The recently announced funding cuts to NSW public schools and TAFE colleges have resulted in a political backlash against the O’Farrell Government only 18 months after its landslide win.
A poll released today shows overwhelming support for a greater investment in public schools and state-wide opposition to the NSW Government’s cuts.
NSW Teachers Federation President Maurie Mulheron said the AUSPOLL survey of 1002 people revealed:
- Over 70 per cent of people oppose the $1.7 billion in cuts to public education announced by the O’Farrell Government and only 14 per cent support them
- 70 per cent said the cuts would have a negative impact on children in schools
- 82 per cent said they believed it was either important or very important to increase funding for public schools.
Despite these views, less than a third of respondents said it would have made a difference to their vote 18 months ago.
“The polling shows that, while anger exists across the state, it is even more pronounced in rural areas," said Mr Mulheron.
“These cuts contradict the NSW Government’s own submission to the Gonski funding review last year in which it warned that many children were being left behind and that funding for education needed to be increased.
Mr Mulheron said that the NSW Teachers Federation will develop a community based campaign against the cuts that will involve a broad alliance of parents, teachers, principals and concerned citizens.
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