The Independent Voice
February 2009
Journal of the Queensland Independent Education Union
February 2009
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Volume 9 Number 1
‘Building the Education Revolution’ The federal government’s proposed injection of $14.7 billion into new and updated infrastructure and facilities for schools will do much to address issues of school infrastructure; however, we are still waiting for a funding announcement on funding professional rates of pay, support for professional development and inclusion funding for special needs students (see page 3 for details of the funding package). At the core of any meaningful ‘education revolution’ is support of teaching staff and the many other education workers who enable the provision of quality
education in schools. In a complementary sense, students need to be well equipped with appropriate resources and support, at home and at school, to ensure that our schools are making a difference to these students. The social disadvantage experienced by some students and the impact this has on their social and education experiences also needs to be addressed. The education revolution must go beyond ensuring that schools have good facilities, and ensure that they also have the
best possible teachers and support staff to provide high quality educational outcomes for students. The absence of an agenda which ensures professional wages and conditions and access to professional development not only devalues the work of education professionals, it sends a negative message to the community about the significant and difficult work being undertaken by education professionals in our schools. Funding to support an agenda which ensures professional wages and conditions for education
professionals remains an unmet priority. Such funding towards an explicit agenda which recognises the critical role of quality educators will not only encourage the best graduates to the profession but also ensure the more experienced remain in the profession. Furthermore, ready access to appropriate professional development goes to the heart of deepening the quality of education in our schools and teachers would welcome funding which extends the provision of support staff in schools to enable them
to spend more time on the task of teaching rather than administrivia. The provision of funding for support of special needs students is currently at woefully inadequate levels and denies in large part a quality educational experience for such students. ‘Building the education revolution’ is a noble slogan but the on-going lack of a genuinely considered strategy and agenda which goes to the heart of the nature of schools and their capacity to provide quality education continues to be an indictment of any such noble intentions.
Our Profession - 90 Years Union Strong
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The Independent Voice
February 2009
CONTACTS The Independent Voice is the official publication of the Queensland Independent Education Union (QIEU) www.qieu.asn.au ISSN 1446-1919 QIEU Brisbane Office PH: 07 3839 7020 346 Turbot Street, Spring Hill Q 4000 PO Box 418 Fortitude Valley Q 4006 QIEU Townsville Office PH: 07 4772 6277 Level 1, 316 Sturt St Townsville Q 4810 PO Box 5783 Townsville West Q 4810 QIEU Bundaberg Office PH: 07 4132 8455 44 Maryborough St Bundaberg Q 4670 PO Box 1227 Bundaberg Q 4670 IEUA-QNT Darwin Office PH: 08 8981 1924 FAX: 08 8981 1935 38 Wood Street Darwin NT 0801 GPO Box 4166 Darwin NT 0801 Editorial/ Advertising enquiries to Fiona Richardson: Telephone: 07 3839 7020 Toll Free: 1800 177 937 Fax: 07 3839 7021 Email: frichardson@qieu.asn.au Editor Mr Terry Burke QIEU General Secretary Publications Officer/Journalist Fiona Richardson Printing: Rural Press (07) 3826 8200 Disclaimer: Advertising is carried in The Independent Voice in order to minimise costs to members and is paid at commercial rates. Such advertising does not in any way reflect endorsement or otherwise of the advertised products and/or services by QIEU. Copyright All articles remain the copyright of QIEU. Permission must be obtained before reprinting. ABN: 45 620 218 712
POSITION VACANT Part-Time Librarian Expressions of interest are sought for a part-time librarian in the QIEU Brisbane office. The position is one day per fortnight and would suit a retired teacher librarian or school officer with cataloguing experience. For an information and application package please contact nmorris@qieu.asn.au Applications close 4 March 2009
President’s Report Opportunities and challenges ahead in 2009 Welcome back colleagues to a new year which provides us many opportunities and challenges. I hope your break was enjoyable and restful. The year ahead sees many sectors negotiating collective agreements. As we look ahead to the challenges that the year presents it is appropriate in our 90th year to stop and reflect on the many enhancements that members in various sectors of independent education have gained. Since starting teaching in the 1990s I have witnessed enhanced superannuation, paid maternity leave, paternity leave and significant improvements to the school officer awards, to name a few.
I know many members would be able to tell a story about how conditions have improved and the campaign that went with achieving the outcome. Although we have achieved a lot there is still many areas that we continue to seek to enhance. Your union council has sought again to put at the front of the debate a considered and structured framework on how to appropriately recognise accomplished teachers.
the year, including a conference; this conference will continue the professional issues agenda that was a focus of last year, whilst also reflecting on our past achievements. I ask of you in our 90th year to take the time to participate in some way in our union; nominate for a position on your Chapter Executive, or ask if you can assist the Chapter Executive.
It is an attempt to cut through all the media hype and teacher bashing and to actually deal with a significant issue.
Nominate to be part of one of the various committees our union convenes, or make a commitment to attend Labour Day this year and enjoy the celebration of all union achievements especially our own.
We will celebrate our 90th year with various events throughout
I hope you have the opportunity this year to take time and celebrate what
our union has achieved. It also a reminder that for a union to be effective it needs to have a membership that is growing, educated and willing to take the action necessary to improve the conditions of its industry. I look forward to meeting with as many members as possible throughout this year. Kind regards, Andrew Elphinstone QIEU President
General Secretary’s Report The meaning of Union - 90 years on There is an ever-present character to the work we do as a union. Our 90th Anniversary Year Celebrations encourage us to review not only our achievements but the industrial and social context in which those were made. From very small origins in 1919 and 1921 our antecedent unions established a commitment to represent with persistence and dedication, the industrial and professional interests of our members. While my membership of our union barely covers one third of our 90 year history, even a cursory view of those decades points to the essential role that we as a collective of teachers and education workers have undertaken. Indeed, one has only to review the pages of this journal to distil the essence of what we do as a union. The Principal sacked and her industrial rights ignored is represented by our union and an appropriate compensation achieved ( page 9); the cleaners about to be outsourced with probable loss of permanency of employment and certainly loss of current conditions have, with our intervention, their employment status and terms of employment preserved (page 16); members trained in minimum workplace health and safety laws (page 5) so that they can
encourage the achievement of a safe place to work; representations on curriculum changes (page 4) and advocacy on quality education and appropriate resource levels (page 1); bargaining for real wage increases to ensure employees in our sector maintain and enhance their standard of living (page 4); and most significantly co-ordinating a collective response to the attempts by employers to assert that they have all the rights and employees should acquiesce even in the face of offensive, stupid and unreasonable employer actions. The actions of the Townsville Grammar School (page 3) in unilaterally determining that staff who left the school in 2008 should be denied backpayment to 1 May 2008 is but a contemporary example of why we always need union and how union empowers the individual. Alone, an individual has but the power of their argument and in the face of an obdurate employer, the individual can achieve little. However, the collective gives the individual, in concert with their colleagues, a power that moves employers. Aberrant and offensive behaviour such as that at the Townsville Grammar School has and will continue to be called for what it is and action taken.
We have done this in our history and we will continue to do so with vigour, purpose and determination. Our history as a union is replete with examples of the commitment to enforce our collective power in support of our members; whether it is the achievement of wage increases generally, gender pay equity, enhanced entitlements to long service leave, sick leave and superannuation contributions. As a union we have been part of broader campaigns for minimum entry standards for teachers, teacher registration and curriculum reform. As a union we have brought proper and appropriate classification structures for school officers recognising their skills, responsibilities and contribution to the work of schools. As a union we have provided support and advocacy for social justice, both at home and abroad and pursued the recognition of human dignity and the most fundamental human rights. As a union we have also been part of the Your Rights at Work campaign which changed a government to win back our working rights and conditions. Considered and well counselled employers know that they never win in the face of the power of
the collective. Employees, for their part, suffer an angry acquiescence in the face of employer intimidation until they too discover the power of the collective. In this, our 90th Anniversary Year, we can look forward with confidence to what we will achieve as a union knowing that our fundamental values will stand the test of time. Foolish and inadequate employers will come and go; employer stupidity and intimidation will try to claim a place but when their impoverished contributions are long gone there will always be union, because there will always be employees united in common spirit to do what is right and good and through their union to assert fundamental human values of justice, fairness and respect of the human condition.
Kind regards, Terry Burke General Secretary tburke@qieu.asn.au
The Independent Voice
February 2009
Fair Work Bill - what will it mean for us? The Independent Education Union of Australia (IEUA) has argued in its submission to the Senate inquiry into the Fair Work Bill that while issues of unfair dismissal, collective bargaining with the employer ‘in good faith’, flexible working conditions and a safety net of terms and conditions are generally appropriately addressed, education workers would experience considerable problems concerning multi-employer bargaining if the Bill is legislated in its current form. In its submission the IEUA commended the greater legal entitlements under the Fair Work Bill compared to the Howard government’s laws. The proposed legislation proposes to establish a new framework for workplace relations to commence on 1 July 2009. It would: • establish a guaranteed safety net of minimum terms and conditions; • ensure that the safety net cannot be undermined by the making of statutory individual agreements; • provide for flexible working arrangements; • recognise the right to freedom of association and the right to be represented in the workplace; • provide procedures to resolve grievances and disputes; • provide effective compliance mechanisms; • deliver protections from unfair dismissal for employees; • emphasise enterprise level bargaining underpinned by good faith bargaining obligations and rules governing industrial action; and • establish a new institutional framework to administer the new system comprising Fair Work Australia and the Fair Work Ombudsman. In the new Bill, unfair dismissal rights for employees will no
ABOVE: QIEU Officers attend the Fair Work Bill hearing in Brisbane recently
longer be limited to workplaces with 100 employees or more. This is significant for our members, as many schools in the non-government sector operating in the federal jurisdiction, such as colleges that provide English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) and early learning centres fell well short of this size. Furthermore, dismissals for ‘operational reasons,’ will no longer be allowed. The Bill also provides for an employer to be ordered to meet and bargain in good faith if 50 per cent of employees request negotiation of a collective agreement. Unions will also have the right to be involved in these negotiations of behalf of their members and there will no longer be artificial limits on the content of agreements. Therefore, provisions requiring unions to be consulted in cases of redundancy for example, can be included. Though there are some strengths to the introduction of the Bill, the IEUA argues there are still some problems concerning award structures. The IEUA’s submission points out that, ‘..even where market rates may be paid for wages, staff are dependent on the award for all
other conditions such as parental leave, personal leave, long service leave redundancy payments.’ In relation to this, one of the main recommendations the IEUA made to the Inquiry was that, ‘Fair Work Australia needs to be empowered with greater flexibility in relation to the content of Awards where that flexibility is required by the industry which is subject to the Award.’ Educators have patterns of work which are not replicated in any other industry. They are subject to intensive face to face responsibilities associated with students and are required, because the loaded curriculum deems it, to work outside normal working hours. Preparation and marking of curriculum as well as the expected involvement in extra-curricular activities are generally not subject to any form of Award regulation. The IEUA’s submission advocated that the new Bill should recognise that, ‘…modern awards do not suit the working environment which applies to teachers and educators.’ Therefore, four weeks annual leave is of no relevance to employees who work in schools. The submission also states that, ‘..similarly, a maximum of 38 hours
work per week is not a limitation which is suitable to the industry of education.’ The quantum of work is a consequence of the curriculum which is required by the employer, which the IEUA believes the Bill should be extended to allow. In regards to industrial bargaining the IEUA feels that there are disadvantages in the Bill regarding agreements covering multiemployer bargaining. One ‘loop hole’ in the Bill is that employers can effectively deny employees the right to take industrial action in support of bargaining claims by simply insisting on remaining within the multiple employer stream. In the multiple employer stream, employees are not permitted to take protected industrial action or to apply to Fair Work Australia for good faith bargaining. The IEUA supports the ACTU and other unions who have also submitted suggestions that the Bill needs to ensure employees in all streams of bargaining are treated equitably. The Senate Inquiry into The Fair Works Bill will conclude on 19 February and the new framework for workplace relations is to commence on 1 July 2009.
