On 12 November 2009, the day after the National Conversation with Principals concluded, Julia Gillard, Deputy Primer Minister and Minister for Education, addressed the Eidos Institute (a public policy think-tank) in Brisbane. The title of her speech was: Accountable Government, Accountable Communities: The role of transparency in education reform. 

Click here to read the complete text of her address (pdf file). 

She began by saying:

"Today I want to talk about our drive to create a new era of transparency.

"This debate is not short of controversy, especially in relation to the reporting of information about the performance, income, staffing and student characteristics of individual schools.

"But it is a vital part of improving schooling for every child in every school."

And she concluded by saying:

"So yes, I expect the passionate debate to continue.

"I welcome it.

"Yes I expect controversy and claims of unfairness.

"Yes I expect that there will be difficult moments – for governments, for schools, for me.

"But ultimately I welcome those difficult moments too – because they will mean that those of us with responsibility for the quality of children’s education in this country – the adults – will be challenged about whether, collectively, we are doing a good enough job and what more we need to be doing.

"That is a cause worth fighting.  And it will be progress worth measuring."