revolution, which outlines the links between public investment in human capital and future productivity growth and economic and social prosperity.
“The ALP paper provides data showing falling levels of public investment in higher education under the Howard government. This presents a threat to the capacity of Australia’s public universities to continue to deliver high quality, independent and internationally competitive tertiary education,” Dr Carolyn Allport, National President of NTEU said today.
“NTEU believes that the ALP’s Education Revolution paper provides a valuable input into the debate on education policy by providing the evidence of the substantial public benefits the wider Australian community derives from investment in education.”
“NTEU applauds the ALP’s objective of making Australia the most educated, skilled and trained workforce in the world, which will go a long way to creating opportunities for all Australians and a fairer society.”
“NTEU looks forward to working cooperatively with the ALP in the development of its higher education policy and will be seeking assurances that any new policies do not undermine the important defining characteristics of universities, namely the role of peer review, institutional autonomy and academic freedom.”
“Education policy is critical to the future of the Australian economy and society and the NTEU congratulates the ALP for giving it the highest priority in the upcoming election,” Dr Allport concluded.
Contact: Paul Kniest, Policy and Research Officer, (03) 9254 1910.