Public outcry in the wake of the axing of Murray MP Adrian Piccoli as Education Minister has paid tribute to the uphill battle he fought to secure an even playing field for all students in NSW.
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Speaking on behalf of the Teacher’s Federation, Leeton High School teacher Luke Di Salvia commended Mr Piccoli on the biggest legacy he left behind, his ongoing support of Gonski.
Mr Di Salvia said the Federation applauded Mr Piccoli for his unwavering stance on securing funding for disadvantaged students.
“It was his biggest strength,” he said on Wednesday.
“He was a real advocate for Gonski, he really understood its significance.”
Mr Di Salvia said he and other Federation members at Leeton High School were already seeing students benefit from Gonski money, stressing the importance of ensuring money continued to come through for the final two years of the program.
“We now have programs up and running to get kids and numeracy and literacy up and focusing on helping disadvantaged students,” he said.
“We really want to see that continue. From a Federation perspective we are looking for the best thing for our students.”
In a time where politicians can’t always afford to stand up for what they believe in Mr Di Salvia said it had been refreshing to watch Mr Piccoli face-off against others in government in his commitment to securing Gonski’s funds.
“He was at loggerheads about it,” he said.
“But he and, I guess, the NSW Coalition understood the importance of Gonski, especially the last two years – as opposed to their Federal counterparts.”
Mr Piccoli’s contribution to public schools across NSW was also recognised by the Public Education Foundation, who labelled it “outstanding” in a statement released on Monday.
The Foundation said Mr Piccoli led the nation in implementing the Gonski funding reforms, acknowledging what they said was an enormous contribution to excellence and equity in NSW education.
“He recognised the need to target disadvantage and ensure that all students in NSW have access to a top quality education,” executive Director of the Foundation David Hetherington said.
Looking to the future Mr Di Salvia said he didn’t think the Teacher’s Federation would be impressed if new Minister for Education moved away from the needs based resourcing model.
But the state’s new Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who appointed Rob Stokes as Mr Piccoli’s replacement, has already been vocal in her support of Gonski, telling The Australian she was “personally committed that NSW gets every single cent” allocated as part of the Gonski deal.
