Greens want NSW funding out of wealthiest private schools

The Greens today announced their plans to take away the state funding of the 64 wealthiest private schools in NSW and put the money into public education. Greens Upper House candidate and Education Spokesperson John Kaye released a list of these schools, together with the state and federal funding they receive.

Dr Kaye said: “Each year, these 64 schools receive $59.6 million from the state government in addition to $119.7 million from the Commonwealth. Kings received $5.3 million and Pymble Ladies College $5.8 million.

“This is scarce public money squandered on schools that are already exceptionally well resourced. It not only creates divisions within society but it also takes resources away from public education.

“Unlike Federal Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd, the Greens do not shy away from the debate about funding the wealthiest private schools. This is not the politics of envy. It is the politics of equity and securing quality education for all children.

“The Carr/Iemma Government has also lacked the courage to take on this issue. In 2001 the Greens introduced legislation into the NSW Parliament to stop the funding of these very wealthy private schools. Labor failed to support it and has allowed the funding of these schools to continue to increase.

“The NSW government has failed to take into account the massive increases in the Commonwealth funding of all other private schools since the NSW government came to power. Since Labor came to power in NSW it has increased its annual funding by $189 million while the Howard government upped funding by $718 million,” Dr Kaye said.

The Greens education funding policy would:

· end the state funding of the 64 wealthiest private schools and increase the funding of public schools serving disadvantaged communities by $60 million per annum; and

· adjust State funding of all other private schools to guarantee them total public funding at 2003 levels, adjusted for inflation, thus freeing up $350 million per annum for public education.

Greens launch TAFE policy

Greens launch TAFE policy: The cure for an abused and neglected system

Greens NSW Upper House candidate and education spokesperson John Kaye today met with TAFE students and teachers to launch his party’s $1.6 billion ‘Save TAFE’ package.

Speaking outside Ultimo TAFE, Dr Kaye said: “State and Federal governments have slashed their commitment to TAFE. Between 1998 and 2005, expenditure on TAFE fell by 22% per student hour in real terms.

“Today we heard about the disastrous consequences for TAFE teachers and students. Courses have been shortened and cut, workloads have become unreasonable and qualified applicants are being turned away. The spectacular growth in fees and charges is having a devastating impact on students from low income backgrounds. Student poverty is becoming a real problem.

“The Carr/Iemma Government has abandoned TAFE. They have reduced their per student hour funding and allowed permanent teaching positions to disappear.

“Today I announce The Greens package that promises $400 million more money each year to restore TAFE. We would boost per student funding and provide new money to allow student numbers to grow. We would address student poverty with financial assistance to those who really doing it tough.

“TAFE is not seen as the most glamorous end of education, and so it receives the least attention from politicians who are focused on headlines and marginal seats.

“Yet investment in TAFE is the best cure for the skills shortage. It is central to building a strong economy. And it is offers real opportunities for many young people to become part of the economic, political and cultural life of this nation.

“Spending on TAFE is a great investment in the future. The Allen Consulting Group estimates that for each $1 invested in TAFE today, the economy reaps a $6.40 benefit over 20 years. The total benefit of four years of the Greens package would be more than $10.2 billion.

“The Greens package directly challenges Morris Iemma and Peter Debnam to make real commitments to the future of TAFE.

“Whoever forms government can either continue the neglect or they can make real progress on positioning the NSW economy to take up the challenges of the next 20 years,” Dr Kaye said.

Greens Call for Extra $100 million pa for Disability Support Services

An additional $103.5 million in annual funding is the centrepiece of the Greens election policy on disability services launched today by Sylvia Hale, Greens MP and spokesperson on Disability Services.

The extra money should be allocated to create an additional 300 supported accommodation places and 100 attendant care places for disabled people as well as an additional 600 respite care places to relieve the burden on carers.

Additional money should also go to providing faster access to equipment and relocating young disabled people out of aged care facilities.

Other initiatives in the policy include an additional $12 million for improved training for those who work with the disabled and a guaranteed 5 days per week of funding for disabled people participating in Community Participation Programs.

“The Greens recognise that great progress has been made in breaking down the physical, social and economic barriers that disable people. That progress has come about because of the outstanding advocacy of the disabled and those who represent them,” said Ms Hale.

