
“What makes parliamentarians more important than me? Why are we so expendable?”
A Victorian high school teacher has voiced the concerns of many of her colleagues in a calm but searing question directed at the government in a dedicated education episode of Q&A.
“I have been following all the conflicting information about schools in the media,” Karla Owen said.
“Parliament originally stated they would sit in August but it’s been brought forward to mid-May. Part of the reason for this was due to issues surrounding social distancing, but ScoMo has said all along schools are a safe place to be.”
WATCH: Karla on Q&A. Post continues after video.
“What makes parliamentarians more important than me? They can social distance more easily than I can, and they probably will, but in schools this is certainly not the case,” she said.
“Mr Morrison came out last week and essentially berated and devalued teachers.
“This was a slap in the face to all teachers,” she added.
Education Minister Dan Tehan appeared on the show via video-link to answer the question, and he started by letting the audience know both of his sisters are teachers.