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There will be funding caps for schools who wish to access this funding and determined according to the size of the school (see table 1: Caps for large scale building and infrastructure funding at right). As a condition of this funding, schools will be required to provide low or no fee community access to these facilities. A further $1 billion will be spent on building 500 new science laboratories and language
Unjust wage fight at TGS Townsville Grammar School employees have made a clear statement that staff who left the school at the end of 2008 should receive back payment from 1 May 2008 of increased salary and wages under the terms of the recently balloted agreement.
Building the education revolution: what this package means for schools The federal government proposal is for an allocation of $12.4 billion to build or upgrade large-scale infrastructure such as libraries and multipurpose halls in primary schools, special schools and K-12 schools. Funding priority will be given to construction of new buildings. However, funding will also be available for schools with recently constructed buildings for refurbishment or additional construction.
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centres. Funding allocations for this component of the Nation Building and Job Plan will be made based on need as well as a readiness and capacity to complete construction by the 30 June 2010. The final $1.3 billion will be used to refurbish existing infrastructure and undertake minor building works in schools. Schools will be eligible for up to $200,000 worth of funding. Funding caps will also be in place and determined by school size (see table 2: Caps for school refurbishment and minor works funding at right). There will also be enhanced funding to fund proposals under the Trade Training Centres in Schools Program. This will allow for 110 additional schools to build trade training facilities, upgrade existing facilities and purchase trade-related equipment. The provision of this funding will be made by the Block Grant Authority in conjunction with Commonwealth,
state and territory governments and the non-government education sector. The first round of funding is anticipated to be made available to allow construction to commence by June 2009. The short time frames associated with the provision of this funding; six to eight months for minor infrastructure and 15 to 18 months for large infrastructure, are also problematic. Short time frames will provide resource demand
and employment opportunities, particularly in trade area, it may be to the detriment of schools who are in particular need of funding, but do not have the capacity to complete construction and works within the designated times. This would be a particular problem in regional areas where access to trade professionals and materials would be more restricted than in metropolitan areas.
Table 1: Caps for large scale building and infrastructure funding School size (full time equivalent students)
Funding cap
0 to 50 51 to 150 151 to 300 301 to 400 401+
$ 250,000 $ 850,000 $2,000,000 $2,500,000 $3,000,000
Table 2: Caps for school refurbishment and minor works funding School size (full time equivalent students)
Funding cap
0 to 50 51 to 150 151 to 300 301 to 400 401+
$ 50,000 $ 75,000 $ 125,000 $ 150,000 $ 200,000
In a separate ballot conducted by staff in conjunction with the formal ballot on the proposed agreement, employees voted strongly in support of back payment to their colleagues who left at the end of 2008. In a further significant sign of protest nearly 40 per cent of staff voted NO to the agreement. Such high levels of rejection of a ballot are rarely seen and the result says much about the view of staff on the exclusion of their former colleagues from the back payment and the disregard of the commitment and contribution of these staff by their employer. Staff had been advised late last year in a cursory comment in an end of year briefing that in the event of a successful ballot on the proposed agreement, that only continuing employees would receive the back payment from 1 May 2008. No mention had ever been made in the negotiation of the proposed agreement that the school would adopt such a position. The obvious lack of respect to these dedicated and committed staff is offensive and the school’s arguments in its defence are arguments of convenience, attempting to disguise the inadequacy of their position. Chapter members at the school late last year endorsed a resolution calling on the school’s Principal and Board members to alter their decision and instead move to fairly recognise all staff, both past and present, with the negotiated 4.5 per cent wage increase. Members at the school have been joined in their campaign with support from Chapters across the state and the Northern Territory and with the conduct of the ballot, the campaign moves into a new phase to overturn the school’s disrespectful and dismissive attitude towards professionally committed staff.
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The Independent Voice
November 2008
QIEU takes initiative on stakeholder response In something of a knee-jerk political reaction to the publication of national assessment of literacy and numeracy (NAPLAN) results the Queensland government commissioned a report by Professor Geoff Masters of the Australian Council for Educational Research to provide it with advice on improving the literacy and numeracy outcomes of Queensland primary age students. A broad consultation with the various stakeholders was promised and when this eventuated the structure of the consultation was a continuation of a disturbing trend towards segregating stakeholders into categories: QIEU with QTU; parents groups; professional associations; employer groups and so on. Each group’s views are effectively quarantined from the others. This review has the potential to have far-reaching consequences for Queensland schools and the issues associated with improving student outcomes are shared
across all stakeholder groups. In the face of the government imposed segregation of views, QIEU took the initiative and invited all stakeholders to a meeting to establish that common ground and to enable all groups to have a view better informed by the views of others. This initiative was well received and having been established was in fact assisted with an initial presentation from a representative from the Department of Education Training and the Arts. A forum of the nature we initiated is what that very department should have established itself rather than the ad hoc consultations it had put in place. The meeting then gave consideration to key issues: resourcing; the content of education courses at universities; attracting the best and brightest to education and retaining our experienced teachers; and the need to ensure appropriate mentoring of beginning teachers in schools. President of the Queensland Teachers’ Union, Steve Ryan,
spoke very strongly in support of the need for more appropriate levels of resourcing. He pointed out that there may well be some co-relation between the fact that Queensland funding is the second lowest in Australia and Queensland’s performance being ranked second lowest in the country. A representative of parents and friends associations indicated that like teachers, parents were alarmed that they too were frequently blamed for Queensland students’ “not performing well enough”. Both “teacher bashing” and “parent bashing” needs to cease and the real reasons for this perceived “failure” be acknowledged and addressed. All those present at this meeting indicated that they would prefer to have joint stakeholder meetings and it is QIEU’s intention to initiate such gatherings when and if this segregation of consultation occurs in the future. At the later consultation meeting with Professor Masters, it was pleasing to hear him indicate that
Queensland’s education results may actually be quite good once these are properly understood. The analysis which found its way into the media failed to properly disaggregate the date and understand peculiar characteristics of the Queensland context. This assessment by the researcher is in stark contrast to the Premier’s statement that the “results from the Trends in International Maths and Science Study [TIMSS] are well short of a pass mark.” The truth is that Australia ranks substantially above the TIMSS International Median for Maths and Science at both year 4 and year 8. It is also true that Queensland ranks second last out of all the states when this analysis is done. However, there are factors which cloud the waters somewhat. Queensland students are younger at the time of testing and any classroom teacher would point to the relevance of this. The initial report from Professor Masters, however, has done little to inspire practitioners with its ‘significant’ recommendation that: Last year’s NAPLAN assessment materials – including test booklets,
administration manual, making guides, and details of the performances of last year’s cohort on each test question – be made available to all Year 3, 5 and 7 teachers at the start of the 2009 school year for use in establishing students’ current levels of literacy and numeracy development and to assist in identifying individual learning needs. This practice has long happened in schools and in itself does little to advocate for the real means of addressing the differential outcomes in the provision of staffing resources and professional development. Furthermore the recommendation has a ‘teach to the test’ character to it and as educators we know that the narrowing of classroom learning to test instruments may improve outcomes on those test instruments but at the expense of a broad education. QIEU will continue to monitor developments in the review in the interests of quality education provision.
The price to pay for quality teachers Northern Territory News Queensland teachers face the long term prospect of being the second lowest paid in the country following recent wage rises in the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia. While Queensland teachers have in recent years been the second-highest paid in the country there is now a sizable gap between rates paid interstate and those in Queensland. A significant wage rise is now needed to get Queensland teachers to at least level with other states and restore remuneration levels to more appropriate comparison levels. The risks in not doing so are great. For a decade in the 1980s, Queensland teachers were the lowest paid in the country. The very sizable gap that existed for those years meant that the wage increases in the decade never addressed the differential. It took a change of Premier within the National Party government and a commitment from Premier Mike Ahern for the wage gap to be addressed. Failure to win comparable rates with recent interstate wage outcomes would again institutionalise Queensland as the low wage state for another decade. Currently graduate teachers in Queensland typically earn over $48,000 per year in their collective agreement, while colleagues in
Western Australia recently received increases which took the graduate annual rate to $54,000 in 2009. Victoria and New South Wales graduate teachers will earn over $52,000 from this year. Under agreements negotiated NSW and WA graduate teachers in 2010 will be the highest paid at over $56,000. Experienced teacher rates of around $80,000 will be achieved in most states in 2010 under agreements negotiated. In the Northern Territory graduates will receive over $54,000 this year, increasing to $56,743 in 2010. Top band NT teachers will this year receive $76,351 and in 2010 $80,480 under a restructured salary scale. Negotiations will commence shortly for a replacement agreement in Queensland public sector schools. The Bligh government cannot be complacent about the wage issue and must meet or better the interstate outcomes. Employees in the non-government sector will be watching these developments closely and stand ready to support our Queensland Teachers’ Union colleagues in sending a strong message to the state government on wages. In the Northern Territory the public sector outcomes have non-government school employees well placed to argue for what is now effectively national benchmark rates.