“But that work must continue because many barriers still exist. It is the role of government to support that work, by listening to what the community is saying and committing the necessary financial resources and political will to removing those barriers,”

“The Greens will continue to push for these commitments because we know that our community is diminished without them.”

“In 2006 a draft international convention protecting the rights of persons with a disability was developed and the Greens look forward to seeing that convention adopted by the UN General Assembly and enacted by the Australian and New South Wales governments,” said Ms Hale.

“Closer to home the recognition by the Council of Australian Government’s (COAG) that significant additional resources must be given to address the needs of people with disabilities has given new impetus, particularly for those who have been campaigning for so long on behalf of young people in nursing homes.”

“It is imperative that this new momentum at international, national and state level be translated into delivering real improvements where it counts, on the ground, in the homes and care facilities, the workplaces and public spaces where people with disabilities live their lives.”

“The Greens policy on disability services was reviewed during 2006 by a working group made up mainly of members with a disability. The aim of that policy review was to ensure that Greens policy reflects the priorities of people who are disabled and our commitment to translate the recent impetus in this area into real outcomes.”

Greens Policy Initiatives
Accommodation
The Greens are calling for a major increase in funding for the disability sector targeted at improving access to a range of high quality, age-appropriate, community care and accommodation options with the aim of enabling people who are disabled to live as independently as desired or as possible. The Greens support the call by the NSW Council of Social Services in its Closing the Gap report for among other initiatives, an additional 300 supported accommodation places and 100 attendant care places at a cost of approximately $45 million per annum. In addition the Greens are calling for an additional $2.5 million to assist in relocating young people with a disability out of residential aged care.

Increased funding is also urgently needed to expand respite care services and facilities, in-home and emergency support and crisis accommodation. The Greens are calling for an additional 600 respite care places at a cost of approximately $5 million per annum.

Access
The Greens aim to ensure equitable and integrated community access, including the provision and maintenance of ramps, rails, toilets, information and communications systems and appropriate public and private transport options.

We also aim to ensure that people with disabilities have access to affordable and accessible communications technology and services that are appropriate to their needs; the Greens are currently undertaking an audit of all of our websites to ensure they meet best practice for accessibility and we are calling for similar audits of all public and corporate sector websites.

Equipment
The Greens are calling for an increase in funding to the PADP program (Program of Appliances for Disabled People) to at least $35 million per year to ensure that necessary equipment is provided in a timely manner.

Human Rights
The Greens will initiate legislative reform to ensure adequate protection of people with disabilities who are in care via improved monitoring, investigative powers and enforcement and the development and promotion of appropriate alternatives to the use of coercive measures and restraint in disability services.

Education
The Greens believe that there is a need to focus on the education system to ensure the appropriate case management and integration into childcare and school education of children who are disabled and to provide adequately resourced pathways that support school leavers with disabilities to make the transition from school into meaningful employment, educational and vocational programs or other community-based activities.

The Greens are calling for an additional $8 million per annum for teacher development programs, teacher release time and additional teachers aide support for school students with a disability, an additional $4 million per annum to ensure that Community Participation places are available for 5 days per week and that people who have completed the Transition To Work program without successfully finding employment are given access to the Community Participation Program.

Employment
We are calling for the expansion of funding to labour market programs for people with disabilities and the development of a program of affirmative action in employment so that those who want to work have the opportunity to do so to the maximum extent possible.

For those who are in jobs we need to improve the provision of infrastructure and interpersonal support available to support them in the workplace.

Disability services staff
The Greens recognise the importance of providing further training, development and personal support to staff working in disability services and the need to adopt workforce measures to increase the professional mix of staff. The Greens are calling for an additional $4 million per annum in development programs for staff working in disability services.
We also support a real increase in pay and improved conditions and career structures for providers of services for people with disabilities.

Carers
We recognise the importance of the role played by carers and to support that role the Greens are calling for parents, partners, relatives and friends who act as carers to be eligible for registration as carers and to have access to support, including income and respite.

TOTAL Additional Expenditure: $103.5m p.a.

