3 May 2002

"Today's announcement that the Federal Government is going to scrap its support for students studying Asian languages is the first in a series of funding cutbacks that it will be making in order to fund the huge increases it is directing to elite private schools," said Mr Denis Fitzgerald, Federal President of the Australian Education Union.

"Forward estimates for this month's Federal Budget show that the Howard government must find a further $281 million for exclusive private schools on top of the $3.605 billion they are already receiving from Canberra."

"The $30 million saved by the axing of the National Asian Languages and Studies in Australian Schools [NALSAS] program will go directly to elite private education."

"The cuts mean that language excursions and camps, professional teacher training and materials development will all be scrapped. Hundreds of thousands of ordinary Australian students will suffer as a direct result of these cuts. It is a national tragedy and it reveals the obscene educational priorities of this Government."

"It is expected that cuts across several portfolios will need to be made in order to find the extra cash for wealthy private schools."

"Surely if the Federal government is axing such basic programs it would ask the exclusive private schools to share some of that burden by reducing some of taxpayers' funds that had been formerly promised to them."