NSW Labor Leader, John Robertson has urged multicultural communities to join his campaign against the Government’s $1.7 billion cut to the State education budget.
“I know parents in multicultural communities often work late nights or extra jobs to support their children through their education, helping them with their homework, and sending them to extra after-hours tuition,” he said at a Multicultural media conference.
“I urge parents and students in multicultural communities to join our campaign.”
Premier Barry O’Farrell has remained firm despite the criticism.
“This is a tough decision, absolutely, a tough decision forced by economic conditions, a tough decision forced by the state’s financial situation,” he told the ABC when he announced the cuts.
Mr O’Farrell says he’s not dismissing anyone’s concerns, but the cuts are about head office and don’t impact on teachers.
“The most frequent criticism I have from teachers, nurses and other health professionals is… their mystification about what some of the people in head offices are doing.”
Already Catholic schools across NSW have been forced to raise tuition fees by more than double the rate of inflation to offset the impact of the cuts. The Archdiocese of Sydney is raising fees by 4.2 per cent.
Shadow Minister for Citizenship and Communities Guy Zangari believes the cuts will be felt not just now, but in the future as NSW starts to lose its competitiveness.
The cuts are to affect public and private schools as well as TAFE.