Greens Policy Goals
The Greens policies seek to ensure that people of differing abilities have:

· a well funded and resourced operational service sector to meet their needs;

· access to adequate support services to enable them to participate fully in schools and society;

· the opportunity to actively participate in the development of policy and the planning and delivery of services;

· access to well-funded and resourced health services including provision of research funding and traditional and alternative treatment options;

· the right, where appropriate, to choose where, when and how to utilise the most appropriate medical, support or advocacy service that best meets their needs;

· the right to access the most suitable accommodation option that best meets their individual needs;

· the right to be free from discrimination, exploitation, neglect and abuse;

· the right to actively participate in civic and political life, including contesting elections and holding public office;

· the right to publicly dissent, protest and organise themselves in defence of their rights;

· involvement in all levels of decision and policy making across society, including in services for people who are disabled;

We support government programs to promote public awareness and attitudinal change by removing structural barriers and inequality of access to education, training and employment; as well as programs aimed at removing cultural and linguistic barriers to access to support and services.

Time for govt to educate drivers

Journalist's cyclist rage criticised: time for govt to educate drivers

Greens MP and transport spokeperson Lee Rhiannon said today's Press Council's criticism of anti-cyclist comments in the Daily Telegraph is a wake up call for the Iemma government to do more to educate motorists on road rules relating to cyclists and how to safely share the road.

"The Greens are calling on the government to develop a public education campaign encouraging safe driving when near people on bikes," Ms Rhiannon said.

"The NSW Police should also set up a 'Cycle Safe Hotline' which cyclists, motorists or pedestrians, who witness dangerous or intimidating driving around cyclists, could ring to report number plates for police follow-up.

"In NSW there has been no education for motorists on road rules relating to cyclists or how to share the road with them. We may be the only state in Australia without a Bike-Ed program in schools.

"Education is critical as research shows NSW drivers have a very poor knowledge of some road rules, especially those related to cyclists. 'Look out for yourself' messages only reinforce the perception that cycling is dangerous and people who ride bikes should not be on the road.

"The RTA commissioned a survey of driver attitudes towards cyclists in 1995 but the results were so disturbing the report was buried and never published.

"In a copy obtained by the Greens, the report reveals 71% of drivers agree motorists do not see cyclists as having equal rights on the road. There was strong agreement, however, from 85% of drivers surveyed, that drivers should be educated to give cyclists a fair go on the road.

"The willingness of drivers to embrace education on safe cycling is something that the RTA should be milking, not ignoring.

"The RTA should be making sure people are clear on the rules of the road when it comes to cyclists, for example the long established rule that allows cyclists to ride two-abreast and more recent changes to roundabout rules.

"Improving knowledge of road rules in relation to cycling is crucial because drivers' mistaken judgement that someone riding a bike is breaking the rules is regularly translated into verbal or physical abuse that can become life-threatening.

"The RTA could institute a driver's licence renewal quiz – a cheap, simple and effective solution to improve knowledge of road rules relating to cycling. New Zealand has a successful 'scratch-it' quiz sent out with all car licence renewals, with prizes attached.

"The Iemma government should also increase its investment in cycling infrastructure. On-road facilities that legitimise cycling will help increase the number of people cycling, reduce dangers for cyclists and put a lid on cycling related road rage," Ms Rhiannon said.

Newcastle libraries starved of government funding

Newcastle Greens

MEDIA RELEASE
15 February 2007

Libraries starved of government funding for too long

Libraries in the Hunter Region are struggling to make ends meet. The Greens are calling for a desperately needed substantial injection of State funding to enable libraries to keep pace with the growing needs of their local communities and ageing populations.

The NSW State Government has budgeted to give less to libraries than any other state in Australia in this year. The State Government will provide only 10% of the cost to run local government libraries in NSW, compared with Northern Territory 69%, South Australia 29%, Victoria 20% and Western Australia 19%.

The State Government actually reduced library expenditure this year by $248,000. The rest of the bill for libraries is footed by Local Government at a percentage that has been increasing year after year. From having to provide 76.4% of the funds in 1980, to now local government paying 92.2% in 2007. (2007 State Election Public Library Policy Platform by the Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW)

In a recent report the Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW has warned that many councils will be forced to close branches or reduce operating hours unless there is a major increase in State government funding. Councils may even be forced to charge for library services in the future.

Greens candidate for Newcastle, Michael Osborne, said, “Newcastle Council has struggled to build one new library in the past 35 years. Most libraries are housed in old inappropriate premises not designed to meet the changing needs of users. “

“Most libraries in Newcastle operate on reduced hours, remaining shut for several days a week and increasingly having to employ cheaper less skilled staff. There are declining funds for books and the huge range of equipment modern libraries now need.”

