Tinetti JanJAN TINETTI (Labour): Thank you Mr Speaker. Now as much as the member Nikki Kaye who just sat down really wants to know what's in tomorrow's Budget there is only one more sleep. One more sleep and that member will know it all.It's always a pleasure actually as a teacher—and one with a full practising certificate—to follow the previous member. I'm proud to be a teacher and I am proud of the amazing teachers that I have worked alongside. I am proud of all of those teachers who have suffered a lot over the past decade.I find it amazing when we have the Opposition spouting to be the new best friends of teachers and yet suddenly that's where we are—we're these new best friends. But over those nine years that they were in Government we had an insidious attack on public education. It was one that has put teachers where they are at today. It is that attack that has caused teachers to march to Parliament today and unfortunately it's this Government that is actually working really hard because they're having to work on the outfall of those nine years. But we're up for the task.Over those nine years we had that attack on quality public education but we also through that saw the introduction of national standards. In the very first week of that previous Government they put in national standards—unbelievable. We saw learning support squeezed very very tight the funding caps put on staffing and that would become difficult for those teachers in those classrooms to cope with those children and the needs of those children. We saw teacher aide numbers reduced over time because of caps put on funding into the operations grant. But what did the previous Government do? Rather than saying Oh well let's help. Let's put more support in." they said "There is a crisis in education in those schools so let's create a new form of schooling; let's create the charter school."—so therefore privatising the schooling.I could go on. I could go on about the major property issues the no workforce plan some of the elements that weren't so widely popularised among people that they didn't know about. That tightening of the back staffing rules the changes to the back staffing rules which actually as a principal was the big turn-around for me when it really became incredibly tight. It was at that moment that I decided I needed to actually step up and make a change and that was the change that eventually brought me to this House. I left a profession that I loved. I left a profession that was my dream job and still is the profession that I am absolutely passionate about and my dream job because I was tired. I was like those teachers on that forecourt today. I was tired of seeing where education was heading and I knew that we could make a bigger difference in this place and as the Government.I'm proud of our Minister of Education for fronting out there today. That is the first time that I have seen that in a long long time—or second I should say because he did it in August as well. But I remember protesting against the previous Government and their offices being locked over the time; nobody coming and fronting to those protests. I am proud of the Minister I am proud of our Associate Ministers. I think they are doing an absolutely incredible job. As I said we are up for the task. We have made some differences in a short time. After nine years of neglect in 18 months we have made an incredibly strong start. The Minister said during question time today that we have put some of the biggest increases into learning support and I thank the Associate Minister the Hon Tracey Martin for the work that she is doing in that area because it will make the biggest difference to schools. I can only imagine how delighted the principals of the new special education needs coordinators will be having the new learning support coordinators in those schools.But I want to just quickly give you the figures. We've heard about the pay increases that happened under the last Government. Well I was head of the negotiation teams over that time and I can tell you that in 2013 to 2015 the top of the scale went up by $2000. In 2016 to 2018—very similar—to bring that sum total to $5000 over five years. The current offer will bring that top of the scale up by $9500. We are making a difference."