Theme: Teaching — working for the public good

Teachers in the public education system work with their students, caregivers and the community to create participatory, critically-minded and just citizens and a just, tolerant and equitable future for Australia. The unique nature and the inherent satisfaction of public education teaching is its ability to be transformative for both the individual and society.

Annual Conference 2002 celebrates the public education system as a major contributor to the public good. Professional, passionate and powerful teachers in the public education system are committed to their work and advocacy on behalf of their students and public education.

The findings of the Vinson Inquiry celebrate the commitment of teachers and express the public education community's concern about the conditions under which they work and their lack of adequate remuneration. Professor Vinson's first report states that "of all the assets in the public education system, teacher commitment is probably the crucial one that enables the system to operate as well as it does in the face of resource difficulties and sometimes partly implemented initiatives". The system has been surviving on the professional commitment and goodwill of teachers for too long. The last salaries case showed the true lack of respect that the State Government has for public education. The Government's denigration has been less overt since Watkins but its attitudes continue to be patronising and paltry. True betterments in education must be fully funded. The percentage of the State Budget going to public education continues to decline in each budget. The trend to denigrate, disempower and deny the profession is international and must be resisted.

Thus, in celebrating our commitment to public education teaching, Conference delineates a number of pre-conditions that are required to give effect to positive teaching and learning conditions. Teachers commit to political and industrial activity in the public interest and in recognition that our profession is a litmus test for the workforce as a whole. The workforce is markedly divided between those who are well paid, permanent and able to exercise professional discretion and those who are marginalised and subject to control by others. As inequality increases in our society and re-distributive justice disappears, our role as teachers and unionists is critical to positive change.

Conference establishes the following broad demands as a set of pre-conditions to allow quality, effective teaching and learning in our public schools and TAFE colleges.

1. A teaching and learning environment characterised by the profession's involvement in decision-making at all levels. Partnerships with parents and the participation of students in decisions at appropriate levels will greatly contribute to open, secure and happy schools. Conference recognises that open, participatory schools and TAFE colleges require appropriate behaviour, discipline and co-operation from all students to be successful. Teachers demand sufficient funding to ensure a working and learning environment free of violence, abuse or disruption to learning. It is the responsibility of the Department of Education and Training (DET) to provide such an environment.

The Federation should campaign to ensure that the DET/Federation guidelines on the suspension/expulsion of students engaged in verbal and/or physical violence against teachers are fully implemented at the school and district level. Federation should revise and re-issue the Anti Violence Kit.

2. A political environment which enables positive educational debate and government effort dedicated to promoting, funding and recognising the fundamental importance of public education. In particular, the State Government must create a long-term strategic plan for an optimistic future for public education. The plan must have significant, identifiable and well-resourced milestones along the way. Federation believes such milestones include progressively reducing class sizes in the early years of schooling, significantly raising the salaries and status of the profession, increasing permanency in TAFE and increasing professional development funding and opportunities.

Conference condemns the continued funding of private schools by federal and state governments particularly while juxtaposed by the chronic underfunding of public schools and TAFE colleges. The retraction of government from service to the public and social infrastructure is forcing the creation of a society where aspiring to individual wealth and affluence is encouraged by both major political parties as an end more important than the public good.

Teachers, like so many working Australians, have aspirations. We teach young Australians who aspire to a positive future in our classes everyday. They aspire to reflect the best of themselves. Currently political leaders, particularly in the Howard Government, are encouraging us to reflect the worst of ourselves. In this gestation period for "Modern Labor" it is important that the ALP is dissuaded from espousing notions encapsulated by "a decent education" in favour of promoting a quality public education system through which the aspirations of all citizens can be achieved.

3. An industrial relations system at federal and state level that recognises and promotes the valuable role of unions and collective bargaining.

Conference welcomes the recent decision of the NSW Industrial Relations Commission to hear a case for temporary school teachers and condemns the State Government's rejection of its own pay equity policy.

The teaching workforce, like all in society, has suffered from an unprecedented work intensification making workload unmanageable. In the public education system this intensification puts at risk the quality learning environment of students. It is most critical that time is made available to teachers to ensure the welfare of students, professional development and other essential teacher-related duties. To this end the Federation will ensure that a draft staffing establishment award, beginning with special schools, is developed this year for negotiation and potential arbitration.