State Public Sector Wage Comparisions NT Public Sector Graduate teacher In 2009 - $54, 290 In 2010 - $56,743 Top band teacher 2009 - $76,351 2010 - $80,480 WA Public Sector Graduate teacher 2009 - $53, 898 October 2010 - $56,112 Top band teacher 2009 - $76,944 October 2010 - $84,863 VIC Public Sector Graduate teacher 2009 - $52,571 2010 - $53,996 2011 - $55,459 Top band teacher 2009 - $77,546 2010 - $79,648 2011 - $81,806 NSW Public Sector Graduate teacher 2009 - $52,745 2010 - $54,749 2011 - $56,830 Top band teacher 2009 - $78,667 2010 - $81,657 2011 - $84,760 Annual wage rates QLD Catholic sector (2008) Graduate teacher $48,829 Top band teacher $68,839
ABOVE: Joseph Hynes of Murrupurtiyanuwu Catholic School and Tori Phillips of Xavier Community Education Centre have now become members of IEUA-QNT
Bargaining in Northern Territory well underway Collective bargaining in Northern Territory schools continues apace with proposed agreements in the Lutheran sector and at Kormilda College likely to go to ballot shortly. Negotiations have formally commenced in the Catholic sector following an extensive consultation with employees on a log of claim and The Essington School will commence bargaining negotiations later in the term. Employees have identified wage outcomes as a high priority with the public sector agreement now settled and benchmark rates established. Negotiations are also providing an opportunity to incorporate into the future agreement a more comprehensive set of workplace provisions ahead of developments with the national
modern award for non-government schools in Australia. Local organiser Andrea MacDonald was recently joined by officers from Brisbane to conduct an initial round of school visits to encourage participation in the bargaining processes and to invite graduate teachers and those new to the Territory to participate in union activity and take out membership. Employees took the opportunity to discuss various industrial issues, current agreement provisions and the benefits of belonging to our union. Employees welcomed the visits and with over 35 new applications for membership, the strength of the membership in the Territory continues to grow.
The Independent Voice
February 2009
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Members in Action Palm Island members discuss legal, OHS issues
Unions fight for construction workers rights
ABOVE: Unions protest in support of the abolishment of the ABCC
ABOVE: QIEU Palm Island members and St Michael’s Primary teachers (from left) Linda Viri, Glen Perkins, Luke Dyvestyn and staff rep Aileen Flemming undertake union training on Occupational Health and Safety and legal issues in January
Palm Island QIEU members recently benefited from union training sessions in Legal and Workplace Occupational Health and Safety issues. All 22 school staff members at St Michael’s Primary, including grounds staff, administration and teachers, took part in the Legal Issues in Schools workshop designed to better resource and educate members of the legal issues which may arise in the workplace. The session also provided participants with useful strategies to meet duty of care obligations, along with knowledge of Child Protection issues and Reporting of Harm requirements.
A recent Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) rally in Brisbane to draw attention to the struggle of Australian construction workers highlighted the need abolish the construction industry watchdog - the Australian Building and Construction Commission.
At the conclusion of the session, participants could define negligence and duty of care, identify factors that may cause injury and manage the risks, and outline the procedures required to investigate and report harm.
Staff are now better informed on common law duty of care, can maintain hazard identification and risk control procedures and actions, and analyse their own work environment to identify hazards and access risk.
The afternoon session on OH&S practices informed staff on Legislation, Risk Management and Consultation – Practical Advice for Chapters.
QIEU Organiser Wendy Hutchinson said staff were happy with the broad range of content covered in the sessions.
Unions throughout Queensland including QIEU marched and protested in support of the 2 December 2008 rally to call on the federal government to immediately abolish the ABCC as it breaks the collective strength of Australian construction workers and denies them their democratic right to be represented by a union.
“Staff had just had a presentation the day before from the Townsville CEO on Child Protection and were surprised that I also covered this in my legal session, as they were only expecting duty of care and negligence, so they were happy with this,” Wendy said.
The ABCC was originally set up by the former Howard government as it continues to highlight the unfairness of the former coalition government’s laws that still remain. The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has stated that
The session enabled union delegates to design an action plan for Workplace Health and Safety representatives that delivers practical action for chapters and opportunities for members to act collectively.
the Commission still possesses draconian powers that include the ability to summons any person to give evidence, and it is a offence punishable by up to six month’s imprisonment to refuse to give evidence. The federal government says the ABCC will remain until 2010; however, the CFMEU will continue to campaign for the immediate abolishment of the Commission so that construction workers can begin to be treated the same as other workers.
ABOVE: QIEU Officers Fiona Richardson and Sherryl Saunders support CFMEU workers
Education Revolution needs some evolving yet Development of a national curriculum and the seeming endless comparison data on core student testing has the focus clearly on the nature of curriculum change and development and how high level student outcomes might be pursued. Much is made of international comparisons of school success in this debate with reflection on Scandinavian countries usually claiming the limelight. However, overlooked are insights from the experience in Canadian school systems and Alberta in particular. As reported in the Des Moines Register of December 7, 2008: “Among more than 50 countries participating in the most
recent round of the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, Canada was third in science … trailing Finland and Hong Kong – China.” “And when the Canadian government estimated where each of its 10 provinces would rank among countries, Alberta came in at number 2.” One of the most significant contributions to this success is a workforce of well-paid teachers who have ready access to professional development. Alberta makes a big investment in professional development including hiring significant numbers of substitute teachers to ensure that teachers have quality time to collaborate on curriculum
and pedagogy. This mutual recognition of the need for teachers to engage in continuous development of their own skill and knowledge base, coupled with better resourcing, appears to have built an educational environment where teachers are enabled and motivated to enrich their professional abilities. Rigorous curriculum intent which is unambiguously communicated is another important factor. In Alberta, the curriculum describes in detail what will be taught in core subjects while ensuring that teachers have the freedom to develop their own lessons. While there are competing
arguments on how highly defined the curriculum should be, there is clearly benefit in clarity of curriculum intent and outcomes with clear overview of the key concepts, knowledge and skills to be learned. The Alberta experience demonstrated the effectiveness of well resourced teacher professional development and support and a well articulated curriculum. We know from past experience with curriculum change in Queensland that when the provision of professional development and the time to implement change is not mandated and funded, then the effective implementation of change is scattered and, too often, achieved at the expense of teachers’ wellbeing.
To have a successful Education Revolution, commitment to spending on education must be directed where it will make the most difference - time for teachers and principals to do their work well, the financial backing that ensures adequate and appropriate professional development for all staff, and time release to ensure that education professionals are able to work collaboratively to plan, implement, review and revise their work and the outcomes achieved by their students. The ‘Education Revolution’ has yet to deliver these dollars.
Miriam Dunn QIEU Research Officer
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The Independent Voice
February 2009
Assistant General Secretary’s Report Graduate Teachers: A challenging and satisfying first year As graduate teachers commence their first year and what hopefully will be a rewarding and satisfying career, support and advice from their professional colleagues and their union can do much to ease that feeling of being overwhelmed. It is easy as a graduate teacher to fall into the trap of over commitment. Setting goals and not overcommitting to tasks is essential. As a profession we owe our graduate colleagues every assistance and support as the complexity of the work of a teacher unfolds. And as a union we too can provide assistance and support. QIEU is able to provide advice and assistance in such key areas as: • Graduate teacher salaries and conditions; • Legal protection; • Managing workload/pressure; and • Professional Development. Salaries and Conditions Union members have been successful in winning significant gains in wages and conditions across the non-government schools sector. First year teacher salaries in schools with a union negotiated agreement is up to 20 percent more per year
compared to schools without a union negotiated agreement. Like salaries, employment conditions can vary between schools. However, the Award and union negotiated agreements generally provide for: • Fully cumulative paid sick leave; • Enhanced employer superannuation contributions; • Long service leave; • Paid school vacation breaks; • Maternity leave; • Family carers leave; • Job share opportunities; and • Salary packaging arrangements. Legal Protection One of the most important aspects of work in schools is making certain that you have adequate legal protection. New laws and the expectation for schools to deal with a range of issues have created an increasingly complex legal situation for teachers. All QIEU members are covered by comprehensive Public Liability and Professional Indemnity insurance as well as legal advice from QIEU lawyers. Such insurance
protection and legal representation are invaluable in legal cases such as allegations against a teacher, liability for negligence for a student injury or defending a teacher against criminal or civil action. Remember, you have the right for any complaint to be handled in a fair and transparent manner. Any complaint should be discussed professionally and with the relevant staff, with full details of the complaint provided and a reasonable opportunity to provide a response and the right to seek advice from your union. If you are required to attend a meeting, seek to have a support person attend with you. Contact QIEU should any allegation be job threatening or of a criminal nature. Managing workload/pressure Work intensification is a critical campaign issue for education professionals. Unfortunately, workplace stress is a serious health and safety issue in our sector. Teachers are entitled to a fair balance between work demands and their personal lives. In what
is an important first year of your teaching career, graduate teachers must ensure that their work/life balance is fair and reasonable. While participation in the school community and giving your professional best is an important part of our work in schools, this must not be at the expense of your classroom teaching or personal health. Remember, your industrial provisions stipulate that: • Teachers are entitled to a minimum amount of time for preparation and correction; and • You have a maximum number of hours of directed duty.
In common with education professionals at later stages of their career, graduates in the survey identified issues of concern relating to dealing with the school environment, student behaviour and needs, securing appropriate working conditions and work intensification. The survey of 245 graduate members which included teaching and non-teaching staff as well as supply teachers both in Queensland and the Northern Territory, were asked questions which dealt with issues such as:
QIEU provides a broad range of professional development opportunities. These sessions are free of charge to union members and details are regularly advertised in this journal and the QIEU website at www.qieu.asn.au. Graduates should utilise professional development opportunities offered by the employer and your union. Such sessions include: • Graduate teacher seminars to assist
• Professional development; • Communications; and • Future career plans and issues of concern. Over 63 per cent of graduate members stated that they enjoyed interacting with students the most in their experiences in their first year. Being challenged and learning about their role as well as working with supportive colleagues was also an important feature in their first year in the job. Dealing with colleagues and adapting to the school environment was considered the most challenging aspect of their first year as teachers.
QIEU offers a program of support for graduate teachers including a series of graduate seminars (see details below). Taking an active role in the union Chapter at school and learning how collectively issues might be addressed in the workplace can be a rewarding part of being a teacher. Ros McLennan Assistant General Secretary rmclennan@qieu.asn.au
Graduate Teacher 2009 Information Sessions
Workload, behaviour management and special needs students were also cited by graduate teacher members as common challenges.
Information sessions designed to assist graduate teachers in their first year of teaching have been scheduled for 2009.
