Carrie Bickmore: Well, Senator Simon Birmingham is the Education Minister and he joins us now. Minister, as we’ve just heard, NAPLAN results are plateauing. We’re falling behind by international standards. Our education system just doesn’t seem to be in a good place at the moment. As Education Minister, that can’t be a great feeling? Simon…
Michael Brissenden: The numeracy and literacy skills of Australian school students have plateaued despite an increase in Federal Government funding. Results from the 2016 NAPLAN tests released today show a slight improvement in reading and numeracy and a decline in writing. The Government says schools and parents need to focus on evidence-based measures to lift…
Kieran Gilbert: The latest data on the performance of our schools has revealed overall student’s literacy and numeracy skills have stalled. The preliminary NAPLAN results being released today show there’s been no significant improvement in these areas over the last year, despite record funding. I spoke to the Education Minister Simon Birmingham a short time…
Grant Goldman: Well the NAPLAN results are in and the Government is disappointed with the performance of the education system. Well, they’re not the only ones. The parents are as well and they have been for quite some time. Results show a plateau among students with reading, writing and numeracy not improving as much as…
Ross Stevenson: [Indistinct] has made no major gains in literacy and numeracy since 2012, despite the Government push to make Victoria the education state. To me, you can read these NAPLAN figures and construct whatever argument suits your purposes about because if you go through and take out the Australian Capital Territory because it’s not…
Ben Fordham: Now, NAPLAN. This year’s NAPLAN test results, well, are they a wake up call or what? The scores reveal that billions of dollars in extra funding to our schools have failed to deliver improvements in learning. Literacy and numeracy skills have flat-lined over the last three years, writing skills have gone backwards, spelling,…
Rafael Epstein: Let’s speak first to Senator Simon Birmingham. He is part of Malcolm Turnbull’s Federal Government. He’s also the Minister for Education and Training. Senator, good afternoon. Simon Birmingham: G’day Raf, good to speak with you. Rafael Epstein: How good’s your handwriting? Simon Birmingham: [Laughs] My wife and staff would tell you that it’s…
Ian Henschke: We’re going to talk to Simon Birmingham, Liberal Senator for South Australia and also Federal Education Minister, about the issue that $20 billion has been spent on education, and it has- many critics are saying without significant improvements. Simon Birmingham joins us now. Simon Birmingham: We’ve seen significant growth in funding to Australian…
Subject: Defence industry in South Australia, Northern Territory juvenile justice system, MATTHEW ABRAHAM: Welcome to the studio. We welcome Kate Ellis, Shadow Minister for Vocational and Early Childhood Education, and the Member for Adelaide, re-elected. Welcome, Kate Ellis. KATE ELLIS: Good morning, great to be with you. MATTHEW ABRAHAM: Narrowly re-elected Nick Xenophon, Independent Senator…
Subject: Ministerial reshuffle; Role of Defence Industry Minister; Immigration policies. E&OE… JOURNALIST: Well one man who was in that room among those who were applauding the return of the Turnbull Government was South Australia’s own Simon Birmingham who, in yesterday’s reshuffle, has retained the Education portfolio, one of the key portfolios and even had that…