Since the days of Prime Minister Whitlam, the solution of both major parties to any problem in Education was to spend more money. The net effect is that spending has ramped up and performance standards have declined worryingly!
Politicians know the easy way to appear engaged with the problem is to allocate tax-payers money. The hard way to address the problem but to solve it (albeit in the medium to long term) is to admit that this money is not really helping teachers. The selection of teachers, the training of teachers, the monitoring of teachers, the efficacy of inservice teacher training and the peer reviewing of fellow teachers for advancement, all need to be looked at.
We can turn around our student outcomes if we require teachers to be trained differently. I would suggest specific Teacher Training Colleges. Most teachers genuinely care for their students but like everyone else benefit from outside assistance. Inspectors that visit and assess schools and teaching are able to give honest feedback to staff. It is interesting that the only profession to be represented by a trade union (I have nothing against trade unions) is teaching. It may be better if the teaching profession was represented by a professional association.
Once the teaching profession really is a profession of highly skilled practitioners, Australian students will again excel as they used to do.
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