Greens candidate for Charlestown, Jane Smith, said, “Libraries are under great pressure from an ageing population, with increasing demands for home library services to individuals and in nursing homes. Changing trends in education have also led to new demands and community expectations, including Internet access.”

“Recent studies have shown the Hunter has a higher level of need than anywhere in Australia, with fewer going on to tertiary education and therefore with lower employment prospects .A well funded public library service is all the more essential.”

The Greens will continue to push the State Government to shoulder its responsibilities and properly finance one of the community’s most important educational tools – its public libraries.

Greens call for two years of free pre-school

Monday, 29 January 2007

Greens call for two years of free pre-school

Greens MP and education spokesperson, Lee Rhiannon today pledged the Greens' support for the call by welfare groups to provide at least two days a week of free preschool to NSW families, saying that the Greens policy would give NSW children two years of universal, free pre-school education.

"The Greens strongly support the call for at least two days per week of free preschool for every child in NSW," said Ms Rhiannon.

"In fact, the Greens policy calls for every child in NSW to receive two years of universal, free public pre-school education.

"The dollars NSW is putting into preschools is declining. We now invest less than any other jurisdiction in Australia and we have the lowest participation rates.

"This means preschools are becoming less and less affordable and harder to get into.

"Increasing numbers of preschool-aged children are being forced to use child care centres, yet the majority of these are privately owned and run for profit, pricing them out of the reach of many families. Child care centres should not serve as a substitute for a universal pre-school system.

"Last year the Greens called on Premier Iemma to integrate pre-schools with public school kindergarten programs, in line with the recommendations of Professor Tony Vinson.

"Children from disadvantaged backgrounds tend to attend pre-schools less often, especially families living in rural and remote communities where there is poor transport access to preschools.

"Quality free pre-schools integrated with local public schools would ensure that all children are able to attend pre-school.

"Pre-school education brings benefits to our whole society and that is why it is worth the investment," said Ms Rhiannon.

Uni scandal creates enrolment chaos

Friday, 19 January 2007

"Uni for cash" scandal creates enrolment chaos

The Greens today called on NSW Education Minister Carmel Tebbutt to convene an emergency meeting of her state and territory counterparts to demand that the Howard government impose a moratorium on full fee paying University places.

Greens NSW Education Spokesperson and Upper House Candidate John Kaye said: "The university entrance system has been driven to the edge of collapse by the Howard government's deregulation of full fee places and their systematic under-funding of public institutions.

"The quality of tertiary education is being compromised by the Howard government's grab for cash. Carmel Tebbutt has an obligation to work with her Labor colleagues in the other states and territories to put a stop to this undermining of Australia's universities.

"Two years ago the union, student bodies and the Greens warned state and federal governments that the system would be placed under unacceptable pressure by deregulation.

"Universities have begun to abandon the coordinated admissions index system in favour of their own criteria. While this may work for some courses, it can also produce massively unfair outcomes for many students.

"State and territory ministers have a unique opportunity to stand up to the federal government and force changes that protect the integrity of the assessment system and ensure that admission is based on ability, not wealth.

"So far Carmel Tebbutt and her seven Labor colleagues have been quite spineless in dealing with federal ministers like Julie Bishop.

"The current crisis gives them the opportunity to display some serious resolve and, for once, drive the agenda on education.

"If they don't, the next three years will see the collapse of the university entrance system and the uncontrolled growth of full fee paying courses," Dr Kaye said.

Our record our future

The Greens in the NSW Upper House have a strong track record of influencing and improving government policy. The Greens MPs played a key role in stopping the Snowy Hydro sell-off, exposing the dodgy Cross City Tunnel deal and saving the Newcastle rail line.

Re-electing Lee Rhiannon and increasing the number of Greens MPs in the NSW parliament is central to holding the government to account and creating a more just and sustainable NSW.

NSW faces unprecedented economic, environmental and social challenges. If the government’s inertia and arrogance continues then within the next decade climate change will threaten human health and safety, the natural environment will continue to degrade, public services will decline and there will be a dangerous disengagement from democratic politics.

The Greens believe that it does not have to be this way.

