Hansard debates

  Hon. ANDREW  BRIDESON (Waverley) --  Yesterday,  Tuesday, 27  October  1992, I
joined with you, my colleagues, to take part in a ceremony which should  stay in
our  hearts  and minds forever. I begin my maiden speech  by  congratulating  Mr
President on his  election  to  the high office of Presidency of the Legislative
Council.

I also congratulate the Premier and  the Ministers of the 52nd Parliament. Those
people  were the architects of exciting policies  which  we  are  about  to  see
unfold. Furthermore, I look  forward to a  long and productive association  with
you all.
I  offer  my  congratulations to  all  newly elected  members.  I  also publicly
acknowledge my allegiance to the Queen and to the flag of Australia.
I also acknowledge the Speech of His Excellency the Governor,  which for  us all
was a fine,  albeit tragic, summary of the conditions facing this ravaged State.
But it also contained an exciting outline of the aims of the government of which
I am a member.

Particularly  pleasing to  me  were  the  special  references  to education  and
industrial relations, two areas of government that are of special importance and
interest to me.
I  am proud  to represent  Waverley Province,  which was  formed in  1976. I  am
particularly  pleased to have returned  the province to the  Liberal Party after
its being  in the  hands  of  the  present opposition  for 13  years. For  those
honourable  members  who are not  familiar  with the province,  it comprises the
Legislative Assembly seats of Glen Waverley, Bennettswood, Oakleigh and Clayton,
and  embraces parts  of  the municipalities of  Moorabbin,  Box Hill,  Oakleigh,
Caulfield, Waverley and Springvale.
Waverley Province spans an area of approximately 95 square kilometres and houses
some  200  000  constituents.  We  managed  to  win  back  the  province  with a
significant swing of between 12 and 13 per cent.

I  am  particularly  indebted  to and acknowledge the efforts of my Lower  House
compatriots,  Ross Smith, the honourable  member  for  Glen  Waverley,  Geoffrey
Coleman, the Minister for Natural Resources, and Denise McGill, who won the seat
of Bentleigh  for the Liberal Party. I also acknowledge the wise  counsel of  my
Federal counterparts, Julian Beale, the honourable member for Deakin, and
Senator  Patterson. Through their  personal  commitment and  the  work of  their
outstanding committees they guided  my Waverley Province team to what I consider
to be a stunning victory,  from which I am still swaying. I also acknowledge and
pay tribute to George Emmaniouil and his electorate team for  their  efforts  in
Clayton.

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Like  the  Governor,  I  too  sing  the   praises   of   the  less  visible  and
non-remunerated supporters  out there who found  the time and the  commitment to
help  dramatically  change  the  direction this State was heading in, as well as
making our individual victories a reality.
I shall briefly outline my  background  in the hope that honourable members will
appreciate some of  the major reasons why I  am here. I entered teaching  in the
mid-1960s with very high ideals. Many of those ideals were  upheld  and realised
in my  early years  in rural  Victoria. By  the late  1970s something started to
happen in education that seemed  to  erode  the  very  core  of  the pedagogical
tradition. Colleagues otherwise  involved  in  protecting  and guiding our young
became overtly  militant --  all for the  sake of  our children,  they said.  In
Victoria teacher strikes  became  a reality and  education  as we understood  it
developed a pervasive, chronic condition.

Years later, after  I  had  been  elected  as  the  President  of  the Victorian
Affiliated Teacher's Federation -- I too am proud to be a trade unionist sitting
on  the  government  benches  --  I sat with our union's barrister following  an
unsuccessful bid to gain Federal registration. The barrister told me that he had
proclaimed  to the judge  that the decision  favouring  the herculean  left-wing
teacher unions was simply not  fair. The reply to his protest was to the  point.
This case is not about justice , replied the learned  judge,  This case is about
power . Again I felt that death was at the door not only of education but of the
right to freedom of association.
I  don't  think education  has died;  but I  believe it  has  had  a  near-death
experience.  I also believe the  citizens of this  State  observed that terminal
condition in our  most  precious  resource of all, our children. I interpret the
results of 3  October 1992 as an almighty  effort to snatch the things we value,
such as education, back from the grave.

There is no miracle cure for the problems. The cure is not as simple as changing
a curriculum here or  there -- or worse, going  back to the good old days. It is
about restoring professionalism to a once well-respected profession. It is about
selecting  individuals  who are sound  role models for  our  young. Education is
about  producing  respectable, respectful and,  dare I say  it, conforming human
beings. Education is  about providing a  proper and disciplined  environment  in
which our young people can learn and develop. Above all, education is about  the
pursuit of excellence. Soft curricula, non-competitive institutions, politicised
systems and the like were the very  failings of  the education  system under the
previous government.
It is time  that  the major teacher unions became more introspective about their
true  motives. It is time that they paid more attention  to our  children's real
present and future needs rather than their personal pursuits of power.

It is my earnest wish that all teachers in this State cast aside the prejudicial
views  that  they have about  the coalition's reform proposals  and work towards
creating a learned and stable future generation of Victorians of whom  we can be
proud. The Schools of the Future program is an  exciting initiative and one that
I shall enjoy  assisting  the schools in my province to become actively involved
in.
I cannot conclude my remarks  without acknowledging two women, the first of whom
is my wife, Marilyn Brideson,  a woman of great  strength  and talent whom I  am
very fortunate to have on my team. Secondly, I acknowledge  Elsie  Brideson,  my
late paternal grandmother,  who taught  me to  value most  of all  the need  for
individual freedom, the right to choose and the notion that effort and hard work
would be rewarded.

May we never lose site of the  respect and dignity that we offer our fellow  man
when we give him the freedom of choice.
Mr Deputy President, I am grateful for the  privilege  of having the opportunity
to make my maiden speech.