Unlocking the Potential of Australian Schools In Conversation with Pasi Sahlberg and Hon. Jason Clare MP, Minister for Education
12 December 2023
In the Utzon Room
Schools
Join us in a captivating evening of conversation with Pasi Sahlberg and Hon. Jason Clare MP, Minister for Education, as we explore the opportunity and hope to create a fairer and brighter future for Australian youth.
Image: Creative Leadership in Learning’s Amplified Showcase in The Studio featuring Campsie Public School, Chipping Norton Public School and Kensington Public School
| Date | Time |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 12 December 2023 | 6.30pm - 8pm |
Maximum two (2) tickets per person. Tickets registered in excess of the ticket limit may be cancelled without notice.
The only authorised agency for this event is Sydney Opera House. For more information about authorised agencies, see the frequently asked questions below.
Sydney Opera House Insiders pre-sale
9am, Tuesday 21 November 2023
Become a Sydney Opera House Insider to receive exclusive pre-sale access
What’s On e-newsletter on-sale
9am, Tuesday 21 November 2023
General Public tickets on-sale
9am, Tuesday 21 November 2023
Run time
This show runs for approx. 90 minutes.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Age
Age guidance: 16+
Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
The Opera House is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children that visit or engage with us. Read our Child Safety Policy
As a nation, what must we do now to uphold the promise of a ‘fair go’ by education for all young Australians?
Join Professor Pasi Sahlberg and the Hon. Jason Clare MP, Minister for Education, as we explore these ideas in the hope of creating a fairer and brighter future for Australian youth.
The Australian education system, like many others worldwide, finds itself at a crucial juncture. Throughout past decade and half, student engagement in school learning has been on the decline, making the teaching profession a less attractive career choice. Student achievement have slipped in international comparisons, and the educational divide between the haves and have-nots continues to widen. Rather than perpetuating the same approaches with the expectation of different outcomes, we require innovative ideas and courageous reforms to reshape our course.
In a rapidly changing world, education stands as our guiding light. Whether addressing economic competitiveness, technological transformation, or the creation of sustainable societies, schools emerge as the engines of change. In this age of uncertainty, there is no set playbook for preparing our youth. The key lies in fostering shared visions and inspiring transformation to reimagine the future of education.
Presented by Sydney Opera House
The Hon. Jason Clare MP, Minister for EducationMy parents never even dreamed of attending university. They grew up in an era where most working-class children in Western Sydney didn't even complete school. Today, we stand as a different country.
Jason is the Minister for Education and has represented the Blaxland electorate of Western Sydney since 2007.
He has previously served as a Minister in the Rudd and Gillard Labor Governments, where he was Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Justice, Minister for Defence Materiel and Cabinet Secretary.
Before entering Parliament, Jason was the Manager of Corporate Relations at Transurban and a Senior Adviser to the Premier of NSW, the Hon. Bob Carr. He has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of NSW.
Jason’s most important job is being Louise’s husband and Atticus and Jack’s dad.
Pasi Sahlberg is Finnish educator, teacher, and author. He has worked as a schoolteacher, teacher-educator, academic, and policymaker in Finland, and he has advised schools and education system leaders around the world.
He served as a senior education specialist at the World Bank (Washington, DC), lead education specialist at the European Training Foundation (Torino, Italy), director general at the Finland’s Ministry of Education and Culture (CIMO), and visiting professor of Practice at Harvard University. He is a recipient of several awards for his lifelong service in education, including the 2012 Education Award (Finland), the 2014 Robert Owen Award (Scotland), the 2016 Lego Prize (Denmark), Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Resident Fellowship in 2017, and Dr Paul Brock Memorial Medal in 2021.
In 2013 his book Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland won the Grawemeyer Award (U.S.) for an idea that has potential to change the world. His most recent books include Let the Children Play: How more play will save our schools and help children thrive (2019, with William Doyle), Finnish Lessons 3.0: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland (2021), and In Teachers We Trust: The Finnish way to world-class schools (2021, with Tim Walker).
He is currently Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Pasi lives in South Melbourne with his wife and two sons.
Other information
Venue information
Our foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars. Please remember to maintain physical distancing whilst consuming drinks in our foyers.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer consistent with COVID-safe rules.