The majority of those interviewed were appointed a mentor for the year with 97 per cent indicating that they benefited from this.
Session topics include: teacher registration requirements; employment conditions; meeting professional challenges and legal liability and duty of care.
Of those who were not mentored, many felt that they would have benefited from one. Most graduate members believed they were well included in their union Chapter activities. However, many stated that chapters could more actively encourage them to be involved, with an emphasis on engaging graduates in issues and campaigns.
• The challenges faced as a graduate; • Mentoring and support;
More information is available from your union representative at your school, your union website www.qieu.asn.au and your union office.
Professional development
Graduate members face same issues as all education professionals Graduate teachers often feel overwhelmed dealing with varied and complex issues associated with working in the education sector in their first year, according to a QIEU Call Centre survey.
in your first year of teaching; • Strategies to strengthen your union Chapter; • Legal liability issues for teachers; and • Workplace bullying and harassment.
Other support that was identified as of assistance to graduates included mentoring programs, more information about QIEU/IEUA-QNT and campaigns, professional development and additional classroom resources.
Graduate Teacher Session Dates: Brisbane - 16 March, 4pm - QIEU Office, 346 Turbot Street Graduate Teacher Session Teleconference Tuesday, 17 March, 4pm Townsville - 18 March, 4pm - QIEU Office, Level 1, 316 Sturt Street Bundaberg - 19 March, 4pm - QIEU Office, 44 Maryborough Street
Professional development of most relevance to graduate teachers included behaviour management, planning, assessment and reporting and managing workload and stress.
Rockhampton - 23 March, 4pm - Brothers Leagues Club, 1 Lion Creek Road
After their first year working in the education sector 94 per cent of respondents indicated that they intended on continuing in the sector into the future; however, of most concern to graduates was securing permanent employment as well as appropriate wages and conditions.
Far North Queensland - March 25, 4pm - Rydges, Corner Esplanade and Kerwin Streets, Cairns
Members believed that work intensification, understanding and implementing school policies and procedures and building professional skills were still issues they would face as they progressed through their career
Gold Coast - 24 March, 4pm - Fiascos Function Room, Parkwood Tavern, Parkwood
Emerald - 26 March, 6:45am - Emerald Explorers Inn For more information or to RSVP to a graduate teacher training session date please phone the QIEU Brisbane office on (07) 3839 7020 or email jrymer@qieu.asn.au
The Independent Voice
February 2009
7
Assistant General Secretary/Treasurer’s Report
An effective union presence Members need to be aware of agreements and entitlements and know where to find out about the application of industrial instruments.
territory and national levels.
density levels.
A second characteristic of an effective union is the sense of collective that members have.
Our capacity to create and respond to change is influenced by our density.
There will be times when we need to be supported by or to support our colleagues.
Members need to be open to engagement with issues that will impact upon them and react to what is mooted and proposed for our profession.
‘Union’ is about the collective. It is about amalgamation and consolidation.
Our union continues to grow and we will need to continue this growth to meet the challenges that 2009 will bring.
In addition, this year will be a very significant year as professional issues at both state, territory and federal level are mooted, proposed and introduced.
Educated members are able to understand and effectively respond to conditions and situations that impact upon them and our profession.
The characteristics that make for an effective union presence are: an educated membership; a membership that identifies as a collective; and a membership that has strong density levels.
They are prepared to become involved with their colleagues in considering, evaluating and responding to situations as they arise.
This year many of us will be involved in collective negotiations. As well, we will be involved in industrial issues that affect us all as members of the education community.
Union members need to be educated to respond to initiatives and challenges that impact upon them from outside their schools and to be able to address issues that arise in their workplace.
Educated union members know their rights and responsibilities industrially and professionally. They have the skills and structures to evaluate and respond as a collective locally and at the wider state,
It is based on the belief that more (and much) can be achieved by many working together and supporting each other than by an individual’s lone attempt. As members, we need to realise that we are part of a chapter at the local level and that beyond that we are part of a wider membership at branch, state or territory and national level. We are, more generally, constituents of an international movement that involves many different groups, professions and occupations. An important attribute of an effective union is high member
A decade ago, the Unions@Work report stressed that unions do not improve living standards by getting smaller but by growing and involving greater numbers of women and young people and recruiting in emerging areas of the modern economy.
and graduates in our workplace to join our union. We can be engaged in this process by taking part in professional development opportunities that arise, reading our journals and by talking with our colleagues about what is happening in our profession, by setting up structures and sharing our knowledge.
This we need to continue to do so that our collective maintains its influence with employers and governments and its credibility with professional and industrial bodies.
In addition, we can be engaged in building a sense of union, by being involved in workplace, cross-workplace and cross-sector campaigns and events.
We can be engaged in the maintenance of an effective union presence by encouraging all eligible employees, new starters
Paul Giles Assistant General Secretary/ Treasurer pgiles@qieu.asn.au
IEUA calls on federal government to support early childhood education The Independent Education Union of Australia (IEUA) has called upon the federal government to take a greater responsibility in guaranteeing the resources and support for high quality early childhood education and care for all Australian children in its submission to the Senate inquiry into the provision of childcare. The collapse of the ABC childcare corporation last year, has highlighted the need for more support for viable community based early childhood education and care that is not aimed at pure profit but at delivering of quality education. The federal government’s commitment to provide early childhood specialist trained teachers for 15 hours of preschool education for all three and four year olds is a positive first step towards ensuring the broad delivery of quality education in early childhood. Qualified early childhood teachers and assistants utilise their comprehensive knowledge of child development to observe and assess children’s abilities, strengths and needs and to plan appropriate activities and experiences in a play based learning setting. However, central to the delivering
of quality educational outcomes in early childhood is the attraction and retention of qualified, experienced and capable staff which needs to be recognised. Much more is required to support early childhood education as teachers and assistants need to be supported through funding for equitable salary and working conditions. Too many inequities exist for teachers and assistants working in early childhood education. While there are issues of equitable wages and conditions across the wider childcare and early childhood sector there is much to do within the early childhood education sector as an entity. Those working in centres affiliated to the Crèche and Kindergarten Association Inc (C&K) are yet to successfully achieve full parity of conditions with their colleagues in school settings. No paid maternity leave exists for employees in C&K centres; this is an extremely disappointing situation when the majority of these employees are female and they are denied access to support for family responsibilities. The IEUA submission argues that these differential working conditions within the early
childhood education and care sectors must be overcome in future government funding policies. This can be achieved if the government is serious about retaining and attracting qualified and experienced staff. The competing interests of shareholders and children does not bode well for the delivery of quality education. Publically listed corporations carry a duty to shareholders to maximise profits and this inevitably implies cost savings which negatively affect the quality of education and care for our children. The casualisation of staff, reduction of staff hours and reduction of adult to child ratios which exist in many “for profit” centres is a prime example of how diminution of costs in the pursuit of profit viability can affect the quality of education. The “not for profit” nature of Community Kindergartens means that the focus of the institution is on the children. In the experiences of QIEU members, this is the main reason as to why parents choose to send their children to Community Kindergartens wherever possible.
However, the closure of many ABC Learning Centres has put additional pressure on these other existing services to meet the demand for childcare and education. The IEUA submission emphasise that the government needs to get serious about their funding policies for not for profit centres, if there is a desire for quality early childhood education and care for all
Australian children. Creative solutions need to be developed to meet the early childhood education and care needs of parents in the future without compromising the standards of education or embedding inequitable employment conditions and staffing arrangements.
BE BRAVE AND SHAVE Students and teachers across Queensland are encouraged to show their support for a good cause by colouring or shaving their hair as part of the Leukaemia Foundation’s World’s Greatest Shave from 12 - 14 March 2009. For further information on the Leukaemia Foundation’s World’s Greatest Shave or to register please go to www.worldsgreatestshave.com or call 1800 500 088.
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The Independent Voice
February 2009
Work Intensification - time for some balance Australian educators are working harder and longer, and it’s time we addressed the problem, for the sake of our students as much as ourselves. Work intensification – or working harder and working longer – has a negative impact on our personal relationships, job satisfaction and productivity. It’s recognised as a particular problem for education professionals, who are four times more likely to suffer a stress-related illness than others. The ACTU’s ‘Future of Work: Working hours and work intensification background paper’, neatly defines the nature and scope of the phenomenon: ‘Work intensification, through reduced staffing levels and increased workloads, has not only driven long hours of work among fulltime workers, it has also meant that workers are under constant stress in attempting to meet targets and demands, particularly in jobs which involve dealing with the public. This intensification of work gives rise to unsustainable work practices, which harm both the enterprises and workers concerned. ‘Lack of staffing means there is no time for ongoing training of workers which allows them to keep up with the changing demands of their work. The increased pressure at work gives rise to unsafe workplaces, and the inability of workers to participate in a full non-work life ultimately makes work an unsustainable part of their lives.’ That’s the general picture, but what about education professionals in particular? In 2006, Dr Carolyn Timms conducted a ‘Workplace Dynamics: Engagement and burnout’ teacher survey of Queensland Independent Education Union members. The purpose of her research was to explore the impact of the work environment, including workload, on teacher engagement and burnout. Her findings revealed workload issues to be the primary concern of 75.5 percent of survey respondents. As well, ‘Participants reported long hours preparing lessons to a professional standard, marking, writing reports, co-curricular activities.., as well as seemingly endless mandatory paperwork.’ Sound familiar? Impact on quality education We need to address the problem of work intensification for the sake of education professionals, but also because it has a negative impact on quality education. For positive teaching and learning to occur, educators need sufficient time and energy to prepare and deliver curriculum in an engaged way and to reflect on pedagogical strategies. Expecting teachers to do more with less is a familiar refrain of employers and government alike. The 1998 Senate Inquiry into the Status of Teachers, A Class Act: Inquiry into the status of the teaching profession, pointed out that teaching is a much
more complex and professionally demanding role than it was 20 years before and that, ‘the best teacher in the world cannot perform properly in an inadequately resourced and inadequately staffed school.’ It hasn’t got any less complex or demanding in the decade since 1998. Clearly, the provision of quality education is compromised when we fail to attract and retain quality teachers. The provision of professional pay rates, coupled with appropriate support and conditions in the early years of teaching, are needed to attract bright, committed students to a career in teaching. The success of the Scottish education system is a good example of what can be achieved with the winning combination of appropriate funding and political will. The 2007 report, Reviews of National Policies for Education: Quality and Equity of Schooling in Scotland, for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development found that Scotland performs at a ‘consistently very high standard’ in the Program for International Student Assessment, with very few countries outperforming it in mathematics, reading or science, in part because of its commitment to education funding. Interest in the teaching profession and teacher morale overall accelerated over the last decade as a result of salary increases, improved working conditions and resourced professional development, including ‘world class’ teacher induction, in Scotland. Closer to home, alarming rates of new graduate teachers leaving the profession after only a few years, and an exodus of experienced c l a s s r o o m teachers, does not bode well for the future provision of quality education for Australian students.
