Ripped Off Policy Does Nothing For Education

Media Release.

The LNP Government has today released a ripped off education policy under the cover of school holidays, hoping nobody is paying attention.

Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said the government’s education announcement which would kick in in two years - placing principals under contract - was a carbon copy of the NSW Government’s recent education policy with a few glaring omissions.

“A simple Google search will show anyone where this idea came from – in fact if a high school student was to hand this in as a school assignment, they’d be done for plagiarism,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

The one big difference is that while the NSW Government has also introduced such misguided measures as placing staff under contract, it has indicated it supports actual education reform which benefits students – unlike the Newman government.

And, if this is such sound policy, why has it been snuck out while our school yards are empty during school holidays?

“There’s been no consultation with schools, no consultation with principals and the unions and certainly no consultation with students.”

Ms Palaszczuk said the lack of consultation was a good measure of the government and the Premier who now needed to explain how he intended to find the $535 million to pay for his announcement.

This is not a policy announcement, it’s an election commitment that won’t kick in until 2015.

"In the meantime, Queenslanders can be sure he will be studying the secret Costello report to see what he can put up for sale to pay for this.”