EMBARGOED AGAINST DELIVERY
AT 3.3OPM SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER
ST JEROME'S SCHOOL SYDNEY 10 MARCH 1985
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
It gives me much pleasure to be here today to open these
major extensions and renovations at St Jerome's Primary
School. As your local Member, John Mountford, has told me, today
marks an important stage in the history of the school
for its students, its dedicated staff, and the parent~ s
and community it has served over the last 53 years.
The opening today recogniises the place St Jerome's has
won for itself in Punchbowl. It reflects your
community's concern for the kind of schooling seen as
vital to prepare your children for a changing world, and
the energy and enthusiasm put into that vision.
St Jerome's School embodies that vision. You have every
reason to be proud of your students and the contribution
they have made to national and local life.
One of them is John Mountford who has represented Banks
in the Federal Parliament since 1980, following his
earlier distinguished service as an Alderman and Mayor
of Canterbury. Another link was Eris O'Brien who was
associated with the school's estalishment in 1952, and
went on to become Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn.
As I look around the school today, I can see what an
excellent job of construction and renovation has bee-I
done on the school premises. Clearly, you are trying,
successfully, to provide the kind of environment and
facilities needed for both students and staff to achieve
their best results.
Construction is for the future, and the future requires
confidence, not least confidence in the future place of
a school such as St Jerome' s in the development of
Australia's education system.
As you know, over recent years there has been a great
deal of debate over the future of that system, and in
particular the future of Commonwealth assistance for
non-government schools. Much of that debate stemmed
from parent's concern over the way their children should
be educated and the kind of values they wish to see
associated with that education. The policy my.
Government announced last year recognised these
concerns. It acknowledges the existence of a dual education system
in Australia. It recognises too that education is a
partnership between the school community and the State
and Commonwealth Governments.
On the Commonwealth side, that policy is intended to
ensure, among other things, that Australia has a
national education system which can cater for the
diversity of our society diversity of abilities,
aspirations and needs. Non-government schools have a
secure place in that system.
Our policy is intended too, to ensure that assistance
should be on the basis of need. You will agree I am
( 1 sure that in the interests both of equity, and of making
the best use of the education dollar, that the neediest
schools should receive the greatest assistance.
The new funding basis which is taking effect in 1985
will have the effect of reducing over time the resource
gaps between different schools. Schools that are
relatively disadvantged will receive very considerable
increases in resources over the next 8 years, based on a
new assessment of needs and tied to a common measure of
resources across both government and non-government
schools. For non-government schools that are in level
12, the neediest category, these increases in per pupil
grants will range up to 45 per cent by 1992, over and
above the rate of inflation.
We have managed to set this policy in place despite the
very stringent overall budgeting constraints on the
Commonwealth Government.
C St Jerome's will benefit very materially from this
policy. In 1984 Commonwealth grants to the school to assist with
operating costs were close to $ 394,000. In 1985, I
understand St Jerome's will be classified as a Category
under the new scheme. By 1992, the school's
grants will have increased by 41 per cent over and above
increases necessary to account for inflation.
The Commonwealth also recognises that some schools have
very special needs to meet. I understand, for example,
that here at St Jerome's Primary School you have
students from some 13 different countries. This variety
makes for a lively mix of different cultures and
viewpoints, and offers the opportunity to enrich the
education of all children at St Jerome's. It also
presents a challenge to teachers, in ensuring that all
students can receive the grounding in common experiences
and learning skills necessary for them to succeed as
Australians later in life.
3..
The buildings being opened today are the result of a
major co-operative effort. They will provide much
needed new and upgraded facilties, including extra
classrooms, a canteen, and ESL and kindergarten areas.
I am pleased to note that the Commonwealth has been able
to contribute over $ 450,000 towards the overall cost.
The contribution made by the school itself, by parents
and friends to the project, emphasises your own
commitment to the future of St Jerome's and to the
quality of education it provides.
My concern with education, and that of the Federal
Government, goes beyond the question of financial
resources, to the quality and relevance of the education
being offered in our schools. This emphasis is central
to the investigation being carried out by the
Commonwealth's Quality of Education Review Committee, a
group of eminent educationalists chaired by Professor
Karmel. This Committee's task is to develop strategies
designed to ensure that extra funds taxpayers funds
being invested in schools are used more effectively, to
produce better educational standards among our students
both primary and secondary.
One Area the Committee has been looking at is how to
ensure that the increasing number of students staying on
to upper secondary level have the kind of skills needed
for them to take up employment or higher education
opportunities in the modern Australian economy.
We place the highest priority on tackling these
problems, especially in this year, International Youth
Year. All this begins here, at primary school. Primary
schools have an essential part to play in ensuring that
all their students leave Year 6 with acceptable levels
of basic skills, in literacy, numeracy, and
communications. Satisfactory levels of attainment in
these skills are vital they provide the foundations
for all further study.
The Catholic.-Church's appreciation of these realities,
is-well known. I have welcomed the Catholic
authorities' co-operation with the Government and their
contribution to the development of a fair and effective
education policy. I look forward to continuing
constultations with your Church leaders on the issues
involved. It gives me now great pleasure to declare these new
facilities open. I wish all those associated with St
Jerome's well for the future.