graduate teachers have had the best induction and support in the beginning years, they become effective teachers. Employers and government may better support the profession by resourcing comprehensive programs for graduate teachers that include: formal induction; reduced teaching load; time release for effective mentoring by experienced teachers; and opportunities to observe exemplary teaching practice. Appropriate professional development support should also be provided to address any emerging weaknesses early in their career. Experienced teacher exodus Excessive workload and lack of consideration for appropriate work-life balance are also key reasons why experienced teachers are leaving the profession. Mark Keogh, a researcher from the Queensland University of Technology, is engaged in studying the current and emerging retirement intentions of experienced teachers aged 50 years or more. In working with a sample group of secondary school teachers aged between 45 and 65 years, Keogh found that many experienced teachers leave the profession to engage in other work, pursue new careers, return to their pre-teaching career, start their own business or undertake further study. Discussing this problem with QIEU members last year, Keogh noted a major factor that influences the decision by experienced teachers to leave the profession is a lack of workplace flexibility, especially in relation to family responsibilities like caring for aging parents or
his research insights can readily be extrapolated to inform commonsense practices to encourage the better retention of teachers of any age. Key work intensification pressure points There are a number of key work intensification pressure points. Curriculum change Curriculum changes create enormous workload for teachers struggling to meet the requirements of curriculum boards, and systemic and schoollevel requirements within imposed timelines. Teachers report the overcrowded curriculum and everchanging new syllabus documents are simply overwhelming, a point highlighted by Carolyn Timms in her research. Dr Timms reported that survey participants identify mandated government reforms as largely responsible for hikes in work intensification. According to one survey participant, ‘Work intensification stems from curriculum pressure and lack of funding in schools. I am part of the trial program for implementing a new state syllabus and I find the work load in preparation and creation of new assessment items to be extremely stressful. I work for hours on this task alone.... Our teacher contact hours are too high to allow for adequate preparation for normal teaching scenarios – so when you add in a new syllabi and program creation, the stress load goes over the top.’ It’s likely that a new national curriculum will bring with it further such intensification. What’s needed is direct consultation with practising teachers and their education unions, but one that is yet to happen. There is neither a single representative of practicing classroom teachers nor of any education union on the National Curriculum Board. Any emerging national curriculum must be closely monitored to ensure consideration of teacher workloads. Specifically, it should be: properly resourced; able to be delivered with time to spare for non-core elements; accompanied by funded and accessible professional development; and subject to a workload impact statement prior to implementation.
“Work intensification has a negative impact on our personal relationships, job satisfaction and productivity... Education professionals are four times more likely to suffer a stress-related illness than others.”
New graduate teacher churn Quality education is secured when committed young teachers are first attracted, then retained. The current inadequate levels of support for overworked, overwhelmed new graduate teachers pose a real threat to our ability to regenerate our profession, if left unchecked.Research by Drs Richard Goddard and Patrick O’Brien, indicated disturbing trends of intensifying workload and stress. Their study reported that twentynine percent of new graduate teacher survey respondents indicated a serious intention to leave their current job after only 8 months teaching. A quarter of study participants owned that if they could have their time again, they wouldn’t have studied teaching. Unsurprisingly, Goddard and O’Brien’s evidence shows that where
grandchildren and supporting adult children. Consider the fact that most caring responsibilities still fall to women and the demographics of the profession surveyed – 70 per cent female – and you see why adequate support for experienced educators in finding a satisfactory work-life balance is so important. According to Keogh’s research, where schools don’t provide family-friendly conditions, the loss of experienced teachers increases. Experienced teachers can be retained, however, in settings that use the following practices: • consultation and collegial respect • reasonable and appropriate workloads • flexible timetabling, and • the inclusion of staff in school life. While Keogh’s study focuses on the experiences of mature-aged teachers,
Student assessment and reporting A related workload issue is change to student assessment and reporting, given many education sector employers signed up for a regime of assessment and reporting requirements under the previous Commonwealth government school funding arrangements. Reporting timelines, format and frequency continue, however, to be a major
cause of work intensification in schools. This is often exacerbated by unreasonable timeframes set between the conclusion of exams and deadlines for reports, necessitating excessive working hours at nights and weekends for teachers at certain times of the year. The extensive nature of written student reports required, coupled with the frequency of personal interviews offered by many schools, places increasing demands on employees’ private time outside work hours. Technology The increased use of websites to publish curriculum and syllabus resources, coupled with the scarcity of hard copies of these documents, becomes a work pressure for teachers in schools without adequate computer facilities or in rural and remote locations without broadband connections. Similarly, the introduction of new reporting initiatives using computer technology for teaching staff without ensuring adequate facilities, professional development, technical support and reasonable timelines for the completion of student reports causes work intensification for the same reasons. The provision of adequate physical resources and ongoing professional development for staff is essential in the face of rapidlychanging technology in schools. School leaders School leadership teams also struggle to coordinate curriculum change, implement curriculum and manage pastoral initiatives as the rapid changes in curriculum, onerous accountability requirements and increasing demands for pastoral care compound work pressures. Supporting students with disabilities Contemporary demands on classroom teachers need to be considered in relation to students with disabilities or behavioural problems. The need for differentiated programs or additional individual attention is required to ensure these students’ learning needs are met; however, this in turn involves additional support and time resource for the classroom teacher. Without both, teachers experience yet further increases in work intensification. What can be done? Solutions to work intensification rely on the preparedness of educators to build a stronger collective voice on professional issues. Some of the best ways to address work intensification are through collective bargaining and campaigning for improved schoollevel and systemic practices, by ensuring practicing teachers and their education unions are represented on professional boards and by lobbying governments. Educators need vigorously to insist on better consultative arrangements, smarter work organisation, more resources and modern family-friendly policies continued next page...
The Independent Voice
February 2009
College fails on processes of termination of Principal Employer ignorance of industrial rights regrettably leads to unfair and unreasonable conduct. In a recent case represented by our union, the employer clearly was without a valid reason for terminating the contract of a school principal and acted in our view unreasonably. The Australian International Islamic College (AIIC) had no valid grounds for discontinuing the employment contract of former Principal Liza Azroul Khalid as she was ill-informed of her teacher registration requirements by the employer and was terminated before a review of her registration was decided on. The former principal commenced legal proceedings against her former employer with QIEU’s assistance last year when her contract of employment was terminated less than six months after she commenced the role. Ms Khalid left her job in Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia and relocated to Australia earlier last year with her family in order to take up the role of Principal of the AIIC. However, on 3 October 2008, AIIC notified Ms Khalid that her employment contract would be discontinued on the grounds that she was not fully-registered by the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT). Ms Khalid approached QIEU for advice on the matter and QIEU considered that, in the circumstances, the AIIC did not have valid grounds for discontinuing the employment contract. The AIIC were aware of Ms Khalid’s qualifications at the time they offered her the job, and yet at no stage before accepting the job were the requirements for registration in Queensland communicated to her, nor that failure to obtain QCT registration would result in
termination of her contract. Further, Ms Khalid’s contract was terminated before the review of her teacher registration had been decided by QCT. QIEU considers that as Ms Khalid relocated from Malaysia with her family solely to take up the role of Principal, significant expense and upheaval was incurred, and in doing so there was an implied term in the contract that she would be assured a position at AIIC for a reasonable length of time. Ms Khalid commenced the process of applying for QCT registration as soon as she was asked to do so by her employer, which was after she had accepted the job. Her application for registration was unsuccessful in the first instance but Ms Khalid immediately applied for a review of this decision, providing further documentary evidence of her qualifications. However, it was before this review process was complete that Ms Khalid was notified by the AIIC that her contract was to be discontinued and she was given notice on 3 October 2008. It was not until 10 November that QCT advised Ms Khalid that her application for review had not been successful. An option to appeal the QCT’s decision again would have been taken by Ms Khalid if she had not already been given notice. Whilst it is correct that a teacher in a Queensland school is required to hold full registration with the QCT, QIEU pointed out that this was not a valid ground for termination in the circumstances because: • It is not always a requirement of QCT that a Principal be a fully registered teacher, as it depends on the duties that the employing authority requires the Principal to perform; • It is the employing authority’s responsibility to ensure that appointed staff comply with the requirements of
applicable legislation; • Ms Khalid was not informed before accepting the position that she would be required to be fully registered with the QCT; • Ms Khalid was still in the process of appealing the QCT decision to refuse her application when her contract was discontinued; and • Options other than discontinuing the contract were available to the AIIC, including appointing Ms Khalid to an administrative role until the registration issues had been processed by QCT. QIEU argued that the AIIC breached its contract with Ms Khalid by failing to advise her of the requirements of the role and failing to take any reasonable steps to work with her to resolve the problem of her lack of registration before discontinuing the contract. Ms Khalid’s legal proceedings against the AIIC were settled on confidential terms during a Conciliation Conference in the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission on 6 January 2009 and she has now returned to Malaysia with her family to commence rebuilding her life and career. Contrary to other media reports, the discontinuance of Ms Khalid’s contract had nothing to do with the ‘national anthem’ saga reported widely in the media. Originally the AIIC publically alleged that the decision to put the playing of the national anthem “on hold” was Ms Khalid’s; however, this is strongly denied by Ms Khalid - the decision was made by the College Board which she passed on to staff via a memo. Ms Khalid has confirmed that she had no problem with the playing of the national anthem. Sophie Ismail QIEU Industrial Officer
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Continuing controversy over further unjust terminations at AIIC Amid last year’s controversy over the Australian International Islamic College’s (AIIC) alleged refusal to allow the playing of the national anthem, QIEU has called on the College to right other wrongs and address a lack of due process in regard to a recent series of dismissals. Not only has the Durack College’s former Principal Liza Azroul Khalid had her contract discontinued, AIIC teacher Pravin Chand and two others were also sacked in November on the grounds that they were not fitting into the school’s ethos. QIEU has represented Ms Khalid and reached a confidential settlement; however, QIEU will continue to represent Mr Chand and his two colleagues. QIEU are deeply concerned that the AIIC did not have adequate grounds for terminating these staff members and did not follow a fair process prior to their termination. QIEU has written to the College outlining these concerns. At the end of 2008, QIEU was disappointed to receive a response from the College stating that they had received legal advice that the AIIC is a “Constitutional Corporation” and that, therefore, the Queensland unfair dismissal laws do not apply. The AIIC did not address any of QIEU’s legitimate concerns regarding the treatment of the employees, but simply implied that because federal law applied to them, that they no longer had to deal with the matter. Under federal law there is no right for employees in workplaces of under 100 employees to make a claim for unfair dismissal, with this right removed by the former Howard government’s WorkChoices legislation which still applies until new laws are passed by the Senate. In the absence of a right to claim for unfair dismissal, the employees had no choice but to commence breach of contract actions in the Magistrates Court instead of claims for unfair dismissal in the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission. Unfortunately for both the employees and the employer, the Magistrates Court process is much less accessible and far more costly and time consuming than an unfair dismissal process in the Industrial Relations Commission. Despite this, the employees will continue to fight for their rights with QIEU’s full support.
