Therefore, education at all levels is vital for our future. It is a priority for SA Labor. We have been holding a series of meetings, public and private, with key figures in our education community so that we can hit the ground running after the election with bold policies and initiatives, some of which have already been determined but which will not be announced until next year. I am convinced that we already have many of the resources needed for us progress toward becoming a vibrant regional economy, that competes, as part of the Knowledge Nation, on the basis of innovation and the skills of its people. We have to inject a sense of common purpose and leadership to make this happen.
Education is a key economic driver.
In the contemporary economy, it makes about as much sense to cut education and research as it would be to cut defense spending in wartime. We have to view education much more as an essential investment in our future. I have been distressed to see the disastrous fall in the number of South Australians not completing year 12. From a school retention rate of over 90 per cent 10 years ago to 58 per cent today is simply disgraceful. How can we be economically competitive it that is our performance in education.