Interview - The TODAY Show
CHARLES CROUCHER: Well, petrol prices are hitting unprecedented levels this morning as Australia faces a supply cliff. To discuss, we're joined by Education Minister, someone who'd like World Maths Day, Jason Clare, who's live from Canberra. Minister, good morning. You're not going to count bowsers, are you?
JASON CLARE, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: You know, I saw this story. I think it's on the front page of the Tele this morning, mate. This is a secret plan that was written by John Howard 20 years ago. And what it says is these are the sorts of things that governments can do if they need to. We're not there and what we're doing is releasing more fuel from the special or the strategic reserve we've got, and we've got to get that to petrol stations. That's the focus. We've also made changes to the standards for petrol and diesel so that we can increase the amount of petrol and diesel that we've got here in Australia. And again, we've got to get that to petrol stations. So, that's the focus, not this.
CROUCHER: Ok, we can breathe a sigh of relief on that front. The Premiers, though, are calling for a national response to avoid some of that confusion we saw during COVID. Is there merit in that?
CLARE: Oh, yeah, there is. And that's what's happening. You know, I think the Energy Minister met with state ministers last Friday. You know, that sort of coordination, that sort of preparation and planning is critical. We're one country and that's one of the roles that the Federal government plays is helping to coordinate the response across the country.
CROUCHER: I want to move on to your portfolio because in Victoria right now, more than 30,000 teachers have walked off the job. How close are they to a deal with the Victorian government? And could more be done to get that deal secured?
CLARE: Look, I'm very confident the Victorian Government will get there. There's no more important job in the country than being a schoolteacher. And we know from other states, the more you pay people, the more people want to do the job. In NSW, where you are at the moment, they've now got the highest paid teachers in the country and this year they've got the lowest teacher shortage numbers they've seen in 12 years. So, the work that Ben Carroll, the Victorian Education Minister, he's a first-class Education Minister and he gets it. He understands just how important our school teachers are to the future of our country. And so, I'm very confident that they'll get there and they'll get a good deal for teachers and a good deal for Victoria.
CROUCHER: You've been doing a fair bit of work with Ben Carroll because it's one year since you announced the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement. That was a national approach, getting everyone on board for funding. What's the report card?
CLARE: Well, there's a bit of good news here, mate, and we need a bit of good news. What it shows is that the number of kids finishing high school is going up for the first time in about a decade. That's good news. It shows school attendance rates, the number of kids actually turning up to school is going back up after years of decline as well. And it also shows a jump in the number of people enrolling to become a teacher at university. So, that's all good. That's a start. But there's a lot more to do. You know, the most important thing here is teaching children how to read and write. And I've said a number of times that the reading wars are over. You know, we know what works to teach kids to read and that's phonics. And there was some of the best news I think I've ever heard as Education Minister, and that came out of NSW last week, where they're teaching kids to read with phonics and they do a thing called a Phonics Check when kids are in year one, when they're six years old. When they did that check three years ago, one in two children were on track with their reading. When they did that check last year, it was two thirds of children who were on track. So, that's a massive jump from one in two children being where they need to be with their reading to two thirds, just in the space of three years, we need to roll that out across the country. And this year, for the first time ever, every state and every territory will roll out that Phonics Check for children in year one. And we're going to do the same thing for maths. So, it was great to see Mount Pritchard on the telly just a minute ago, around the corner from where I grew up and those sorts of things. Making sure kids have got the skills they need to read, to write, to count. They're fundamental to making sure that more children finish high school.
CROUCHER: Yeah. We hope it continues to improve. Minister, thanks for your time.
CLARE: Good on you. Thanks, mate.