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Speaker 1: Now let's head across and take a real change of

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Speaker 1: pace to some very positive news from throughout the week,

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Speaker 1: the federal and Northern Territory governments announcing that a one

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Speaker 1: billion dollar investment to fully and fairly fund public schools

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Speaker 1: by twenty twenty nine, two decades earlier then under the

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Speaker 1: current model. So it includes seven hundred and thirty seven

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Speaker 1: million dollars from the Feds and three hundred and fifty

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Speaker 1: mili from the Northern Territory government, with the funds providing

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Speaker 1: more resources and support as well as career and job pathways.

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Speaker 1: And joining me on the line to tell us a

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Speaker 1: little bit more about the announcement, to talk a little

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Speaker 1: more about the announcement, I guess is mt cogso's president,

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Speaker 1: Tabby Fudge. Good morning to you, Tabby.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, and good morning to your listener.

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Speaker 1: Tabby. First off, what was your reaction to the announcement

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Speaker 1: earlier in.

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Speaker 2: The week, Katie, I actually cried, oh really, you know, oh, Katy,

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Speaker 2: even now, you know, just talking to you about it now.

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Speaker 2: This is something that I have been working on since personally,

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Speaker 2: when I first started this advocacy journey, you know, back

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Speaker 2: in twenty eleven. Twenty twelve when I came to the

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Speaker 2: understanding that you know, our children in our schools back

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Speaker 2: then weren't getting the same kind of resourcing that I

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Speaker 2: did when I was a kid in school. And I

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Speaker 2: started then and it's you know, it started me off,

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Speaker 2: you know, investigating how I could be a bigger help.

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Speaker 2: And that's when I discovered COGSO and I joined COGSO,

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Speaker 2: and on first of all, I was you know, a

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Speaker 2: regional rep and then a treasurer and then I became president.

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Speaker 2: So as an organization, COGSO, we've been advocating for this

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Speaker 2: very thing for well over a decade. So, you know,

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Speaker 2: to see our children finally be getting one hundred percent

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Speaker 2: of the student resourcing standard is you know, it's overwhelming.

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Speaker 1: To be perfectly from it's really good to hear that, Tabby.

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Speaker 1: It is really good to hear some really positive news

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Speaker 1: for our school students in the Northern Territory from a

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Speaker 1: real on the ground perspective. What kind of impact is

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Speaker 1: this going to have?

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Speaker 2: Well, what this funding will do It will be able

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Speaker 2: to boost and empower our schools to enhance their teaching

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Speaker 2: and learning resources. Essentially, you know what it will mean

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Speaker 2: is we'll be able to reduce class size, implement initiatives

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Speaker 2: that are going to improve the educational outcomes for all

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Speaker 2: of our students. It'll give us more teacher aides in classrooms,

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Speaker 2: It'll give us more resources and programs, you know, be

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Speaker 2: able to boost up those music and art programs, those

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Speaker 2: sports programs, some of the programs that have you know

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Speaker 2: sort of you know, a lot of schools have actually

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Speaker 2: sadly had to cut back because they simply haven't had

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Speaker 2: the resources for it. And this coupled with a whole

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Speaker 2: lot of the other initiatives that are happening at the moment,

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Speaker 2: with that partnership between federal and anti government, you know,

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Speaker 2: it's going to make a massive, massive difference because than

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Speaker 2: Northern Territory. It really truly is, because what we can't

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Speaker 2: ever ever lose sight of is that you know, we

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Speaker 2: can't look at education in isolation. You know, it comes

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Speaker 2: hand in house, hand in hand with you know, housing

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Speaker 2: and health and various other things. You know, we've seen

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Speaker 2: to an announcement this week around you know, the extra

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Speaker 2: money for housing. You know, this is a big part

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Speaker 2: of it too, and also this middle school and secondary

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Speaker 2: review because you know, essentially you know, the remotes and

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Speaker 2: very remotes had secondary education provision taken away from them,

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Speaker 2: you know over a decade or probably a bit over

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Speaker 2: a decade ago. It was sort of done, you know,

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Speaker 2: slowly and incrementally. But you know, there are so many

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Speaker 2: people who have such you know, incredible expertise and access

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Speaker 2: to resources that have drawn parallels between the disintegration of

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Speaker 2: you know, certain aspects of law and order within the

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Speaker 2: behaviors that we're seeing and the you know, the disintegration

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Speaker 2: of secondary provision out in our remost you know, when

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Speaker 2: we see you know that the only way kids can

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Speaker 2: have that secondary education is by going to boarding school.

