PRIME MINISTER'S SPEECH AT OPENING OF ST, FRANCIS
XAVIER PRIMARY SCHOOL, LURNEA, N. S. W, ON 13 JULY 1975.
AFTER THE TURMOIL OF CANBERRA, IT IS CURIOUSLY
REFRESHING TO COME HOME TO MY OWN ELECTORATE, TO WERRIWA, FOR
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY AFTERNOON. I HAVE BEEN
IN EXCELLENT COMPANY ALL WEEKEND, AS SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW.
LAST NIGHT WAS THE ALL SAINTS PARISH BALL AND I HAD
THE PLEASURE OF SEEING His LORDSHIP BISHOP CREMIN AGAIN. W'
LAST MET AT THE BLESSING AND OPENING OF ST. BEDE'S HOME AT
HURSTVILLE, WHERE HE TOLD A VERY LONG AND COMPLICATED JOKE WHICH
SUBSEQUENTLY GOT RECORDED IN MY WIFE'IS MAGAZINE COLUMN.-IN
WOMAN'S DAY.' TAT MORE THAN MY JOKES DO.
TODAY, OF COURSE, His EMINENCE CARDINAL FREEMAN IS
HERE TO GIVE HIS BLESSING TO THE OPENING OF YET ANOTHER CATHOLIC
PRIMARY SCHOOL. WE LAST MET ON THE OCCASION OF THE BLESSING AND
OPENING OF ST. JOSEPH'S, MOOREBANK. I REMEMBER WE TRADED
OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE TWO THOMAS MOORES THE ONE WHO ENDOWED
A PROTESTANT THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE IN SYDNEY AND AFTER WHOM
MOOREBANK IS NAMED, AND THE OTHER GREAT ENGLISHMAN, ST, THOMAS MOORE,
AFTER WHOM SO MANY CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN THIS COUNTRY ARE NAMED.
2.
OPENING DAYS ARE ALWAYS A SOURCE OF IMMENSE
SATISFACTION TO THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN PLANNING
AND FUNDRAISING TO GET A PARTICULAR PROJECT, LITERALLY, ItOFF
THE GROUND" TODAY IS NO EXCEPTION: IAM ALWAYS DELIGHTED TO BE
ASSOCIATED WITH SUCH CEREMONIES, PARTICULARLY WHEN, IN THE CASE
OF SCHOOLS, IT MEANS THAT A NEW SCHOOL HAS BEEN CREATED IN A
RAPIDLY DEVELOPING OUTER SUBURBAN* AREA, WITH A CLEAR NEED FOR
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES TO CATER FOR THE HIGH PROPORTION OF.
SCHOOL-AGE AND YOUNGER CHILDREN. IT HAS BEEN THE CONSISTENT
BELIEF OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR GOVERNMENT THAT ALL CHILDREN
ARE ENTITLED TO EVERY POSSIBLE CHANCE OF A GOOD EDUCATION, NO
MATTER WHERE THEY LIV E IN AUSTRALIA. I B EL IEVE THAT WHAT WE
HAVE DONE FOR EDUCATION IN THIS COUNTRY WILL BE REMEMBERED WITH
GRATITUDE IN YEARS TO COME.
TIME WAS, AND NOT EVEN TWENTY YEARS AGO, WHEN IT WOULD
HAVE BEEN QUITE UNTHINKABLE FOR A PERSON OF MY POLITICS TO BE
ASKED TO DECLARE OPEN A CATHOLIC SCHOOL. AND YET, HERE WE ARE,-
CARDINAL FREEMAN AND I, -AT OUR SECOND CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL
OPENING IN THIS WERRIWA ELECTORATE IN THREE MONTHS. IT IS JUST
THREE MONTHS TO THE DAY APRIL 13-THAT ST. JOSEPH'S WAS
OPENED. AND NOW ST. FRANCIS XAVIER'S.
