SPC/PPA Joint Media Release: NSW Election Result

The NSW Secondary Principals’ Council and Primary Principals’ Association congratulates Chris Minns and the NSW Labor Party on their success in the weekend’s state election. 

We were pleased to hear Premier-Elect Minns confirm in his address election night that, as anticipated, Prue Car will be the new Minister for Education. We were also pleased to hear him re-state his commitment to support the frontline workers, including teachers, who did so much for our community during the worst of the pandemic. 

The SPC and PPA have always enjoyed a close relationship with our Education Ministers, and we are looking forward to continuing to work with the incoming NSW Government, and building on our existing relationships with the Premier-Elect and the relevant Ministers. We are committed to re-establishing and strengthening our regular formal and informal channels of communication with the new Education Minister, and ensuring that the voice of principals is heard through the NSW Primary Principals’ Associations, NSW Secondary Principals’ Council and our respective representative bodies. 

We are keen to ensure that our discussions with the Minister are both regular and productive. There is much to do, and we are eager to get on with the work that matters in improving outcomes for our students and to rebuild the status of Public Education. 

We know that education systems that do well internationally have a clear focus on reducing disadvantage and improving equity. We look forward to seeing what actions the new Government will take to ensure that every public school reaches the minimum School Resourcing Standard. 

Critical to this will be continuing and ramping up the work of the previous Government to reduce the administrative workload for teachers, raising the status of the profession and addressing the critical teacher shortage so that principals and teachers can focus on our core business: teaching and learning, and focusing on the wellbeing of our students and communities. 

It has been a privilege to work with former Ministers under the Coalition Government. Minister Mitchell, in particular, has held office during unprecedented natural disasters, the global pandemic and during a time of critical staffing shortage and significant industrial unrest. They have been challenging times and we appreciate the communications that we have enjoyed with the Minister Mitchell and her staff throughout these challenging times. 

NSWSPC and NSWPPA are looking forward to working with the incoming Minister, Prue Car, with whom we already have well-established relationships. We are committed to re-establishing and strengthening our regular formal and informal channels of communication with the new Minister and ensuring that she hears the voice of principals through the SPC and the PPA. 

Craig Petersen (President, NSW Secondary Principals’ Council) Robyn Evans (President, NSW Primary Principals’ Association)