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Speaker 2: You know that that's you know, that makes a huge

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Speaker 2: difference because then the younger kids don't have those peers

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Speaker 2: and those role models. You know, what's the point of

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Speaker 2: going to school? You know, you need that example, that

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Speaker 2: role modeling. And having all of these programs come together

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Speaker 2: in the last week or so, it's going to make

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Speaker 2: a massive difference to our northern territory.

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Speaker 1: It truly truly is Tabby tell us in terms of

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Speaker 1: the benefits to students. What do you think that we

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Speaker 1: are going to see as this funding rolls out? Because

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Speaker 1: there's going to be a lot of parents listening this

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Speaker 1: morning thinking sounds like a huge amount of money, but

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Speaker 1: what difference is it going to make to my child

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Speaker 1: in the classroom.

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Speaker 2: Well, as I said, it's going to mean you know,

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Speaker 2: smaller class sizes, upgrading of resources. It's going to mean

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Speaker 2: you know, more teacher aids in classrooms, you know, access

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Speaker 2: probably to more you know, hopefully you know, occupational therapies.

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Speaker 2: You know, for those kids with you know, disability or

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Speaker 2: whatever they can they can have those needs address.

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Speaker 1: Now what about in terms of you know, for our teachers.

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Speaker 1: By the sounds of it, it is going to mean

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Speaker 1: that our teachers have some more support as well, like

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Speaker 1: you touched on those teachers aids, but also delivering those

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Speaker 1: different programs like you know, like PE, like you you know,

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Speaker 1: your different extension classes as well.

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Speaker 2: I'm assuming absolutely, you know it, we'll see an absolute

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Speaker 2: expansion of those sort of programs. It's it's just huge,

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Speaker 2: you know, it's at at the moment as we speak now,

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Speaker 2: we're actually Michelle our Ce is in at the Department

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Speaker 2: of Education getting a briefing on on a statement of intent,

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Speaker 2: which is how the NT is I suppose going to

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Speaker 2: roll some of this out Obviously, it's going to be

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Speaker 2: probably in the very beginning stages. But you know, so

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Speaker 2: we're going to find out more after this meeting, and

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Speaker 2: then I'll be able to update you and your listeners

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Speaker 2: with a bit more information of how you know, they

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Speaker 2: envisage that it will be rolling out that. Obviously, this

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Speaker 2: is going to be a collaborative effort where they will

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Speaker 2: be consulting with key stakeholders such as you know, NT, cogsough.

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Speaker 1: Too and Tabby.

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Speaker 2: Will I'm able to work out what's going to get

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Speaker 2: the best outcome.

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Speaker 1: Will that give us a better idea as well of

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Speaker 1: you know, which schools are likely to receive funding first?

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Speaker 1: Is it going to be across the bord or is

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Speaker 1: that some of what is being worked out at the moment.

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Speaker 2: I think that that is what will be getting worked

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Speaker 2: out at the moment. Obviously, there's probably been a fair

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Speaker 2: bit of work going in the background between the NT

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Speaker 2: Department of Education and Federal Minister Claire's office. I know

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Speaker 2: Federal Minister Claire has been very clear with us. We

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Speaker 2: last met with his office in November of last year,

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Speaker 2: and he told us that he wants to see education

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Speaker 2: funding glow in the dark. So you know, obviously he

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Speaker 2: takes this very very serially seriously. He does not want

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Speaker 2: to see this be you know, spent you know, not

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Speaker 2: in classrooms. He wants to see this absolutely in our

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Speaker 2: classrooms making a difference to the outcomes of our children

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Speaker 2: every single day.

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Speaker 1: And I reckon that is what everybody listening this morning

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Speaker 1: will be hoping for as well. We don't want it

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Speaker 1: to be tuned up on administration or you know, in

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Speaker 1: different areas where where for some reason it's not getting

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Speaker 1: to the kids and the teachers and into those classrooms. Tabby,

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Speaker 1: can I ask, are you concerned that it is going

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Speaker 1: to be five years before this gets fully rolled out

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Speaker 1: to the schools.

