25 September 2024
Supporting Canberra’s teachers  

A re-elected Labor Government has a practical and proven plan to hire more teachers for our new and expanded public schools.
 
This starts by ensuring our public school teachers are the highest paid in the country, and that will continue under a Labor Government.
 
We will also attract more teachers into our public schools by offering scholarships for people who want to study teaching, including career changers. These scholarships of up to $50,000 will prioritise in-demand specialisations, like language teaching and disability inclusion. Increasing the pipeline of future teachers with a focus on the areas that need it most will help to alleviate workload pressures across our school system.
 
To provide our existing workforce access to more support and expertise, we will create a new team of disability inclusion coaches in Belconnen public schools. This follows a successful rollout of disability inclusion coaches in Tuggeranong public schools this year.
 
A re-elected Labor Government will double our recent investment in literacy and numeracy, with $25.9 million in new funding. This represents a total investment of $56.5 million in rolling out Strong Foundations, a system-wide program to boost literacy and numeracy outcomes.
 
It was ACT Labor that promised, and delivered, the Future of Education Equity Fund. This year alone, more than $3.2 million has helped more than 5,400 students with the cost of music lessons, sports equipment and uniforms.
 
A re-elected Labor Government will expand the Fund, so that it reaches an additional 1,000 students every year. It’s a practical and proven plan that provides cost-of-living support for families.

Statement ends

Media contact:

Kaarin Dynon    0422 772 215   [email protected]