Bureaucrats grilled about Lithgow ‘better breeding’ slur at budget estimates hearing
Education bureaucrats investigating the ‘better breeding’ comment about improving HSC results have revealed the relieving principal who allegedly made the remark is yet to be interviewed.
NSW
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Education bureaucrats investigating the bungled “better breeding” comment about improving HSC results have revealed the relieving principal who allegedly made the remark is on leave and is yet to be interviewed.
But they won’t name the school involved, despite questions in parliament about whether it was Kandos High School, a school about 100km northwest of Lithgow.
In fiery exchanges in a public budget estimates hearing on education, One Nation MP Mark Latham grilled NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell and her top executives over the “disgusting slur”, contained in official department records as a suggestion on how to improve HSC performances.
Mr Latham asked why education officials gave “false answers” to The Daily Telegraph about the issue, and blasted the department over its response.
He asked if the teacher who made the comment “had no place in public education in NSW?”.
NSW Education Secretary Georgina Harrisson replied she had to tread cautiously because of “people’s careers”, and said the relieving principal involved was on leave.
“It’s a disgusting slur on a working-class community,” Mr Latham said.
“Why were the false comments made?”
The documents containing the comment were in a collection relating to Lithgow High, and the department initially said it was made by the relieving principal.
The department backflipped this week, saying the comment did not originate from Lithgow High School.
Ms Harrisson said the department had made its statement based on “an understanding prior to the fact that we had identified it was an incorrect piece of paper in the wrong section”.
Ms Mitchell was also asked by Mr Latham: “How do you as a minister justify this culture of incompetence and defensiveness?”.
She replied: “I don’t agree with the premise of your question. We need to get to the bottom of what’s happened here. The reality is there are some people that the department needs to speak to in terms of procedural fairness in their investigation that are currently on leave.”
Mr Latham also asked if officials had spoken to the director of education leadership in Lithgow, whose name is at the bottom of the controversial document.
“Why hasn’t anyone spoken to her?” he asked.
“The whole working-class community, their parents have been slurred about their breeding.
“I would like an answer on their behalf.”
NSW Education school leadership director Leanne Nixon said she understood the seriousness of the issue and she had spoken to the education executive, but not the relieving principal.
“There are still people that need to be spoken to. I completely understand why you feel strongly about it Mr Chair, the comments need to be looked at,” Ms Nixon said.
Originally published as Bureaucrats grilled about Lithgow ‘better breeding’ slur at budget estimates hearing
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