BOTH TII; l CATIIOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS HAVE
ATTRACTED IDENI It,\ l A/ I\ TRALIAN GOVERNMENT GRANTS OF $ 140,000
UNDER THE CAP IAI ill IOR SCHOOLS PROGRAM 1973-74. THEY CAN
BE SEEN AS PART t~ uI; AUiSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT'S VASTLY
. IINNCCRREEAASSEEDD EEXXPPEENNIIgn11,1,, 1 ON EDUCATION OF ALL KINDS AND AT ALL
LEVELS. THREE Yt Al: i TIIE AMOUNT OF MONEY BEING SPENT
BY THE FEDERAL ( 1VII) I IJMENT ON CATHOLIC EDUCATION THROUGHOUT
AUSTRALIA WAS BIAllly $ 30 MILLION, THIS YEAR IT IS THREE
AND A HALF TIME:, MUCH. IT IS OVER $ 100 MILLION. NOW
THAT IS VERY MlI,' 1 FilUI THAN WOULD BE REQUIRED BY AN INCREASE
IN ENROLMENT OR AN INCREASE IN INFLATION IN THAT PERIOD,
THE PRINCIII II THAT WE HAVE ADHERED TO THROUGHOUT,
AS I SAID BEFORI, I I IAT IT SHOULD BE POSSIBLE FOR CHILDREN
WHEREVER THEY LIVI WHATEVER THEIR PARENT'S MEANS, WHATEVER
THEIR PARENTS 1l:-II:; 11, WHATEVER THEIR PARENTS OCCUPATION
TO HAVE AS GOOD AN I IJCATION AS THIS COUNTRY CAN PROVIDE.
AND THE BASIS UPON WHICH WE MAKE THAT PROVISION
IS PERFECTLY OPEN; IT'fS UNDER AN ACT OF PARLIAMENT. IT
IS ADMINISTERED BY A COMMISSION WHOSE MEMBERSHIP IS
APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DAY. IHAVE NEVER
HEARD ANY CRITICISM OF THE PEOPLE, MEN AND WOMEN, BOTH
LAY AND RELIGIOUS, WHO HAVE BEEN APPOINTED TO THAT
COMMISSION. IT IS A VERY DILIGENT COMMISSION, WITH A
VERY SERIOUS JOB TO DO. ITS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR 1974 AND
1975 HAVE TRANSFORMED EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA AND I WOULD
BE ABLE TO SAY7THAT IF I WENT TO ANY STATE SCHOOL, IF I
WENT TO ANY CATHOLIC SCHOOL, OR IF I WENT. TO ANY
NON-GOVERNMENT, NON-CATHOLIC SCHOOL, ANYWHERE IN AUSTRALIA.
THREE YEARS AGO, HAD ICLAIMED THAT IWOULD BE ABLE
TO SAY THAT IN THE FUTURE, THERE MIGHT WELL HAVE BEEN A VERY
GREAT NUMBER OF DOUBTING-THOMASES AMONG YOU. WHAT I SAID
MIGHT HAVE BEEN RECEIVED WITH SCEPTICISM, IF NOT DISBELIEF.
IBELIEVE THAT THIS AUDIENCE -SO MUCH INVOLVED IN
THE PROFESSION OF TEACHING, SO MUCH CONCERNED ABOUT THE
QUALITY OF EDUCATION, AND SO MUCH AWARE OF THE NEEDS OF THE
YOUNG POPULATION IN OUR BURGEONING OUTER SUBURBS -KNOWS
HOW MUCH WE. HAVE TRIED TO DO IN THE EDUCATIONAL SPHERE, AND
HOW REAL ARE OUR INTENTIONS TO CONTINUE OUR POLICIES IN THIS
AREA.
I HAVE VERY GREAT PLEASURE : i DECLARING OPEN
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER SCHOOL.