continued from page 8...
that result in a healthier work-life balance. Positive change at all levels can be brought about through the following practical strategies. Better consultation Consultation ensures that you can put mechanisms in place to limit work demands and timeframes, and ensure adequate resources are available for the introduction of change. Employers, curriculum bodies and governments must face the reality that there’s a limit to what can be asked of educators and that consultation is the commonsense way to identify what it’s possible to achieve. Genuine consultation involves the explicit discussion of the following issues, prior to the introduction of any new initiative: • open, professional discussion regarding the value of the change under consideration • the identification of the initiatives to be implemented, agreed in advance
• clarification of the process of implementation • the identification of resources, like professional development, support staff, non-contact provisions and external support services required for a new initiative • negotiation of an appropriate timeframe for implementation • the identification of specific staff roles in the process of implementation • the identification of the impact of an initiative on workload in order to reallocate some existing tasks or responsibilities so that reasonable working hours are not exceeded, and • the identification of the technological hardware, software and associated professional development required for the successful implementation of the initiative. The outcome of consultation on such considerations may be contained in a work impact statement, to ensure all relevant matters have been incorporated and communicated.
Smarter work organisation The way schools are organised and the way the time of employees is allocated need to be primary considerations if work intensification is to be addressed successfully. If teaching, and the preparation for teaching, are the priorities for the delivery of quality education in schools, then serious judgements need to be made about mounting requirements to undertake numerous other tasks.
appropriate learning environment.’ Appropriate resources are essential if teachers are to provide quality education for students. Careful consideration of the tasks and responsibilities that can be carried out by professional, skilled and committed school support staff can free up teachers’ time so that they’re able to undertake higher level planning and assessment, and to prepare and deliver quality lessons.
Administrative tasks, covering classes, extra-curricular activities and the like need to be reconsidered in terms of their effect on the quality of education, given the limited number of hours available in a reasonable working week.
Family-friendly policies Families need time to maintain quality relationships. As the ACTU’s ‘Family Impact Statement’ noted, ‘Lack of time has replaced money problems as the top issue negatively affecting relationships.’ Policies that better respond to the need for an appropriate work-family balance help schools attract and retain quality, committed teachers. Flexible work practices that include access to job-share and parttime work for defined periods, and family leave provisions also enable
More resources According to Steve Holden, writing in Teacher back in 2006, ‘Quality teaching isn’t just about the teacher; it’s also about the conditions required to enable the teacher to provide an
teachers to have greater control over their lives and improved flexibility in managing a range of interests in ways that aid the retention of experienced teachers in the profession. The last word Work intensification in our schools must be addressed through appropriate government funding, more resources, professional pay rates, better working conditions and relevant professional development. If we fail to address it, we’ll fail to attract our best and brightest to a career in teaching while losing experienced classroom teachers – and that would be bad news for Australian students. This article is an abridged version of by Ros McLennan published in the March 2009 edition of ‘Teacher’. http://teacher.acer.edu.au/
Ros McLennan Assistant General Secretary rmclennan@qieu.asn.au
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The Independent Voice
February 2009
Looking back on the history of our union: Wages and Awards In this our 90th Anniversary year, we have the opportunity to reflect on the remarkable progress that has been made over the years of dedicated and committed effort of our predecessors. It is also helpful to review the context out of which our union was born.
of this Association have not survived, we can reasonably assume from developments that they were very interested in pursuing an Award for themselves. They registered as a Union in 1920 and in 1921 the first Award was presented by agreement with the Industrial Court judgement dated 27 November 1920.
The union movement began in earnest in Australia with the mining industry and with the shearers. The great shearers’ strike of the 1890’s is now the stuff of legend. However, out of the legend is the hard reality that at this time unions had no legal status and were viewed by the establishment as a dangerous and subversive element in society.
At the same time the teachers in the Girls’ Schools were also concerned to establish their rights in law. In 1920 they launched the Queensland Non-Governmental Secondary Schools Assistant Mistresses’ Association and in January 1921 the word Association in their title was changed to ‘Union of Employees’ when they became a registered union. Very shortly thereafter, on 18 April 1921, their Award became operational.
The shearers were taking action to secure the following rights: • Continuation of existing rates of pay; • Protection of workers’ rights and privileges; • Just and equitable agreements; and • Exclusion of low-cost Chinese labour. There was obviously a context in which these demands were being made as exemplified by the last item, but there is nevertheless an everpresent quality to their demands for fair and just wages and working conditions.
The terms and conditions of these two Awards, and some of the assumptions that underpin them, are challenging from the distance of time, not just because they may seem quaint to a modern reader, but rather, because they bear witness to the tremendous improvements that have been won over the past 90 years by our members who set out to ensure decent working conditions and fair rates of pay. None more starkly is this in evidence on the matter of gender and wages. The Teachers’ – Non-Governmental Secondary Schools – Award (The Assistant Masters’ Award) provided for the following rates:
As an outcome of the strike, 13 union leaders were charged with Year of service Males per Females sedition http://en.wikipedia.org/ annum annum wiki/Australian_Sedition_Law and First £185 £165 conspiracy, taken to Rockhampton for Second 225 195 the trial, convicted, and sentenced to Third 255 225 three years in gaol on St Helena Island Fourth 275 245 Prison http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Fifth 285 255 St_Helena_Island_National_Park. Sixth 295 265 This certainly does seem very harsh, Seventh 305 275 but, perhaps, has parallels with the Eighth 315 285 punishments possible to union leaders Ninth 330 300 under the Howard government’s Tenth 340 310 Australian Building and Construction Eleventh 350 320 Commission (ABCC) which is sadly Twelfth 360 330 continued under the current federal Thirteenth 370 340 government (see story page 5). These Fourteenth 380 350 experiences of failed industrial action Fifteenth 390 360 led trade unionists to the formation of Sixteenth 400 370 the Labor Party and in the Queensland Seventeenth 410 context the election of the first long Eighteenth 420 term Labor government led by TJ Ryan who initiated a legislative agenda to support working people including the Industrial Minimum salary rates were payable to assitant masters Conciliation and Arbitration Act. according to their qualifications within this scale. The Conciliation and Arbitration Act established legal recognition of trade unions and enabled a trade union once registered to apply for an award covering all employees in the state working in a designated occupation(s). The Queensland Teachers’ Union, which had formed in 1889 became a registered union and then, took their existing Industrial Agreement with the Department of Public Instruction and applied to have its contents enshrined in an Award. This was granted in 1916. Needless to say, teachers in non-government schools looked to these developments and canvassed how they might gain similar protections. There was even an early sign of education union co-operation with QTU officers providing some advice on steps and procedures to the nascent non-government sector unionists. In 1919 the Queensland Non-Governmental Secondary School Assistant Masters’ Association of Employees was formed and while the early minutes
In the Assistant Mistresses’ Award, the wages are identical to the female wage scale outlined above. The most obvious issue here is the difference between wages for men and women. The rational for this difference is clearly articulated in a judgement made on 27 November 1919, in the matter of a claim by the Queensland Teachers’ Union for an award fixing the wages and certain conditions of employment of teachers in the service of the Department of Public Instruction. In his judgment in relation to ‘the minimum salary’, Justice MacNaughton quoted from a 1918 report by a Departmental Committee appointed by the English Government inquiring into the principles which should determine the construction of scales of salary for teachers in elementary Schools: “The efficiency of national education cannot in our opinion be fully secured unless all school authorities treat fully qualified teachers in elementary schools as men and women engaged in a liberal calling, and so mould the conditions of their service as to make it possible for them to bring to their work a culture as wide and deep as can be expected of their years. With this end in view,
teachers should be so remunerated as to have every reasonable opportunity of maturing their knowledge or widening their horizon through study, through social intercourse with educated men and women of their own and other callings, and through travel.” Justice MacNaughton went on to quote from The Industrial Arbitration Act of 1916, s.9, to assert that the salary of an adult male classified teacher must not be less: “…than is sufficient to maintain a well-conducted employee of average health, strength, and competence, and his wife, and a family of three children in a fair and average standard of comfort, having regard to the conditions of living prevailing among employees in the calling.” The Queensland Teachers’ Union had, at this time, applied for salaries that “shall apply to all teachers irrespective of sex,”; however, Justice MacNaughton engaged in a convoluted argument which concluded that “the union has failed to establish that the work done by males and females is the same work within the meaning of the section.” As a result of this thinking the differential pay structures were imbedded in the Awards relating to both the Assistant Masters and Assistant Mistresses. This thinking was a very per longstanding basis of pay discrimination against women, not only in the teaching profession but in relation to work generally for many decades following. It was a differential that survived in our non-government sector well into the 1970s and was only seen off in Catholic primary schools after a vigorous campaign by our union and in the face of fierce Catholic employer opposition. (Inevitably, it was phased in over time in Catholic schools reflecting a long standing and contemporary response to significant enhancements in wages and conditions by that group of employers). While it seems impossible to us that we could ever return to the discriminatory, gender based pay scales, we should never forget that the rights and conditions that we enjoy today do not belong to us as individuals: they are not yours or mine to do with as we please. Rather, the conditions we currently enjoy are a legacy of many members who were prepared to campaign and fight for better pay and conditions. Those who consider bargaining away rights which have been collectively won for the sake of some perceived individual gain commit a shameful act of betrayal to those who did it tough so that others might have a better life. In our 90th year we will have many opportunities to recall our past achievements and more importantly set our sights on future challenges encouraged by what we have achieved so far. Our professional issues conference on 28 March will be an occasion to draw out from our past experiences the lessons which might direct our future endeavours (see pages 11-15). The 90th Anniversary Dinner that evening will mark a symbolic point in our union history and provide an opportunity to acknowledge decades of commitment and achievement.
