The Liberal candidate for the Wentworth byelection, Dave Sharma, has apologised for an op-ed in which he said teachers didn’t work as much as other full-time workers.
Sharma, a former ambassador to Israel who won preselection last week, said his comments, part of an opinion piece published in the Sydney Morning Herald, were “unfair and unwarranted”.
In his op-ed Sharma argued the structure of the school system had not evolved with changes to modern life.
“Most school assets – the buildings and infrastructure – are used only during school hours, or roughly 15% of the time,” he said.
“School employees and teachers are similarly underemployed, working hours closer to three-quarters of a regular full-time job.”
Sharma’s comment drew heated criticism, and late on Wednesday night he tweeted an apology.
“Re my SMH oped on schools: I owe all teachers an unreserved apology,” he said.
“My main point was to [question] whether school as structured serves needs of modern society. Comment about teachers unfair & unwarranted. I benefited from many hardworking + great teachers, as do my daughters. Mea culpa.”
Re my SMH oped on schools: I owe all teachers an unreserved apology. My main point was to Q whether school as structured serves needs of modern society. Comment about teachers unfair & unwarranted. I benefited from many hardworking + great teachers, as do my daughters. Mea culpa.
— Dave Sharma (@DaveSharma) September 18, 2018
The NSW Teachers Federation, which has publicly supported the Labor candidate for Wentworth, said the apology was “self-serving”.
“Your comments denigrating teachers were no mere off-the-cuff remark. They were considered and written in an op-ed in a major newspaper. You didn’t apologise then, but now that those comments have caused you serious embarrassment, you offer a self-serving apology.”
Mr Sharma,
— Teachers Federation (@TeachersFed) September 18, 2018
Your comments denigrating teachers were no mere off-the-cuff remark. They were considered and written in an op-ed in a major newspaper. You didn’t apologise then, but now that those comments have caused you serious embarrassment, you offer a self-serving apology. https://t.co/ogv35g2328
In recent days the Liberal party has increased its campaigning efforts for the byelection. The seat is currently held by former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who resigned from parliament following the loss of the Liberal Party leadership.
Guardian Australia revealed on Tuesday the party had dispatched former federal MP Philip Ruddock to New York to try and convince Turnbull to assist the Sharma campaign.
Labor’s Tim Murray is also contesting the seat, but it’s expected the greater challenge will come from well-known independent, professor Kerryn Phelps, who announced her candidacy for the seat over the weekend.
Phelps, former deputy lord mayor of Sydney and former president of the Australian Medical Association, has spoken out against Australia’s asylum seeker policy and lack of climate policy, as well as the “revolving door” of leadership.
Phelps, who has lived and worked in the Wentworth community for decades, has accused Sharma of being an outsider. Sharma, who was in Israel from 2013 to 2017, has said he and his family will be moving to the area.
The hiring of Darrin Barnett, former Labor press secretary to Julia Gillard, to run Phelps’ campaign as well as a call to preference the Liberals last has prompted accusations that Phelps is being backed by Labor.
Christine Forster, a City of Sydney councillor who dropped out of the Liberal preselection race for the seat and is the sister of former prime minister Tony Abbott, accused Phelps of “party politics”.
“I’ve seen you maintain your independence from the Clover party & you know I respect you for it,” Forster tweeted to Phelps.
“But you can’t claim independence when you’re backed by Labor & direct your supporters to preference Liberal last. That’s party politics right there.”
Phelps rejected the accusation.
“I am not ‘backed by Labor’,” she replied.
“I take exception to that. Jackie and I are underwriting the campaign and relying on our own volunteers and crowdfunding.”
On Tuesday Phelps told the Australian if she wanted to run as a Labor candidate “I would have stood for Labor preselection”.
