Class Wars: Murat Dizdar
Murat Dizdar is the Secretary of the NSW Department of Education, responsible for more than 2200 public schools and almost 800,000 students. And he's on a mission to stem the flow of students to private schools and claw back funding from the federal government.
For Dizdar, the son of Turkish migrants raised in council housing, this mission is personal.
"I stunk of working class," he tells Australian Story. "I stunk of what work looked like. And I don't mind when I reminisce about that odour because that odour was hard-earned. It taught me that to get your way there was no shortcut. I've always been in the in the corner of the battler, the working class and that's why I'm also so passionate about public education."
Dizdar thrived in the public system and received one of the highest HSC marks in the state. The expectation was that he would study law or medicine, and he chose law. But while working in a law firm as a student he realised he had to follow his true passion – teaching.
A notoriously hard worker, Dizdar worked his way to the top of the department, only resting for nine days after a serious heart attack.
"Absolutely read him the riot act after the heart attack," his wife Ceyda Dizdar says. "And I remember distinctly him saying to me, ‘I'm fine. I'm fine. Can you bring my laptop?'"
Australian Story was granted extraordinary access to Murat Dizdar as he undertook the fight of his life – to secure an extra $800 million per year in funding and start the process of winning back students to public education.
"Murat has got the right idea, in my opinion," former justice of the High Court Michael Kirby tells Australian Story. "For most of the time I was on the High Court, I was the only justice whose entire education had been at public schools. For a long time now, the federal government has been the donor of very, very large amounts of funding to private and religious schools and they've done that to the damage of public schools."
The episode also features interviews with NSW Education Minister Prue Car, former public school alumnus and Socceroo Craig Foster, and former colleague and now state minister Jihad Dibb.
Trailer
Recently Updated Shows
General Hospital
General Hospital, which celebrated its golden anniversary on April 1, 2013, continues its tradition of passion, intrigue and adventure that takes place in the fictional town of Port Charles in upstate New York. The glamour and excitement of those who have come to find their destinies in this familiar seaport town intertwine with the lives, loves and fortunes of beloved, well-known faces. As always, love, danger and mind blowing plot twists continue to abound on General Hospital with contemporary storylines and unforgettable characters.
Guy's Grocery Games
In each episode of Guy's Grocery Games, four talented chefs compete in a number of challenges as they navigate their way through the aisles of a grocery store, adhering to "real-world" obstacles. Whether it is shopping on a budget, substituting out-of-stock ingredients or grabbing groceries at closing time, each chef has to shop, prepare, and plate three different dishes using whatever they can pull off the shelves. Ultimately, the food does the talking, as one-by-one the losing chefs "check out," by a rotating panel of judges that includes Melissa d'Arabian, Richard Blais, G. Garvin, Troy Johnson, Catherine McCord, Aarti Sequeira, among others. The last chef standing goes on a shopping spree of a lifetime worth up to $20,000!
Jeopardy!
Jeopardy! is a classic game show -- with a twist. The answers are given first, and the contestants supply the questions. Three contestants, including the previous show's champion, compete in six categories and in three rounds (with each round's "answers" being worth more prize money).
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Seth Meyers, who is Saturday Night Live's longest serving anchor on the show's wildly popular "Weekend Update," takes over as host of NBC's Late Night — home to A-list celebrity guests, memorable comedy and the best in musical talent.
As the Emmy Award-winning head writer for "SNL," Meyers has established a reputation for sharp wit and perfectly timed comedy, and has gained fame for his spot-on jokes and satire. Meyers takes his departure from "SNL" to his new post at "Late Night," as Jimmy Fallon moves to The Tonight Show.
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Emmy Award and Grammy Award winner Jimmy Fallon brought NBC's "The Tonight Show" back to its New York origins when he launched The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon from Rockefeller Center. Fallon puts his own stamp on the storied NBC late-night franchise with his unique comedic wit, on-point pop culture awareness, welcoming style and impeccable taste in music with the award-winning house band, The Roots.