Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to add my voice to that of the new Minister for Education, and I quote something he said in question time about teaching: 'There aren't many jobs in this country more important than being a teacher, and we need more of them.' He cited that there are fewer people going to university to study teaching. In fact, there's been a 16 per cent decrease in the past 10 years. That's why this government's committed to $40,000 bursaries and expanding the High Achieving Teachers Program to encourage the best and brightest to become teachers, and it's why we're prioritising visas for overseas teachers.

But from this old chalky and this old principal, can I just say: teaching is an incredible career—a career for those with a high IQ, because the intellectual demands are great; for those with high emotional intelligence, because the emotional demands are great; and for those with strong communication skills, because the communication demands are great. But for all that, it is an incredibly, incredibly encouraging career. It's an incredible career, where teamwork is imperative, and it creates a wonderful collegiate culture. It's a job where the interactions with students give you real-time feedback on your work every minute of your day, a job where the fruits of your labour are young Australians and their families, and the celebrations are inspiring.