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Policies

The underlying principles of the Public Education Party are advocating for quality public education, supporting all students, championing all public educational institutions and communities, advocating for social justice and equity, and fighting for a fairer, more cohesive, and productive society.

In all Public Education Party policies, students and their learning needs are inclusive of all students from across the spectrum of ability and behaviour, and from all economic, social, cultural, gender and family circumstances.

Our Key Position Statements 

Teaching and Learning

The curriculum must reflect the diverse learning needs of all students to equip them to achieve their potential and to become active, informed, and responsible citizens. Teachers and staff must be provided with relevant, evidence–based, professional learning that enables skills and knowledge development to underpin the learning needs of all students.

Resourcing

The Federal Government’s Student Resource Standard (informed by the Gonski Review 2011) is equitably and appropriately applied to support all students according to their needs. Every public school student should receive their full entitlement. The physical infrastructure of all public schools is built and maintained to a high standard and provides comfortable, safe, and engaging learning environments for students and staff.

Workforce

All public schools are adequately and equitably staffed with qualified personnel, particularly in rural and remote communities, and other hard-to-staff areas. The NSW Government provides high-quality professional learning to all staff throughout their employment. The NSW Government undertakes a comprehensive review of workforce planning, to support increased school and enrolment needs.

Wellbeing

Appropriate, safe, and healthy working and learning environments must be provided for all people in every educational setting. They must be supported by relevant programs and sufficient resources to facilitate individual and group wellbeing.

Aboriginal Education

The Australian Constitution is amended to recognise the prior sovereignty and legal rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people as the First Peoples of many First Nations. Learning programs should be fully funded to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to achieve equitable educational outcomes and to reach their full potential.

Secular Public Education

The Public Education Party recognises that independent and faith-based schools exist in our education community. The Public Education Party advocates that every local public school and TAFE is the preferred educational setting for young people. This enhances the social fabric of NSW’ community and its cultural capital. The Public Education Party defends the Gonski model in principle as the preferred and agreed to fairer resourcing model.

Beyond School

At any point in their lives learners and potential students must have access to TAFE, public RTO providers and tertiary education. This should be irrespective of cultural and religious background, socio-economic status, language proficiency and geographical location.

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Position

The NSW curriculum must promote excellence and equity, reflecting the diverse learning needs of all students and equipping them to achieve their potential. All students should be empowered to become: confident and creative individuals, successful lifelong learners, and active and informed members of the community, as outlined in the Mpartnwe Declaration.

Teachers and staff must be provided with relevant, evidence–based, professional learning that enables skills and knowledge development to underpin the learning needs of all students.

Priority Areas
  • Curriculum
  • Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples (First Nations Peoples)
  • Early childhood and Pre School
  • Special Education
  • English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D)
  • New Arrivals
  • Assessment and Reporting
  • VET
RESOURCING
Position
The Federal Government’s Student Resource Standard (informed by the Gonski Review 2011) is equitably and appropriately applied to support all students according to their needs. Every public school student should receive their full entitlement. The physical infrastructure of all public schools is built and maintained to a high standard and provides comfortable, safe, and engaging learning environments for students and staff.
Priority Areas
  • Student Resource Standard
  • Equity
  • Assets and Infrastructure
  • Workplace Health and Safety (WHS)
  • Information Technology (IT)
  • Financial Management
WORKFORCE
Position
All public schools are adequately and equitably staffed with qualified personnel, particularly in rural and remote communities, and other hard-to-staff areas. The NSW Government provides high-quality professional learning to all staff throughout their employment. The NSW Government undertakes a comprehensive review of workforce planning, to support increased school and enrolment needs.
Priority Areas
  • Temporary to permanent employment conversion pathways.
  • Increased permanent teacher recruitment to address current and future casual teacher supply.
  • More school counsellors and specialist teachers that are regionally and locally based, including consultancy and support roles in the areas of Aboriginal Education, Curriculum, Disability, EAL/D High Potential and Gifted, and Wellbeing.
  • An enhanced statewide, standards-based, promotion system and development pathway.
  • Provision of central support services and resources
  • Permanent allocation of equitable and increased professional release time to enable staff participation in ongoing professional learning, collaborative planning and preparation and wellbeing design that centres on student needs
  • Provision of high-quality, professional learning for all staff
  • Enhancing NESA processes to support the professional learning needs of teachers, the process of accreditation for teachers, teacher leaders, principals, and the induction of early career teachers
  • Selection and entry requirements into teacher training
  • Scholarship programs to address shortages
  • Salaries, Remuneration and Workload
  • Consistent practices across schools in the induction of teachers and their progress toward accreditation
  • Development of education professional leadership pathways in public education.
WELLBEING
Position: Appropriate, safe, and healthy working and learning environments must be provided for all people in every educational setting. They must be supported by relevant programs and sufficient resources to facilitate individual and group wellbeing.
Priority Areas
  • Programs that promote wellbeing for individuals, groups, public education institutions, and their community members are funded and resourced as critical components of the NSW curriculum.
  • The creation of working and learning environments that recognise and address different needs of individuals and groups, and where all members are included and respected.
  • Professional learning, awareness raising, and collaborative strategies are implemented so that all members of the education community are valued and empowered.
  • Regular and consistent recognition of education community member achievements is a prominent feature of each public education institution’s culture.
  • Regular assessment of Wellbeing programs to determine efficacy and future directions for harmony, resilience and learning readiness.
ABORIGINAL EDUCATION

Position: The Australian Constitution is amended to recognise the prior sovereignty and legal rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people as the First Peoples of many First Nations. Learning programs should be fully funded to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to achieve equitable educational outcomes and to reach their full potential.

The rich and diverse cultures, histories and experiences of our First Nations peoples is acknowledged and celebrated.

The true story of the treatment of our First Nations peoples is taught through the curriculum. Resources are provided to support First Nations students and their families to achieve their cultural, educational, and social potential.

Priority Areas
  • The rich and diverse cultures, histories and experiences of our First Nations peoples is acknowledged and celebrated.
  • Fully funded learning programs that enable equitable educational outcomes and achievement of full potential must value all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and their culture. These must be developed in consultation with First Nations communities.
  • More First Nations staff are employed in schools and TAFEs, where possible on Country, to support and teach all students.
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learning pedagogies and cultural education are provided regularly for all staff and students and include specific reference to the First Nations history of the school or educational setting.
SECULAR PUBLIC EDUCATION
Position: The Public Education Party recognises that independent and faith-based schools exist in our education community. The Public Education Party advocates that every local public school and TAFE is the preferred educational setting for young people. This enhances the social fabric of NSW’ community and its cultural capital. The Public Education Party defends the Gonski model in principle as the preferred and agreed to fairer resourcing model.

Priority Areas
  • Allocation of secular, support, and wellbeing staff.
  • Enhanced provision of social and emotional learning programs.
BEYOND SCHOOL
Position: At any point in their lives learners and potential students must have access to TAFE, public RTO providers and tertiary education. This should be irrespective of cultural and religious background, socio-economic status, language proficiency and geographical location.
Priority Areas
  • TAFE and public RTOs
  • Public universities
  • Intellectual, Workplace and Industry Partnerships