Miriam Dunn - QIEU Research Officer
Our Profession - 90 Years Union Strong
11
Our Profession - 90 Years Union Strong Past Achievements - Future Challenges
QIEU Conference 2009 Saturday, 28 March 8:30am - 4:30pm Novotel, Brisbane
90th Anniversary Dinner 6:30pm
Sponsored by:
- National Curriculum - Industrial/Legal - Equity - Early Childhood - National Curriculum - Industrial/Legal -
Early Childhood - Equity - Industrial/Legal - National Curriculum - Early Childhood - Equity - Industrial/Legal - National Curriculum - Early Childhood - Equity
Early Childhood - Equity - Industrial/Legal - National Curriculum - Early Childhood - Equity - Industrial/Legal - National Curriculum- Early Childhood - Equity
- Industrial/Legal - National Curriculum - Early Childhood - Equity - Industrial/Legal - National Curriculum The Independent Voice February 2009
Early Childhood - Equity - Industrial/Legal - National Curriculum - Early Childhood - Equity - Industrial/Legal - National Curriculum- Early Childhood - Equity
February 2009
As QIEU celebrates the 90th anniversary of its antecedents, this conference is designed to look at where we have come from as an organisation and a profession. The focus of this year’s conference celebrates ‘Past Achievements - Future Challenges’, how the past informs the present and how this knowledge and understanding might best enable us, as a union and as educators, to prepare for the challenges of the future. The Conference will focus on four different streams: Early Childhood Education, National Curriculum, Equity and the shaping of Industrial Relations and the Law in relation to education professionals. There will also be a session that looks to define the 21st century teacher.
8:30am - 9:00am Registration 9:00am - 9:10am Welcome and overview of the day by QIEU President, Andrew Elphinstone
9:10am
Plenary Session One Past Achievements: Future Challenges presented by QIEU General Secretary, Terry Burke
10:00am - Morning tea 10:15am - Major Sponsor Presentation
FOCUS SESSION ONE
10:20am Industrial/Legal
National Curriculum
Andrew Knott and Rachel Drew Macrossan Lawyers
Professor Robert Gilbert - University of Queensland
A retrospective view of education and the law in Queensland and future trends in law for education professionals
Addressing the question: What kind of curriculum is best suited to education in our age? Focus on the defined and undefined curriculum
11:30pm
Sponsored by Teachers’ Union Health
Equity
Early Childhood Dr Felicity McArdle - Queensland University of Technology Centre for Learning Innovation School of Early Childhood Past, present and future in early childhood education: how to ensure for the best outcomes
Dr Elspeth McInnes University of South Australia School of Education Equity for families in education: What can be done? Will look at a range of complex social interactions that impact on student outcomes
Plenary Session Two Working to define the modern teacher presented by James Cook University Acting Head of School of Education, Associate Professor Malcolm Vick 12:30pm - Lunch 1:30pm - Major Sponsor Presentation
Sponsored by QIEC Super
- National Curriculum - Industrial/Legal - Equity - Early Childhood - National Curriculum - Industrial/Legal -
Early Childhood - Equity - Industrial/Legal - National Curriculum - Early Childhood - Equity - Industrial/Legal - National Curriculum - Early Childhood - Equity
- Industrial/Legal - National Curriculum - Early Childhood - Equity - Industrial/Legal - National Curriculum Voice The Independent 12
13
1:45pm
FOCUS SESSION TWO
Industrial/Legal Dr John Buchanan The University of Sydney Faculty of Economics and Business Current issues in industrial relations and how to protect our rights in a changed environment
National Curriculum
Early Childhood
Professor Val Klenowski - QUT School of Learning and Professional Studies Centre for Learning Innovation
Associate Professor Donna Berthelsen - QUT Centre for Learning Innovation School of Early Childhood
The demands of assessment and policy; the impact on assessment of teacher performance
2:50pm - Major Sponsor Presentation
What we currently know about effective pedagogy to inform policy and practice for early years education
Equity Associate Professor Martin Mills - UQ School of Education The educational needs of boys: Beyond structural reform. In this discussion he will also refer to the needs of Indigenous students
Sponsored by Members Equity Bank
3:05pm - Afternoon tea
3:25pm
DISCUSSION
Industrial/Legal How to protect our rights in a changing environment Presenters answer questions and involve participants in discussion and debate about desirable outcomes and how to achieve them
National Curriculum
Early Childhood
Presenters answer questions and involve participants in discussion and debate about desirable outcomes and how to achieve them
Presenters answer questions and involve participants in discussion and debate about desirable outcomes and how to achieve them
Equity Presenters answer questions and involve participants in discussion and debate about desirable outcomes and how to achieve them
4:30pm - Conference closure
QIEU 90thth Anniversary Conference Dinner The QIEU Conference will conclude with a celebratory dinner to acknowledge the past achievements and welcome the future challenges for our union. Conference participants are welcome to attend the dinner and join with former and current members of union Council, representatives from other Queensland and Australian unions, government members, employer representatives and others in the education sector. Guests may arrive from 6:30pm for a 7:00pm start with pre-dinner drinks. The night will showcase a slideshow of photographs progressing through the past 90 years and encompassing the significant milestones of our union. Speeches and presentations will be incorporated during the service of a three-course alternate drop dinner. Cost of the dinner, which includes drinks, is $78 (including GST). Conference participants are welcome to invite partners to this celebratory event. To find out more information or to make a booking for the dinner, please contact QIEU Brisbane office on (07) 3839 7020 or email enquiries@qieu.asn.au.
- National Curriculum - Industrial/Legal - Equity - Early Childhood - National Curriculum - Industrial/Legal -
Early Childhood - Equity - Industrial/Legal - National Curriculum - Early Childhood - Equity - Industrial/Legal - National Curriculum - Early Childhood - Equity
Early Childhood - Equity - Industrial/Legal - National Curriculum - Early Childhood - Equity - Industrial/Legal - National Curriculum- Early Childhood - Equity
Industrial/Legal Curriculum The- Independent Voice- National Curriculum - Early Childhood - Equity - Industrial/Legal - National February 2009
Early Childhood - Equity - Industrial/Legal - National Curriculum - Early Childhood - Equity - Industrial/Legal - National Curriculum- Early Childhood - Equity
February 2009
Past Achievements - Future Challenges
REGISTRATION FORM One delegate per registration form. Please photocopy extra forms. Print clearly. Saturday, 28 March 2009 - Registration from 8:30am - Novotel Hotel, 200 Creek Street, Brisbane
CONTACT DETAILS: TITLE: FIRST NAME: LAST NAME: .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... SCHOOL/ORGANISATION: .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... HOME POSTAL ADDRESS: .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... SCHOOL POSTAL ADDRESS: .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... PHONE: EMAIL: .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... DIETARY REQUIREMENTS: ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................
EARLY BIRD CONFERENCE RATE: Early Bird Conference Rate applies until Monday, 9 March, 2009. Cost includes morning tea, afternoon tea and lunch QIEU MEMBER: $150 (including GST) Membership number: _____________________
NON-MEMBER:
$180 (including GST)
NON-MEMBER:
$205 (including GST)
Normal Conference Rate applies after 9 March, 2009 QIEU MEMBER: $175 (including GST) Membership number: _____________________
SESSION PREFERENCES: (Please order in preference from 1 as your first preference to 4 for your least preferred option) Industrial/Legal
National Curriculum
Early Childhood
Equity
ACCOMMODATION: (Please state whether you will require accommodation. Please tick) I would like to book accommodation for two nights on 27 and 28 March, 2009 at the rate of $192 (including breakfast) per night I would like to book accommodation for one night, on the 28 March, 2009 at the rate of $192 (including breakfast) per night
90th ANNIVERSARY DINNER: (Please tick) I will be attending the conference dinner I will be bringing ________ guests
I will not be attending the conference dinner
The Conference Dinner costs $78 (including GST) per person. Cost includes three course meal and drinks ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................
PAYMENT DETAILS (Total payment is necessary to confirm registration) Cheque
Credit Card (Please fill in details below) Cheques are payable to the Queensland Independent Education Union Credit Card Payment Name of card holder: _______________________________________________________________________ Type of card: _______________________________________________________________________ Card number: Expiry date: _______________________________________________________________________ Total payment: _______________________________________________________________________ Signature: _______________________________________________________________________
Please forward this registration form with payment to: QIEU Reply Paid 418 Fortitude Valley QLD
4006
Phone: (07) 3839 7020 Fax: (07) 3839 7021 Email: enquiries@qieu.asn.au
- National Curriculum - Industrial/Legal - Equity - Early Childhood - National Curriculum - Industrial/Legal -
Early Childhood - Equity - Industrial/Legal - National Curriculum - Early Childhood - Equity - Industrial/Legal - National Curriculum - Early Childhood - Equity
- Industrial/Legal - National Curriculum - Early Childhood - Equity - Industrial/Legal - National CurriculumVoice The Independent 14 Our Profession - 90 Years Union Strong
The Independent Voice
February 2009
15
QIEU Conference and 90th Anniversary Dinner 2009 QIEU are celebrating 90 years of union strength with a Conference and Anniversary dinner to mark the occasion. The Conference will focus on the theme Our Profession – 90 Years Union Strong: Past Achievements – Future Challenges on Saturday 28 March at the Novotel in Brisbane. The Conference in its first plenary session will see QIEU General Secretary Terry Burke exploring where the union has come from, how our union has developed and will look to future developments. In all segments of the conference
there will be a focus on how we might shape the future of education and our working lives. After the first plenary session, delegates will be divided into four streams in a choosen focus area of interest. The Industrial Relations and the Law stream will be presented by Andrew Knott and Rachel Drew from Macrossans Lawyers. They will look to the significant developments in matters relating to our profession and the law and how these have developed over the years. They will also look to what is foreshadowed into the future and how we
might best prepare ourselves for that. In this same stream, Dr John Buchanan of the University of Sydney, Head of the Workplace Research Centre, will lead the Conference through the development of the Industrial Relations system in Australia and the implications of current changes in legislation and what these might mean for us. Early Childhood will be the focus of another stream. Here, too, our presenters will look to how the past informs the present and how best we might work to shape that future. In this stream Dr Felicity McArdle from the Queensland University
of Technology and Associate Professor Donna Berthelsen, also from QUT, will speak about policy and research from overseas and within Australia that has informed the early childhood education debate. In the Equity stream, Dr Elspeth McInnes from the University of South Australia will address the issue of equity for families in education and look at what can be done. It will look to the need for multi-disciplinary professional family support responses to connect children to safety, improved parenting and learning opportunities. Dr Martin Mills from the University of Queensland will be addressing the educational needs of boys and may also address indigenous issues (this latter to be confirmed). Throughout his presentation there will be a concern with social justice a n d a n understanding that improvements to boys’ education must not come at a cost to the education of girls.
