AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR THE DEFENCE OF GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS - D.O.G.S.

PRESS RELEASE #9.

              P U T    M R    K E N N E T T 'S 

L I B E R A L  G O V E R N M E N T      L A S T !

Supporters of  public education have long memories:

They remember that in the period 1992 - 1999 Mr Kennett's Liberal government has :

• Closed  more than 369 Public schools and flogged them off to Church schools or private developers

• Increased funding to private Church Schools 

• Sacked more than 6788 teachers in public schools. This does not include support staff

• Casualised the  teaching force with newly appointed teachers on contracts ( if they are lucky)

• Bullied and Silenced the Teaching Force through  Regulation 140

• Overloaded teachers remaining in the force with extra duties

• Forced parents to pay ever increasing "voluntary" levies to fill in public funding shortfall

• Forced Schools Councils to become tax collectors to fill in  public funding shortfall

• Created gross inequalities between schools forced to rely on private contributions

• Made a mockery of "education' by involving business enterprises in funding and administration of our public system

• Privatising our public system through the imposition of the "Self Governing Schools" program

• Treated Parents, Teachers, and School Council Organisations with complete contempt

• Ignored  children cast onto our streets and into the hands of drug pushers after the closure of their schools

• Used  police to mount a baton attack on the protesters at Richmond Secondary College

• Spent millions of dollars of taxpayers money on "consultants","strategic leadership",and misleading advertising

No doubt our readers and supporters can add to the above list.

But supporters of public education can only come to the conclusion that, if we are to prevent the strangulation, dismantling and privatisation of our once proud public education system in Victoria, we must put Mr Kennett and his government LAST on our ballot papers on September 18, 1999.