Direct action needed on appalling school maintenance

Appropriate political, media and/or industrial action is needed in the interest of learning and working conditions, writes ANGELO GAVRIELATOS.

Despite the Auditor-General's identification of a $115 million maintenance backlog and the recommendation from the Vinson Audit for an additional $90 million dollars in this year's and next year's State Budget, the Government has failed to announce any real increases in funding for school maintenance.

Logic and commonsense, research and reason have failed to convince governments to fulfil their responsibilities.

In the interest of our students' learning conditions and teachers' working conditions, teachers across the state are left with no option but direct action. Schools and TAFE colleges are urged to take appropriate political, media and/or industrial action. The support of each local P&C should be sought.

Maximum pressure must be put on local members of parliament. It is incumbent upon elected representatives in parliament to preserve the quality of public education by lifting the level of government investment.

The appalling decline in school maintenance and the all too common sub-standard conditions is a manifestation of government neglect and is further evidence of governments abandoning their responsibility to provide quality public education.

As noted by the Vinson Inquiry: "the quality of school buildings and their surroundings can be a potent symbol of the regard (or otherwise) in which public education is believed to be held by governments and the community.

"In so many instances the fabric of public schools is simply unworthy of what is being attempted within them and fails to honour our society's obligation to its children."

Regrettably, the appalling state of our schools as a result of government neglect continues to overshadow the wonderful achievements of our public schools and TAFE colleges.

The May 2005 Audit of the recommendations made by the Inquiry into the Provision of Public Education in NSW notes: "two and a half years after the completion of the Independent Inquiry the present maintenance deficit is both unacceptable and a major cause of discontent with public education. Rather than remain in a 'dog-chasing-its-tail' situation for years to come and allowing the tarnished, off-putting infrastructure to over-shadow the commendable educational progress being made, a maintenance catch-up allocation of an additional $90 million in new money for each of two years would help reduce the backlog to a more acceptable level. The outlay would retire the existing backlog of maintenance work, enable current needs to be met and begin to dispose of part of the maintenance work that is about to come on stream."

The Vinson Audit recommended:

• the 2002 Auditor General report to Parliament which notes "industry standards indicate that maintenance expenditure for buildings should be around 1.5 per cent of replacement cost. Prior to 2002 the Department had spent below that industry standard for some time, 0.75 per cent in 1997-98 to 1.17 per cent in 2000-01";
• the 2003 Auditor General report to Parliament which notes "based on an analysis in 2003, the Department has estimated that the current maintenance backlog is $124 million"; and
• the 2004 Auditor General report to Parliament in which he comments "despite the overall budget for education increasing in 2003-04, there was a reduction in funding for maintenance work. However, part of the reason for this is that many items in the maintenance backlog have changed category from requiring maintenance to now requiring replacement -- and therefore requiring capital funding. Based on an analysis at June 20 the Department has estimated that the current maintenance backlog is $115 million ($124 million at June 2003."

The Vinson Audit also restated the recommendation calling for the development of an "asset register". Such a register "would enable all stakeholders to see whether the gap between needed works and what is actually being done is closing or widening on a State-wide basis".

Angelo Gavrielatos is the Senior Vice President.

Federal Government infrastructure funding

Industrial threat brings maintenance action

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June 2005 contents