I am a proud product of public education. I would not be standing here today if not for some fantastic teachers and some fantastic schools I attended in my formative years. Likewise, my children are both now at public schools. I give a shout‑out to my daughter, Nia, who was recently made school captain for next year. They told me not to come back to that school and now she is the captain, so there you go—it is a lesson for everyone.
Ms Prue Car: Watch out, she's coming for the Minister!
Mr NATHAN HAGARTY: Yes. But the one stark difference I have seen over the past 12 years between my public education and that of my kids is the lack of resourcing. Teachers are worn out. Both kids have told me stories. Effectively due to teacher shortages, my daughter's class has been told, "Here's your lesson. We'll leave you guys to it" and the teacher has had to leave. For most of the first term this year, my son went without a science teacher. Of course, people across the State have experienced such stories. Teacher resignations were at record highs under the previous Government—they quadrupled over its time in government—and teacher vacancies doubled during those 12 years.
In six short months we have tackled some of those problems. We were elected on a platform of fixing the crisis in education, which was certainly one of the reasons I put my hand up to run. There is no reason my kids should not have the kind of public education I was afforded; in fact, they should get a better one. Normally these things improve over time rather than go backwards. In six short months this Government has abolished the wages cap. We have converted 16,000 teachers and support staff to permanent.
A couple of months ago I had the pleasure of being at a local school doing work with students. While saying goodbyes on my way out, the principal told the teacher I was with—a relieving deputy—some great news: "You've just been converted to permanent." Once the substantive assistant principal comes back, she will have a permanent role at that school. She said, "That's great. I love the kids. This is a great school." I said, "No, what would that mean for you?" For her, it meant stability. Her and her partner could finally get a mortgage. They could invest in and move into the community that she loves and where she taught for the last few years.
Speaking of the Leppington community, it ranks fifth in the State for population growth. Over the past 10 years the population has increased by 30,000, or 51 per cent, and in the past five years alone it has grown by just under 30 per cent. One would expect the previous Government to have commensurately matched that growth in population with investment in education. Sadly, that was not the case. The stats go on: We have the third‑largest growth in primary school‑aged children in New South Wales. We rank fourth in the share of population for kids attending school but number one in the State for the number of students attending private schools.
There is a lack of public schools in my electorate. Despite that, the public schools that do exist are well over their enrolment caps; I note the member for Riverstone has experienced similar problems in his electorate. Austral Primary School is 30 per cent over its enrolment cap, while Leppington Primary School is 38 per cent over and Dalmeny Public School is 45 per cent over. Obviously the Government is tackling these issues. During the campaign the now Minister announced investment in my local schools. Today in this Chamber we are talking about the largest pay rise in three decades.
I finish my speech by quoting from a local resident whose wife is a teacher. Early last week he said to me: "Please thank Chris Minns. My wife and her colleagues are very happy. I think it's also that they are truly being listened to and appreciated." That stands in stark contrast to the previous Government, where comments like, "It's not something I'm overly concerned about" were what people were used to. I am proud to be a part of this Government and speaking in support of this motion today.
