He says he has loved his career since being appointed to his first job teaching at his mother's old school, tiny Big Hill primary near Bendigo in 1969.

He has been principal of Chelsea Heights primary for 16 years and loves his workplace and its community.

This is reciprocated by pupils, staff and parents.

"I've never had a moment of regret stepping into a life of teaching," Mr Mulqueen said.

"But I can't wait to get away from Julia Gillard [federal education minister]."

This forthright remark came as a surprise.

Mr Mulqueen, 61, is a lifelong supporter of the ALP. He has supported the federal Primary Schools for the 21st Century (P21) building program, from which his school received $2.5 million last year for a multipurpose centre now under construction.

Last June, he welcomed Ms Gillard to the school where she promoted round two of the P21 program. Chelsea Heights was one of 776 Victorian schools sharing $1.4 billion as part of the national $14.7 billion Building the Education Revolution.

It was part of a national stimulus that may have been long-coming if not for the 2008 global economic crisis.

At that time, some schools – most of them reasonably well-off – had complained that the government was foisting building works on them that were not needed, taking away playground space.

They wanted money for projects other than multipurpose centres, libraries and classroom redevelopment, because they already had these things.

Mr Mulqueen and the school council, with the help of federal MP Mark Dreyfus, tailored the government's proposed plans for the school to what was needed on campus. Mr Mulqueen's view of Ms Gillard has since soured.

He is very disappointed with the My School website that assesses ('tests') schools, even though his school 'scores' well.

Mr Mulqueen says the data used to assess the schools and their teachers is wrong and gives badly resourced schools in poorer areas a lower mark, comparing them with schools in places like Brighton.