My family have been doing what you say for over 7 years to try to change the culture of neglect and bullying of children in Education and the victimisation of whistleblowers and for our efforts my children and family have been ostrasized, oppressed, vilified, ridiculed and victimised. Just about everybody turns a blind eye.

It is easy to say, do this and do that, but the reality is that there is a price to pay and those that speak out do so without support and as a result they suffer.

Education - Keeping them Honest
http://jolandachallita.typepad.com/education/
Our children deserve better.

You better believe it, it's a jungle out there. Your kids just have to learn to cope, otherwise they will just get trampled. I speak from experience. I was one of the little kids who got bullied.

I am in absolute awe of the Ms. Cica’s nastiness towards Mary Donaldson. It’s a bit of blow for a right-wing misogynist who really hates gooey pap in the media to be outdone by a “caring”, “nice” left-wing do-gooder who works for a drippy left-wing rag like “The Age”.

It seems that, when the constant shrieking from other “nice” people about Al Gore, multiculturalism, bad John Howard and those poor misunderstood foreign doctors and terror suspects finally reaches saturation point and bores the pants of most Australians, Red ideologues like Cica are perfectly prepared to put the boot into a poor, silly harmless woman to get us back on track.

It’s a wonder that she didn’t mention the Tampa incident, which has been now resurrected by the Left after 6 years. After all, that’s the big one which indicates that the ALP and their little helpers are not, perhaps, so confident about the polls.

Now, I’m sure all you left wing Howard-haters will respond to Ms. Cica’s requests as laid out in her final paragraph. But, seeing most of us have already been bored witless by constant jabber on all of the subjects dear to her heart, you will be wasting your time.

Mary Donaldson might be a pain in the butt and of little consequence, but at least she doesn’t constantly inspire the hatred and anti-everything rubbish dealt out ad nauseum by Cica and her kind.

Caring thats the problem.
Most people are blindsighted by political parties but when it comes to stand for what is right, well.

All you have to do is look here, labor this,liberals that.

What happened to stand up and be counted.
Make your vote count as if you are standing in parliament yourself, this is very easy.

Do you wish to roll over and do as your told or be expelled, with out any care

or do you have a voice for real change.

Care I am one who does.

Stuart Ulrich
Independent Candidate for Charlton

I agree entirely: the Education Department is dysfunctional. I am in my late 70's and after being a volunteer tutor (mainly Math) at a high school for over four years my services were terminated because I provided help to a large family of children at the request of the oldest child (Year-7) whom I had earlier referred to a school counsellor due to her well founded distress. I was initially accused of grooming but the Commission for Children and Young People is satisfied that the EPAC investigation found nothing that would prevent me working with children. My late wife and I raised our own five children and unofficially took in another teenager so that she could finish high school. The letter refusing my appeal admitted that I had substantial support from the teachers at the school and I provided references and messages of thanks from several students. The Department claims that I disobeyed a direct instruction from the principal to have nothing to do with the particular student (mentioned above). Such a direct instruction was never given and if the Principal claims it was he is either deluding himself or misleading the Department.
I am still waiting for a reply to my most recent letter to the Premier in which I asked that his own officers investigate the matter as I am sure the Department is just defending its indefensible earlier decisions.
I am still helping four students voluntarily after school but I was helping over 100.
So much for children's well being coming first. They come well behind the needs of the control freaks and the status defence of those in power.

While I think that the author has over egged the pudding a bit - her call to arms if I can put it that way is timely - I disagree we are uncaring in absolute terms - and I discount Leighs disgruntled diatribe about the left - but then I always will - as for Mary Donaldson I dont know that the author was particularly nasty - but that is beside the point - but we are we are becoming more self centred.

What the author describes in not so many words is a the re emergence of the I'm all right Jack mentality - made a lot worse by both the cashed up bogans living it up on new found credit based wealth or those aspiring to it

- life for them and this notion is indeed supported by governments of the day - all of them I contend - life for them is about having stuff and lots of it - to the point where acquiring the second plasma TV is a paramount objective in life and to hell with anything else - and lets not forget the boat or jet ski - or both!

For many there is simply no time or incentive to care about much else.

Even the booming new religions are under pinned by the old protestant work ethic where external signs a of wealth are sure signs of a blessing from a god who supports rampant consummerism and the cult of looking great - no time for caring for much else other than yourself there.