Teachers' commitment to unionism and their commitment to teaching overlap in that they are both about working for the common good. Recognising that recruitment to the Federation and activism in the Federation is best developed locally, supported by central activities, this Conference places the demand for release days for Federation Representatives as a critical demand on government. Good industrial relations practices, collegial and co-operative workplaces require time for Federation Representatives to be involved at all levels of consultation and negotiation.

To support teacher activism and recruitment at the workplace the Federation membership must actively pursue release time for Federation Representatives.

Strategies and models used by schools and colleges to gain release time for Federation Representatives are to be published in our journal. Further, Federation is to develop and distribute a poster that outlines the achievements and successes of our union for display in all staffrooms and common rooms.

All Associations will be enabled to hold a seminar or seminars in term 1 of each year with the aim of encouraging more activists. Appropriate Federation Officers should assist in the organisation and running of seminars. These seminars can address campaign issues and develop skills, strategies and networks.

Federation will develop a co-ordinated plan for 2003, which fosters activism and recruitment. A recommendation will be provided to October Council, which will bring together and expand on the decisions of Women's Conference 2002, the work of the New Activists Program, the Membership Officer, and the Trade Union Training Program.

4. A professional environment characterised by public education teachers being the dominant influence in educational bodies and institutions, most particularly the Board of Studies and its consultative committees. A quality public education system needs the profession to be committed to and involved in any system changes. This will ensure that such changes are necessary, researched, resourced and in the interests of students.

Conference applauds and supports the call by the Vinson Inquiry for the abolition of the Office of the Board of Studies and its reintegration into the Department of Education and Training.

A lack of money and resources for professional development has made it harder to attract and keep quality teachers in the classroom. Conference calls on the Government to immediately remedy this situation to give all staff members an opportunity to keep up to date with current trends by devoting finance and resources available for such professional development in order to keep teachers aware of current trends.

5. An environment where social justice manifests itself in all aspects of our society.

The NSW Teachers Federation reiterates its support for social justice and social justice unionism. In particular Conference calls for increased government effort, resources and promotion of educational opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The state of Aboriginal education and the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students requires our urgent attention. By any measure, we have a long way to go in order to achieve equality of learning outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Conference calls on Executive to develop a comprehensive report and recommendation to be put to November Council 2002 on this matter. An invitation is to be extended to a prominent Aboriginal spokesperson to address November Council 2002.

The Federation will create a restricted committee which will have the responsibility to develop policy, strategies and campaign action designed to achieve change and force governments to improve the educational success of Aboriginal students in NSW.

The committee will consist of six elected members, at least three of whom will be Aboriginal teachers. It will be convened by the Aboriginal Co-ordinator who will be additional to the six elected members.

Conference welcomes the alliance of the public education community to support the children of asylum-seekers at Villawood to go to local public schools. Conference calls on the Department of Immigration to ensure that this occurs by the start of term 3. Schools and TAFE colleges will be provided with information about the plight of asylum-seekers and asked to hold meetings about the issue.

Further, Federation will continue its commitments and efforts in forging partnerships with other education and refugee groups to counter the racist messages surrounding asylum seekers being engendered by the Federal Government through the media. The joint Federation/DET anti racism education conference, titled Stand Up! Speak Out! to be held on September 7 at the Australian Technology Park will be an initiative that is followed up by ongoing activities in 2003 with at least a similar Federation financial commitment as 2002.

Conference believes that the Public Education Fund will allow the continued promotion of the system and the profession as an important positive contextual backdrop to the State Election Campaign and the Salaries and Status Campaign.

Conference rejects the line budget approach that means one area of budget needs to pay for urgent needs that are blatantly not fully funded. Treasury must fund urgent needs as they emerge. Conference believes there is no 'fat' in our budget. For example, Conference rejects this approach that says we must fund the integration of students with special needs from a limited set budget to be spread among increasing demands.

Celebrating working for the public good demands our professional, passionate and powerful advocacy on behalf of members, students and public education.

In an era of government ineptitude, and even failure to govern, it is unfortunate yet true that professional responsibility requires public advocacy backed by political and/or industrial action. Conference authorises schools, TAFE colleges and Federation workplaces, with the support of their Federation Organiser, to take industrial action where the safety, security and educational opportunities of students are put at risk by lack of staffing, under-resourcing or a lack of available placements in alternative programs.

2002 Annual Conference decisions

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Last Modified: 15 Nov 2005