ALP turns focus to education campaign

Bill Shorten has claimed that only a Labor government was committed to ‘extra resources’ for schools.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and Labor Education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek pose for photos with delegates outside the Australian Education Union's annual federal conference yesterday Picture: AAP

Bill Shorten has pledged to make education a key election issue, claiming that only a Labor government was committed to “extra ­resources” for schools and “better educational outcomes”.

Speaking at the Australian Education Union national conference in Melbourne yesterday, the federal Opposition Leader implored teachers to help spread Labor’s vision on education.

“The reality is that, as a nation, we have to decide our priorities,” he said.

“I have a view that better schools trumps bigger banks. I have a view that better TAFE trumps bigger multinational tax profits.

“We’ve got the best vision for education, we have the best vision for teaching … we’ve done the work.”

The ALP’s bid to ramp up its campaign around school funding was aided by Victorian Education Minister James Merlino, who ­escalated his own battle with the Coalition by pulling out of a ­significant education forum ­organised by federal counterpart Dan Tehan.

Mr Merlino, who was at Port Melbourne Primary School ­touring building works alongside federal Labor education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek, announced that he would boycott the Melbourne Education Declaration forum on shaping future education goals and policy, also held in Melbourne yesterday.

“I wasn’t prepared to sit and listen to the Morrison government grandstand about education while they are proposing a funding model in which public school kids get less funding than private school kids,” Mr Merlino said.