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The Forum > Article Comments > The eradication of rehabilitation > Comments

The eradication of rehabilitation : Comments

By Bernie Matthews, published 19/4/2007

Michael Coutts-Trotter, the new Director-General of NSW Education, deserves our approbation not our condemnation.

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I don't think any sensible person could argue against your article. The key problem with the appointment is therefore not his personal background, but his professional and political background. He has no educational experience and is a political appointee!

Ironically he would not be allowed to teach in the schools he will run. This does not need to be a negative - it simply means that finally all the kids that make mistakes at school and teachers who are themselves reformed will now be given a second chance through this precedent.

In relation to the ongoing pay debate on these pages Mr Della-Bosca has proven that he supports Julie Bishop’s performance pay proposals despite his assurances to the contrary. The appointment of Mr Coutts-Trotter who has no educational experience shows that teachers have relatively flat career progression pathways. The Minister obviously believes that even with the generous pay packet there are no quality candidates with educational qualifications to fill the position. What hope is there for performance pay raising the quality of the rest of us then? What if I argued I am a reformed teacher who has turned his life around from enthusiastic and passionate to disillusioned and alarmed?
Posted by Voice, Thursday, 19 April 2007 10:18:11 AM
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He will not receive approbation from many people - probably the majority, who are tired of the double standards in our society.

Thankfully we can all still make up our own minds about such things. All we have to do is deal with the rogue politicians who appoint people with criminal records to responsible and lucrative jobs paid for by taxpayers.

And there is the problem. Australians are chumps who are too complacent and continue voting for the same no-hopers who treat them with comtempt.
Posted by Leigh, Thursday, 19 April 2007 10:30:30 AM
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I regretfully have to agree with Leigh here. Schooling with kids is in a safety world of its own. The leaders of the department set the tone from the top down. Being a "reformed" user of heroin does not necessarily make anyone the best person for the job.

It is disappointing that they trust an ex-drug user over an ex-teacher for the job.

By the time you clean out all of the criminals and ex-criminals out from the State Parliament and the CEOs, you are left with the people in the background doing all the hard work. Those who know how difficult it is to manage and be responsible in the playground. How to keep drugs out of the playground rather than importing them into the playground through customs. Its a matter of experience from the actual coalface of schools.

Surely there are teachers in the Department of Education that are organised enough to manage the department.

It could be worse. It could be an ALP former MP of Newcastle, from Swansea. God help the kids.
Posted by saintfletcher, Thursday, 19 April 2007 10:51:25 AM
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Yes, let’s all applaud the rehabilitation of drug dealer and user Michael Coutts-Trotter. However I fail to see that a place somewhere at the top of the tree has to be found once rehabilitation is complete. It has also been pointed out by one senior teacher that if anyone applying to teach had the same CV as Mr Coutts-Trotter a polite ‘no thanks’ would be issued by the interviewing panel.

Speaking of CVs, Mr Coutts-Trotter’s forms part of the grand ALP harlequinade because of his coming into contact with ALP icon Michael Egan. Three of Egan’s staff have done remarkable well; Coutts-Trotter (married to federal ALP member Tanya Plibersek, who owns very sharp elbows) to Education; Mark Duffy (best man at Michael Costa’s wedding) to Transport Services; and, John Lee (brother of former federal ALP MP Michael Lee) to State Transit. There is no word about Egan’s former tea lady but she is probably waiting in the wings to head up the World Bank or NATO.

I hope that no serious attempt is being made to compare Mr Coutts-Trotter with Nobel Prize winner Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Any attempt to do so would indicate that we are fast approaching that time when the lion will lay down with the lamb.

Mr Coutts-Trotter doesn’t even have within his CV educational qualifications to silence his critics. His appointment is noisome to say the least.
Posted by Sage, Thursday, 19 April 2007 12:02:34 PM
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all of the responses assume that pollies should decide this question, and most others. they are masters of society and you should stop questioning them, for it implies a failure to recognize their innate grasp of every question, at a level far above the cattle who elevate them to their true status.

our pollies have inherited their mammoth intellects from god, who decreed they shall rule us as servants of the monarch. we should be thankful that we can play our trifling role in selecting each of them to direct us, while supplying the funds to allow them the lifestyle consonant with their dignity. so do be still silly-billys, this carping and caviling only reveals your deserved impotence and ignorance.
Posted by DEMOS, Thursday, 19 April 2007 1:15:58 PM
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Grow Up Australia!

There is no double standard here.

Mr Michael Coutts-Trotter's appointment as Director-General of NSW Education is completely transparent.

As others have commented, his role is political and requires skills that tap knowledge from in and out side of the school administration. In Mr Coutts-Trotter's case, his life experiences other than those learnt from school could be extremely valuable to us. This is especially resourceful given the types of problems we see our children and teachers have, in attempting to engage with community – in this day and age.

To anyone driven by FEAR or some kind of cultural cringe I ask you personally;

* Are not displacing citizens everywhere through your cold self-righteous judgements.

* Are you not saying indeed; “once a criminal always a criminal?”

* Can you see that your criticisms of this person are a form of "ethnic cleansing”?

We as a society need to show more intelligence, respect and faith.

No one ought be displaced when our greatest need as civilian's (everywhere) is to learn more, understand more and engage more with people from all walks of life.

Trust is a two way process. Learning from others by Listening and Understanding is our only key.

Let us circle the probe on real criminals and protect our communities by being Community Safe in the ways we try to solve problems together.

http://www.miacat.com/
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Posted by miacat, Thursday, 19 April 2007 1:27:50 PM
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