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE ON CATHOLIC EDUCATION
IN WERRIWA
SACRED HEART, CABRAMATTA
GENERAL BUILDING GRANT
RECURRENT GRANT 1974
LIBRARY BOOK GRANT
CAPITAL GRANT ( DISADVANTAGED)
RECURRENT GRANT ( DISADVANTAGED)
RECURRENT GRANT ( DISADVANTAGED) $ 200,000 45,564 3,937 6,000 5,770
11,948 ALLOCATED ( 1974)
( APPROVED TO
APRIL 1975)
( a ST. THRS'S, SADLIER-MILLEN
RECURRENT GRANT 197LV
LIBRARY BOOK GRANT
CAPITAL GRANT ( DISADVANTAGED)
RECURRENT GRANT ( DISADVANTAGED)
RECURRENT GRANT ( DISADVANTAGED) ,30,770 1,697 2,000 7,520
12 242
OUR LADY OF MIT. CARMEL, MIT. PR'ITCHARD
RECURRENT GRANT 1974
LIBRARY BOOK GRANT
CAPITAL GRANT ( DISADVANTAGED)
RECURRENT GRANT ( DISADVANTAGED)
RECURRENT GRANT ( DISADVANTAGED) ( 1974)
( APPROVED TO
APRIL 1975)
40,446 3,500
20,000 3,000 ( 1974)
9,120
A SPECIAL POINT OF INTEREST IS THE EXPENDITURE OF $ 9,000 ( INCLUDED
WITHIN THE ABOVE-FIGURES) ON A REMEDIAL READING TEACHER BEING SHARED
BY THE THREE SCHOOLS. ALL THREE. HAVE A HIGH PROPORTION OF PUPILS
WITH SEVERE READING DIFFICULTIES.
HIGH SCHOOLS
PATRICIAN BROTHERS HIGH SCHOOL, LIVERPOOL
RECURRENT GRANT 1974
1ST PAYMENT 1975
LIBRARY BOOK GRANT $ 104,335 88,741 2,625
ST. MARY'S HIGH SCHOOL, LIVERPOOL
RECURRENT GRANT 1974
1ST PAYMENT 1975 88,552 74,880
GRANTS TO NON-GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS
YEARAUSTRALIA 1970/ 71 32,508,000
1971/ 72 36,236,000
1972/ 73 47,755,000
1973/ 74 70,163,000
1974/ 75 ( ESTIMATE) $ 127,5331/" o INCREASE 11,4% 31.7% 46.9% 81.7% N. S. W,
$ 12,136,000
$ 13,234,000
$ 17,277,000
$ 24,564,000
$ 45,206,000
S
CHILDHOOD SERVICES PROGRAM4
ELECTORATE OF WERRIWA
1973/ 74 1974/ 75
( 1/ 1/ 74 to ( 1/ 7/ 74 to
Iocation 30/ 6/ 74) 31/ 3/ 75)
*.., Ition to salary costs,
in pre-school centres.
_,, Orthy Pre-Schoo, Holsworthy 2,747 4,572
. c Village Pre-School, Holsworthy 2,031 3,312
,... leburn Pre-School Kindergarten 1,656 4,622
: 3jbi Kindergarten, Ingleburn 993 1,563
jreen Valley Pre-School, Miller 6,170 12,966
Liverpool Pre-School Centre,
Liverpool 4,755 7,875
Ashcroft Pre-School Kindergarten 2,674 4,668
2. Contribution to salary costs, staff
S in child care centres. 1972/ 73 1973/ 74 1974/ 75
Ingleburn Child Care Centre,
( Methodist Church) 365 4,424 3,955
Ashcroft Child Care Centre,
S( Methodist Church) 3,639 4,329
3. Before and After School Proaram
( Approved 5/ 3/ 75 under Childhood
Services Program)
Heckenberg Primary School
equipment costs 2,370
4. Child Care Centres Capital Cost
( Approved under Child Care Act)
Child Care Centre for 40 children
aged 3-5 years Ingleburn 57,000
( Methodist Church), completed
operational
Child Care Centre for 53 children
aged 0-5 years Liverpool 200,000
( Lutheran Church)-( approval in
principle awaiting preparation
of building plans)
Child Care Centre for 40 children
aged 3-5 years Macouarie Fields 180,000
( Salvation Army, plans being
prepared). N. S. W. Education Dept.
Pre-School Centres Capital Cost,
Approved in 1973/ 74 Interim Pre-School
Child Care Services Program. / 2
-2-
Double Unit Pre-School
( conversion) Busby West
Public School 38,555
Single Unit Pre-School
( conversion) Sadleir
Public School 46,695
Single Unit Pre-School
( conversion) Canley Heights
Public School 36,960
Single Unit Pre-School
( conversion) Lurnea
Public School 44,435
A number of other proposals are now being
considered.