Nick Smith
Opposition Education Spokesman

14 June 2000

Mallard resorts to Muldoon tactics

National's Education spokesman Nick Smith is astonished that Education Minister Trevor Mallard is going to punish schools because they did not take heed of his statements when he was in Opposition.

"Sir Robert Muldoon was lambasted in the famous Fitzgerald vs Muldoon case for retrospectively applying policy as a Minister. Mr Mallard has gone one worse by punishing schools for not doing as he said as Opposition Education spokesman," Dr Smith said.

Mr Mallard announced today that he would be taking a hard line on bulk funded schools who had employed staff under the scheme but would have to make them redundant with the scrapping of bulk funding.

Mr Mallard has said he would only help schools that employed teachers prior to June 1998, when he announced Labour's policy.

"It is ridiculous to expect schools to manage their affairs on the basis of what opposition parties state as their policies," Dr Smith said.

Ends

© Scoop Media