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Speaker 2: My understanding is that the funding starts from twenty twenty five, excellent,

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Speaker 2: and it's that four year period between twenty twenty five

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Speaker 2: and twenty twenty nine, so it's going to be rolled

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Speaker 2: out in you know, from next year. So obviously this

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Speaker 2: is giving them a lot of time to plan and

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Speaker 2: you know, prepare for the implementation. So we're not just

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Speaker 2: going to see you know, a big, you know heap

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Speaker 2: of money hit our schools with no real plan behind it.

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Speaker 2: Because that was the other thing that we were very

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Speaker 2: clear with federal government from you know as COGSOH was

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Speaker 2: that you know, we want to see strings attached money,

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Speaker 2: We want to see outcomes. You know, we want to

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Speaker 2: see this be you know, results driven absolutely point you know.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, having money going and no outcomes, Yeah, I agree.

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Speaker 2: The very definition of you know, doing the same thing

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Speaker 2: and expecting different results, it just doesn't work. But I think,

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Speaker 2: as I said, you know, I think couple with all

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Speaker 2: the other initiatives that have been announced over the last week,

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Speaker 2: which you know, from the very beginning, when you know,

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Speaker 2: secondary provision was taken away from the remotes, we have

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Speaker 2: never stopped advocating for the reinstatement of secondary provision out

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Speaker 2: in our remotes. It's the same with you know, enrollment,

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Speaker 2: you know, funding based on attendance rather than enrollment. You know,

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Speaker 2: we have the most disadvantaged cohort in not possibly not

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Speaker 2: not only just the country, but the world, and for

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Speaker 2: us to be the only system that are funding in

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Speaker 2: this way is just you know, ludicrous. And once again

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Speaker 2: it comes down to you can't keep doing the same

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Speaker 2: thing and expect different results. YEA, exactly a lot of

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Speaker 2: communities that you know, for various cultural reasons, geographical reasons,

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Speaker 2: weather reasons, they sometimes can't attend school. And if you're

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Speaker 2: just taking a snapshot in time of two different you know,

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Speaker 2: days a year and then basing your funding model on that,

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Speaker 2: that's not fair. You know, when we talk about being

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Speaker 2: culturally responsive and proactive and stuff, you know, we need

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Speaker 2: to make that a reality rather than just Retrick Tabby.

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Speaker 1: We are going to have to get ready to wrap up.

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Speaker 1: But I want to ask you very quickly, do you

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Speaker 1: know if any of this funding is going to go

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Speaker 1: towards you know, truancy officers, or efforts to get kids

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Speaker 1: into school, or even school based constables, any of those

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Speaker 1: kind of areas.

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Speaker 2: I'm not sure at this point. As soon as I

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Speaker 2: know more from the briefing, as soon as I hang

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Speaker 2: up from you, I'll be dialing into that.

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Speaker 1: Awesome.

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Speaker 2: Hopefully i'll have more to report to you next week.

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Speaker 2: But I know that there will be a lot of

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Speaker 2: planning around this funding and absolutely federal government want to

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Speaker 2: see outcomes for it. They want the funding. Minister Claire

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Speaker 2: in his own words, he wants this funding to glow

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Speaker 2: in the dark. Well, Tabby Fudge got a good, really

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Speaker 2: good feeling about it.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, oh look, I can hear the excitement it is.

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Speaker 1: You know, it is wonderful. It is really really good

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Speaker 1: to hear. Tabby. Please let us know. Do keep us

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Speaker 1: in the loop because we've been really interested to hear

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Speaker 1: how all of this is going to roll out. And

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Speaker 1: happy to catch up with you again next week if

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Speaker 1: there is some clearer idea. And I know that you've

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Speaker 1: worked bloody hard on this, as has everybody at COGS,

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Speaker 1: so I know that you guys advocate so incredibly hard

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Speaker 1: in this space. So it is really good to see

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Speaker 1: this announcement earlier in the week. I really appreciate your

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Speaker 1: time this morning.

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Speaker 2: Thanks Katie. Thank you so very much for always being

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Speaker 2: that champion too for public education. We can't do these

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Speaker 2: sort of things without the help. It takes a really

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Speaker 2: to create this kind of change, and you know it

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Speaker 2: takes all of us to make a difference, and together

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Speaker 2: we've done that.

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Speaker 1: Tabby. Thank you. It's wonderful to talk to you this morning.

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Speaker 1: We'll talk to you again very soon.

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Speaker 2: Thank you. Have a wonderful weekend everyone, you too.