Gillard rules out overseas teachers
Sydney Morning Herald
January 17, 2008 – 11:33AM
The federal government has ruled out recruiting overseas teachers to plug staffing gaps.
Education Minister Julia Gillard said foreign teachers could come to Australia under current immigration arrangements favouring skilled labour.
But she said Australia must train its own people to resolve the teacher shortage rather than resorting to overseas labour.
“We know that at the end of the day this nation needs to be training enough people to meet our own needs,” Ms Gillard told ABC Radio in Melbourne.
“I am sure in terms of contemporary immigration arrangements that, given we are in the market for skilled labour, that if a teacher presented they would be assessed well on the points system.
“Isn't the actual answer to this … to develop a system which will make sure that this nation has enough teachers?
“We need to develop a system where those teachers are valued in the schools where they're working and where they know the government is working in partnership with them for a world-class education system.”
Ms Gillard on Wednesday said the shortage of teachers across Australia was caused by a neglect of teacher training by the former federal Liberal government.