• Clean energy technologies and public transport will not only make NSW part of the global effort to avert damaging climate change but will also create a robust and jobs-rich economy.
• Protecting the natural and built environments is a priority for NSW to secure biodiversity, community health and productive agriculture. .
• Re-investing in public education, health, transport and housing is essential to securing our future economic and social well-being .
• Community safety is poorly served by “law and order” auctions that merely increase penalties and compromise civil liberties. The real solution is to address entrenched disadvantage and create a safer and more inclusive NSW.
• There is much that can be done at the state level to frustrate the Howard government’s attack on the rights of working Australians.
• Ending corporate donations is the best way to curtail the undue influence of developers, large banks and the hotel industry. The Greens also want to stop the revolving door between the corporate sector and politicians and senior bureaucrats.

CSIRO lectures

Last night I went along to the CSIRO Energy Transformed Flagship lecture series at the CSIRO Energy Centre on the Steel River Estate.

The first speaker talked about how the National Solar Energy Centre was continuing its collaborative research into efficient, low emission energy generation particularly renewables and hydrogen. An interesting point made was that if all the electricity needs of Newcastle were to be satisfied from existing solar panel technologies they could be met from an area of 4 kilometres by 4 kilometres of solar panels, certainly a lot less than the rooftops of buildings in Newcastle.

The second speaker outlined the Distributed Energy Management and Control project which is looking for ways to improve the efficiency of electricity utilities and networks by facilitating the way they interact with their customer base. An example could be "smart agents" that receive and communicate information such as consumer preferences, price signals, weather conditions, etc between neighbouring sites and remote utilities to control when appliances are switched on and off.

Check out the CSIRO website and Newcastle Council's ClimateCam website.

Jesters in the court

Jesters in the court of Old King Coal

In a column titled “Green jihad a disastrous idea” in Friday's Australian, Dennis Shanahan - the well known right-wing Political Editor for the Australian, and a long-time, outspoken eulogist for the policies of John Howard and George Bush - attacked Newcastle Council’s decision to support a cap on coal exports from the Port of Newcastle. The Australian 10/11/06

Mr Shanahan’s (entirely predictable) views on this issue repeat the usual blinkered vision and scare tactics of the coal lobby. He bridles at the suggestion that society might “levy the coal industry to fund its own closure and find jobs for the displaced workers”, as though the principle of “polluter pays” is somehow a revolutionary notion, and that the mining corporations who have made such huge profits from our natural resources don’t have some obligation to help coal-dependent communities to restructure their local economies for a more sustainable future.

“Just Transition”, according to Shanahan, “is greenhouse-friendly code for sack workers.” [Those who are interested in what “Just Transition” really means can visit the Minerals Policy Institute’s website at: Just Transition.] Here is an excerpt from that site:

A Just Transition is how the Hunter can build a new economy from local skills and knowledge, with greater social equity. It protects the well-being of people and communities who are most vulnerable as we make a shift towards sustainability.

A Just Transition builds new partnerships from the bottom-up. It links communities, farmers, trade unions, businesses and governments to promote development that does not destroy. It shifts the debate from “Why change?” to “How can we change together?”

A Just Transition would guarantee:

* new secure, long-term jobs for people working in industries that are currently being threatened or displaced by the coal industry;
* new jobs in clean energy production, manufacturing, agriculture, services, tourism, arts and research to replace those being lost as the coal industry cuts its workforce;
* investment in education and training to develop the skills needed for a new economy;
* investment in infrastructure such as better health and public transport and expanded research and development so new, clean industries and skilled workers will be attracted to the Hunter;
* investment in repairing the environmental damage caused by large-scale coal mining and poor rehabilitation;
* investment in clean, decentralised energy technologies to replace the Hunter’s coal-fired power - a mix of energy efficiency, wind, solar, with gas playing only a limited transitional role.

Rejecting a Just Transition for the Hunter, Shanahan instead backs the views of Joel Fitzgibbon, Labor’s former federal Resources Spokesperson and Member for Hunter (which Mr Shanahan appears to confuse with the Federal electorate of Newcastle). Shanahan quotes Fitzgibbon’s portrayal of the Beyond Coal campaign as “extreme environmentalists” who “are launching a jihad against the industry in an attempt to close it down”.

The title of Mr Shanahan’s article clearly endorses this shallow attempt to associate local environmentalists with a term now negatively linked in many Australians’ minds with Islamic terrorism (though we would be quite happy to embrace the apparently more accurate translation of jihad as “a struggle or striving for good”).