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see their website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel and COVID-19 safety measures. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six min walk to the Opera House.
Covid-safe information
The health and wellbeing of everyone attending the Opera House is our top priority. We’re committed to making your experience safe, comfortable and enjoyable, with a number of measures in place including regular cleaning of high-touch areas, air conditioning systems that maximise ventilation, and hand sanitiser stations positioned in all paths of travel. We encourage you to wear a mask in indoor settings or when physical distancing can’t be maintained, and please stay home if you feel unwell. If you need to discuss your ticketing or booking options, contact our Box Office team on 02 9250 7777.
Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of everyone on site, and we are closely following NSW Health guidelines and advice. The Sydney Opera House is registered as a COVID Safe business with the NSW Government. For detailed information about our COVID-19 safety measures and what’s required of you when visiting, please see our plan your visit page.
Face masks are strongly recommended for all patrons while inside our theatres and foyers, including during the performance. Please bring your own mask.
As you move around the Opera House, practise physical distancing (1.5 metres whenever possible) and follow the guidance provided by our staff and signage.
Within venues, always take your allocated seat.
For detailed information about our COVID-19 safety measures and what’s required of you, please see our plan your visit page.
The Sydney Opera House no longer requires patrons to show that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Face masks are strongly recommended for all patrons while inside our theatres and foyers, including during the performance. Please bring your own mask.
Contact information is required when making a booking with us and upon arrival at the Opera House, as set out in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events and our Customer Privacy Statement.
As the ticket purchaser, you are responsible for recording the contact details of your guests. Contact information will only be used for the purposes of contact tracing, if required, and will be deleted at least 28 days after your event.
Frequently asked questions
Ticket purchases and collection at our Box Office is discouraged and eTicket or postal delivery methods should be used, wherever possible. However, if you are collecting your tickets from the Box Office, we recommend doing this at least 60 minutes before the event starts. If you have already received your tickets, the venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Please take your seats as soon as you arrive.
If you are late, we will seat you as soon as we can and, where possible, in your allocated seat. However, to reduce movement in the venue as well as minimise disruption to the performance and other patrons, ticketholders may be seated in an allocated latecomer’s seat. Please be aware that some events have lock-out periods. In these cases, latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance. On occasions, this may not be until the interval, or at all where there is no interval.
Details of our right to refuse admission can be found in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Events.
In accordance with our venue security procedures, Opera House security will be scanning and checking bags under the Monumental Stairs, prior to entering the building. Bags will be scanned by an x-ray machine, and staff will wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling your belongings, such as gloves. Cloaking facilities will be open 60 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 60 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. However it is strongly encouraged that you travel lightly to minimise contact and queuing. Any bags larger than an A4 piece of paper will need to be checked into the Cloak Room.
The authorised agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House.
Only tickets purchased by authorised agencies should be considered reliable. If you purchase tickets from a non-authorised agency such as Ticketmaster Resale, Viagogo, Ticketbis, eBay, Gumtree, Tickets Australia or any other unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, void or have previously been cancelled. RESALE RESTRICTION APPLIES. For more details, please refer to our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events.
Please contact Box Office on 9250 7777 as soon as possible to advise if you can no longer attend. If you can no longer attend because you are unwell, or have been in contact with someone displaying COVID-19 symptoms, the Opera House has introduced flexible ticketing options to help you.
Foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
The venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances.
Please bring a credit or debit card for any on site purchases to enable contactless payment. You’re welcome to bring your own water bottle but no other food and drinks are permitted inside our venues. Opera Bar, Opera Kitchen and Portside are also available for you to enjoy.
The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the Sydney Opera House is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the Opera House became a smoke-free site in January 2022. Read our Smoke-free Environment Policy.
You may also like
An Evening with Elizabeth Day
How To Fail fans – this is the moment you have been waiting for. Your favourite podcaster, journalist, and bestselling author, Elizabeth Day, takes the stage in Australia for the very first time.
Faulty Towers The Dining Experience
Fully immersive, highly interactive and 70% improvised, this hilarious show is a truly unique experience that features Basil, Sybil and Manuel serving a 3-course meal.
Mary Beard
Join the world-famous classics scholar and feminist icon Mary Beard for this captivating conversation on her first-ever visit to Australia.