Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has schooled Andrew Laming on the importance of teachers, in the wake of the backbencher's ill-advised social media post questioning teachers' work ethic - after his daughter delivered her own assessment of the comments.
Dr Laming, a one-time social media adviser to the Coalition, caused uproar last week after an unprompted post on his Facebook page asked whether teachers were "back at work this week, or are they 'lesson planning' from home? Let me know exactly".
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Laming a 'big bully' to teachers
A Facebook post by federal Brisbane MP Andrew Laming questions whether teachers are at work or 'lesson planning' from home. Vision: Channel Seven
Teachers and their supporters did, in their droves, forcing the outspoken member for Bowman, who was also on holidays at the time, into a rare backdown, by deleting the post.
But speaking to Brisbane ABC radio, Mr Turnbull said he would have a little more to say to the Queensland MP when Parliament resumed next month.
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"I can tell you my daughter certainly had some concerns and next time I see him, I will pass them on to him," he said.
"My daughter Daisy is a school teacher and she had a very strong reaction. So I think Andrew will have received some very emphatic feedback from teachers in his electorate and elsewhere.
"I have to say, of course I am biased, I suppose, with a school teacher daughter, but teachers work very hard; they are absolutely at the front line of our future because it is teachers – charismatic, hardworking teachers – that change lives."
Mr Turnbull said he had been "overcome" by witnessing the difference teachers can make in students' lives through his daughter and considered himself a "passionate" supporter of the profession.
School funding will be one of the biggest issues for the Turnbull government in 2017, as it works to negotiate a new funding model to replace Labor's Gonski model, for 2018 and beyond.
Last year, Education Minister Simon Birmingham indicated he would be open to potentially cutting the amount of government funds private schools receive as part of what he called a "fairer funding model".
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