Neither Mr Shanahan nor Mr Fitzgibbon point out that The Greens and other local environmentalists are backing a staged transition away from coal - rather than some kind sudden switch-off exactly because such a process would allow local communities to gradually restructure their local economies. Neither of them point out that jobs in Hunter mines have fallen from 10,000 in 1990 to about 6800 in 2003, according to New South Wales government figures, while production has doubled - see the facts here, or that an investment in renewable energy offers the possibility of many more jobs than coal.

Whilst Shanahan’s article is thin on substance, it’s a good example of the kind of treatment that the apologists for the climate changers will hurl at us in the coming campaign.

Coincidence?

Post hoc, ergo...

The Howard government's mogul-friendly media laws - relaxing cross media and foreign ownership restrictions - pass through the Senate with the crucial support of Christian fundamentalist Senator Steve Fielding.

Two weeks later, John Howard announces a scheme to publicly fund Chaplains for private and public schools.

Coincidence?

Multiculturalism

Sunday 22 October 2006
Greens NSW state council calls for bipartisan approach on multiculturalism

The Greens state council meeting in Kiama this weekend has called on the major parties to commit to bipartisan support for multiculturalism, Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said today.

"Cultural diversity will be a key election issue. The police report on the Cronulla riots highlights the need to rebuild harmony between the communities of NSW. This will not happen without the active commitment of the state's political leaders," Ms Rhiannon said.

"The Greens will campaign in the lead up to the next state election for increased support for ethnic communities marginalised by the policies of the major parties.

"The Greens council called on Premier Morris Iemma and Opposition Leader Peter Debnam to end the use of ethnic profiling.

"There is no evidence that the term 'of middle eastern appearance' helps solve crimes. The term is not used in other states and should not be used in NSW.

"It is time that political leaders stopped scapegoating some ethnic communities in matters of community justice.

"Mr Debnam has disgraced himself and the Liberal Party with his frequent references to '200 Middle Eastern thugs'.

"When Mr Debnam uses such insulting language he is effectively encouraging racist behaviour.

"The conference also called on the major parties to support multiculturalism by expanding SBS television and radio services and increasing the number of English as a Second Language teachers.

"ESL classes need to be available to all students from non-English speaking backgrounds so that language barriers do not damage their education," Ms Rhiannon said.

NSW Board of Studies attacked

6 October 2006
Julie Bishop attack on NSW Board of Studies is outrageous

Greens MP Lee Rhiannon has called on Federal Education Minister Julie Bishop to apologise to members of the NSW Board of Studies for her insulting remarks linking their work with Chairman Mao.

"Members of the NSW Board of Studies undertake difficult work and are struggling with conflicting needs. Disagreements will inevitably arise over curriculum content but using insulting language is unacceptable," Ms Rhiannon said today.

"Ms Bishop has lost the plot in her attempt to run her own ideological campaign. An unequivocal apology needs to be given to the NSW Board of Studies immediately.

"Ms Bishop has launched this attack as part of her attempt to takeover school curricula and remake them in her own ideological image.

"In this ham-fisted attempt to centralise power in Canberra, Ms Bishop has accused a number of NSW's eminent education experts and administrators of acting like Chairman Mao.

"Professor Gordon Stanley, who is the President of the Board and people like Dr Mary Fogarty have years of experience in education. They have done excellent work supporting the work of teachers across this state.

"Ms Bishop will no doubt be rebuked by her Coalition colleagues in NSW when they realise that the Federal Education Minister has accused a number of leading NSW private school representatives of being Maoists.

"These include Dr Brian Croke, a nominee of the NSW Catholic Education Commission; Mr Phillip Heath, a nominee of the Association of Independent Schools, the Headmasters' Conference and the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools; Ms Caroline Benedet, a parent of a child attending a non-government school, being a nominee of the Council of Catholic School Parents and the New South Wales Parents' Council and Brother Kelvin Canavan AM.

"It is a bit rich when the Minister who has imposed her narrow conservative views of education accuses the NSW Board of Studies of being ideological. Perhaps the Minister's outburst could find its way onto the NSW English curriculum as a defining case study in irony.

"The NSW Education Minister Carmel Tebbutt needs to be standing up to Ms Bishop and defending the Board," Ms Rhiannon said.