Ignore the revised Code of Conduct

By Jennifer Leete

The Department of Education and Training (DET) has a habit of releasing policy documents in the heat of a salaries dispute with the Federation, in the hope that the union will be too focussed on the dispute to notice and/or respond.

DET has done it again by issuing a revised Code of Conduct with an implementation date of June 15.

The history of the document they have released is a protracted one. Members will remember former Director-General Dr Ken Boston's hasty release of a Code of Conduct with no consultation with teachers in August 1997. That was in the heat of the Police Royal Commission and was essentially an exercise in Dr Boston covering his own backside.

Federation never accepted Dr Boston's Code of Conduct.

During 2002, the DET's audit directorate began the process of revising the code.

Federation was involved in lengthy discussions on a revised Code of Conduct at the end of 2002 and in the first half of 2003. Around July 2003 Federation thought DET was about to finalise it and send it out. The union wrote to DET to say under no account were they to construe it as an agreed document because although some of our suggestions had been incorporated, others had not. Federation was later told that DET delayed it because primary principals were unhappy about the lack of consultation with them.

Federation heard nothing else until the union wrote to the Department in September 2003, raising concerns that the new child protection legislation referred to "any relevant codes of conduct or professional standards". In response DET wrote back on September 16, 2003. DET's letter said in part: "I can assure you that the revised Code of Conduct will not be finalised until current Child Protection Legislation currently before the NSW Parliament is dealt with and following appropriate consultation."

The consultation referred to in that September 16 letter never happened. DET has now put the revised Code of Conduct on its website and declared it to be policy.

Although a close examination of their new document reveals it is very similar to the one Federation was last consulted about in June 2003, Federation Executive will need to consider the union's response to the document. In the meantime, Federation members are advised to ignore the document, whilst conducting themselves in their usual professional manner.

Jennifer Leete is the Deputy President.

For further information

June 2004 contents