New year, new Minister, renewed campaigns

MAREE O'HALLORAN looks at the future of public education with Carmel Tebbutt as Minister.

This year's State Cabinet reshuffle has brought Carmel Tebbutt to the education portfolio. Ms Tebbutt's media statements to date have supported public education including the important value of social cohesion. She has also publicised the planned attendance of her son at the local public school. On this basis she stands in contrast to her immediate predecessors. While there is no doubt that education will continue to be tightly overseen by the Premier and the new Treasurer, Andrew Refshauge, teachers can be rightly hopeful that Ms Tebbutt may make interventions within the Department of Education and Training and the Office of the Board of Studies to direct them towards educationally and industrially sound practices. Whether she is a strong enough advocate to extract more resources for public education remains to be seen. In the Department of Community Services, under her Ministry, an extra $1 billion over four years was achieved.

The new Minister will face major decisions this term about implementing the recommendation of the Eltis Review, the future of the Futures Project and the staffing of our schools. She will also be tested on her principles in relation to pay equity as negotiations and arbitration about the plight of TAFE part time casual teachers continue. At this stage it is clear that for part time casual teachers teaching 12 hours or more there will be significant improvements in their working conditions. The Minister can make these improvements occur sooner rather than later.

The Premier's policy of recycling ministers for media consumption and to lessen ministerial accountability is wearing. In the long-term it renders recycled ministers, and Directors-General for that matter, irrelevant to the day to day needs of students, teachers and parents.

It's tempting, I think, for new ministers to describe, in the style of a third-party commentator, the short-comings of their portfolio without ever identifying with the people, the cause or the vision underpinning the service.

Dr Refshauge's constant plaint when he met with the Federation was that the resource requirements we were raising were a matter for Treasury, not for him. That excuse having been cut from under him, Dr Refshauge can expect that teachers will remember his legacy: a $70 million cost cutting restructure of the Department with the loss of 1000 jobs and a promise that the teachers' salaries case would be about quantum only while the Government's legal team attacked the work value of teachers and their professional status.

The 2004 salary round has almost reached its conclusion with settlements pending in the Industrial Relations Commission for all the minority awards and the non school based officers and TAFE equivalent.

The Public Service Association's (PSA's) Memorandum of Agreement with the State Government, struck in 1999, expired on June 30, 2004. They have just negotiated a new agreement with the Government which delivers four per cent per annum over four years, with the last payment due after the 2007 state election. The Nurses Association award ended in December 2004 and that union is also in negotiations for their next salary increase to match the PSA's. Together, these agreements represent a benchmark for our next salaries round. That is, the Government should not offer less. The Government's offer for 2004 was three per cent per annum. The claim initiated at Annual Conference last year for classroom teachers is $75,000 at the top of the scale maintained in real terms and $50,000 at the bottom of the scale maintained in real terms.

In the next few weeks members will be asked to hold Federation meetings and respond to the details of the Federation's claim. The results of those meetings will be supplemented by a random sample survey of members undertaken by an independent research company.

Our union must be united and prepared for negotiations and necessary action from July this year to ensure a new percentage increase from January 1, 2006.

In addition to the salaries campaign, Federation will develop a "Public Education Resource Package" claim on the Federal and State Governments.

Professor Vinson has been commissioned by the Parents and Citizens Association and the Federation to conduct an audit of the State Government's progress towards implementing the recommendations of the original Vinson Report. It is hoped through this process to highlight to the public the strengths of public education and its resource needs. Following the audit process Professor Vinson will conduct further research into the public education system for release to the public during 2005 and early 2006.

2005 marks the first year of reductions in kindergarten class sizes in all schools across the state of NSW. (The betterment was gained for Priority Schools Funding Program schools in 2004). Teachers and parents fought hard for this breakthrough and will continue to push for smaller class sizes.

Finally, the devastation wrought by the tsunami has destroyed many schools in the affected areas. A report in the Weekend Australian February 5-6, 2005 states that about 520,000 primary school-aged children lived in Aceh's 13 tsunami-affected districts. In these areas distraught principals and teachers are still searching for their missing pupils let alone dealing with schools that have been flattened by the tsunami. The call for teachers to donate a half day's pay is a national one. The union recognises that many teachers have already donated time and money. This specific call is for donations to be devoted to long-term education infrastructure development. On behalf of the Federation I thank you for participating in Tsunami Education Action Week starting today, Monday February 14.

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February 2005 contents