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The fourth stream investigates the National Curriculum. Professor Robert Gilbert from the University of Queensland will investigate which kind of curriculum, defined or undefined, is best suited to education in our age.
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This is a professional issues conference not to be missed. QIEU will also be celebrating our 90 years at the anniversary dinner, also at the Novotel on the evening of 28 March. There are limitations to the number who can be accommodated so you are encouraged to ensure your place by completing the registration forms available in this edition. The early bird conference cost is $150 including GST for members, and $180 for non-members. The conference dinner is $78 including GST, and includes a three-course alternate-drop meal and drinks. If you would like to stay at Novotel the booking rate is $192 a night which includes breakfast. Please call the Novotel on (07) 3309 3309 and quote QIE270309. QIEU Council has endorsed the sponsoring of 10 members to the conference meeting travel and accommodation costs. The rest of registration will still need to be met by the member. Applications can be made by contacting Miriam Dunn at mdunn@qieu.asn.au More information on our 90th year activities will become available on our website at www.qieu.asn.au
5 years Teaching Experience + QIEU Membership = OPPORTUNITY Work overseas & retain your accrued entitlements UK, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Canada, Colorado, USA Check out our website www.qieu.asn.au Click on About Your Union, then Membership Info and click Overseas Exchange Program Contact Jenny on (07) 3839 7020 (Free Call) 1800 177937 Email: jennyz@qieu.asn.au
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Associate Professor Malcolm Vick from James Cook University will deliver a plenary session which will explore how one might define the “Modern Teacher”.
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Professor Val Klenowski from the Queensland University of Technology will address the changing demands of assessment policy, standards-driven reform and teacher accountability.
30/01/2009 3:15:29 PM
Our Profession - 90 Years Union Strong
16
The Independent Voice
February 2009
Strong membership benefits as outsourcing rejected at The Southport School The benefits of union membership are clear to cleaning staff at The Southport School as after months of uncertainty at the end of last year, the option to outsource cleaning services at the School has been firmly rejected. Instead, a new cleaning services structure has been collaboratively developed between management and QIEU (on behalf of cleaning staff). This new structure will deliver enhanced effectiveness in work practices by creating a number of Team Leader positions to provide peer support and improve efficiency by designating specialist cleaning areas of work. TSS cleaning staff member and QIEU member Chris Chapman said the outcome could only have been obtained through guidance from QIEU. “We would have been sitting ducks if we just let them get away with it. Having a strong voice and acting collectively saw us get a result where our jobs are now secure,” he said. TSS management are to be congratulated for their preparedness to openly discuss concerns, genuinely collaborate with employees and their union on a positive solution and reject the outsourcing option. In August 2008, management
commissioned an external review of TSS cleaning services.
efforts. Members’ input made the difference!
Cleaning staff became anxious for what this would mean for their ongoing job security. They sought assistance from the Staff Representative and Gold Coast QIEU Councillor, Bryce Goldburg.
The good news After several months of discussions, a replacement cleaning services structure and roster have now been resolved for implementation in March 2009.
The QIEU Chapter was made aware of the potential issue for cleaning staff colleagues and support from QIEU Officers was received in guiding members through the issue and what could be done about it. In November 2008, management announced that the external review report had recommended that either the school cleaning services be outsourced or a restructure occur. Members working together QIEU Officer worked with cleaning staff to collectively consider the external review options, including the impact on staff and the school. Drawing on the immense practical experience and industry knowledge of cleaning staff, QIEU developed a written submission proposing an alternative cleaning services structure that sought to address the concerns of management, whilst being sensitive to the needs of cleaning staff as well. The QIEU chapter also monitored developments, ready to add their support to the cleaners’ united
A paid meeting of all cleaning staff was held on 3 February 2009, with management and QIEU representatives in attendance, to comprehensively explain the new arrangements. In summary, the outcomes for cleaning staff are as follows: i) No outsourcing Under the new structure, existing cleaning staff will continue to be employed directly by the school. This means that cleaning staff’s wages and conditions will continue to be secured under the Anglican Schools union collective agreement. ii) Full time and part time permanent jobs secure Permanent cleaning staff have not had their existing employment status changed. That is, full time and part time workers have not been reduced to contract or casual employment. iii) Permanent weekly hours protected Permanent cleaning staff have not had their current weekly number of
hours reduced. Therefore, full time cleaners are guaranteed 38 hours per week and part time cleaners have not dropped hours. iv) Hiring priorities Management will prioritise the hiring of cleaning staff as follows: (a) Permanent full time and part time TSS cleaning staff positions are guaranteed; then (b) Fixed term contract cleaners employed by TSS; then (c) Contract cleaners employed by external labour hire company; then (d) Any remaining vacant cleaning positions to be filled by advertisement. v) Split shifts avoided Spilt shifts for cleaning staff have been successfully avoided. vi) Cleaning demonstration and other training Given the new structure will be implemented in early March 2009, it has been determined that the Easter vacation period would be the most convenient time to schedule cleaning demonstration and other training relevant to the efficient and effective cleaning of designated work areas. It is envisaged that the Team Leaders will have a significant role in this peer coaching and support. Congratulations to members and TSS management! A happy ending may not have
ABOVE: The Southport School cleaning staff member Chris Chapman now has job security at the school, as does his other colleagues, thanks to QIEU
come about without the essential ingredients of: open discussion, sharing of genuine concerns, a willingness to utilise members’ years of practical experience and industry knowledge, and union support to guide members’ contribution to the process. The result is an intelligent, workable solution for a new structure that protects job security and delivers greater efficiency and effectiveness for the School. This is a wonderful story of what we can achieve together!
Ros McLennan Assistant General Secretary
QCT Continuing Professional Development Framework implementation delayed until 2011 Implementation of the Queensland College of Teachers’ (QCT) Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Framework has been delayed until 2011 after successful consultation from teachers and their unions to allow for the necessary time to implement its requirements. The Board of QCT has approved timelines for implementation of the Framework with 2009 dedicated to further communication and education about the Framework and its links to the Professional Standards for Queensland teachers. In 2010 the CPD Framework will be introduced in to schools as teachers will be required to meet all requirements including maintaining records of their professional development. However, for 2010 only, QCT will not apply sanctions if a teacher is unable to meet the CPD required. A Returning to Teaching in Schools condition will apply if an applicant did not meet the recency
of practice requirement for renewal of registration. From 2011 ongoing implementation of the renewal processes including CPD will take place. Originally the draft of the CPD Framework stated that it was to be fully implemented in 2009 with all fully registered teachers who meet the regency of practice requirement needing to ensure that they also meet the CPD requirements of the Framework.
and parent bodies, through their membership of the QCT Board and Professional Standards Committee, were actively involved in the development of the Framework.
These key stakeholders participated in focused discussions, debates and decisions about the purpose, principles and content of the Framework. The policy document
on the CPD Framework can be found on the QCT website http://www.qct.edu.au/PDF/ PSU/CPDFramework20081212. pdf
The Southport School jump the gun on CPD
Previous to the QCT Board’s announcement to delay implementation of the CPD Framework until 2011, schools such as The Southport School requested that staff had to provide a plan identifying 30 hours of CPD However, after consultation tasks citing QCT requirements. from teachers and their unions deemed this too immediate to In October when this was requested fully implement in such a short no such requirement had been time frame QCT has delayed the made by QCT as to the date of when the requirements would Framework implementation. commence. The purpose of the Continuing P r o f e s s i o n a l D e v e l o p m e n t The nature of the professional Framework is to recognise the development to count towards importance of teacher engagement in the final annual quantum and continued professional development consideration for non-full time and outline the expectations for teachers such as supply teachers and those absent on extended renewal of registration. leave had also not been discussed Representatives of employers, with QCT. teachers unions, practising teachers, higher education institutions Given these uncertainties at
the time, the TSS employer’s requirement to produce a 30 hour PD plan was extremely premature. TSS teaching staff also drew to the attention of the employer that the registration relationship was between the teacher and QCT rather than accountability to the employer in this regard. After such impulsive requirements from the employer, QIEU and the Queensland Teachers’ Union jointly wrote to the QCT Board to advise that the original CPD Framework implementation date of 1 January, 2009 would not be possible as many aspects of the CPD proposal required time to resolve in a collaborative way with teachers and their unions. Our joint education unions continued that any CPD
requirements should not be onerous or expensive for supply teachers and those on leave, with all teacher-directed PD funded by the employer and scheduled in term time likely to be accepted by teachers. With the QCT Board now approving timelines for implementation of the Framework with 2009 dedicated to further communication and education and its links to the Professional Standards for Queensland teachers, QIEU are hopeful The Southport School will take these findings and discontinue the unfair requests of staff. This will thus provide such a plan on CPD as, ultimately, it has nothing to do with being accountable to the employer.
The Independent Voice
February 2009
17
Applying for Advanced Skill Teacher in Brisbane Catholic education schools Experienced teachers in Brisbane Catholic Education schools have the option of applying for advanced skills status. People who hold AST status (AST1 or AST2) receive an allowance recognising their status. The Teachers’ Award Non-Governmental Schools Schedule 1.6.2 states: “An Advanced Skills Teacher (AST) shall mean an employee appointed as such who is an outstanding classroom practitioner who consistently demonstrates a commitment to excellence in teaching and who is committed to professional development.” “The Advanced Skills Teacher shall have the following primary objectives: • To utilise exemplary strategies and processes in curriculum areas that provide the optimum program delivery for students within a framework of the values and ethos of the schools/systems that are party to this Award. • To assist in interpreting, adapting and applying curriculum programs to the classroom setting and to teach, model and demonstrate program components. • To contribute significantly to the enhancement of the teaching profession.” The realisation of these objectives in Brisbane Catholic Education schools is demonstrated through a logbook format and set of validated statements that address a number of specific criteria. The following information should assist applicants in preparing and submitting their AST application to the Chair of the Panel for consideration. Eligibility AST 1 A teacher shall be eligible for an Advanced Skills Teacher Level 1 (AST1) classification upon completion of one year’s satisfactory service on Band 3 Step 4. AST 1 is awarded in regard to what occurs at the classroom level. AST2 A teacher shall be eligible to apply for an Advanced Skills Teacher Level 2 (AST2) classification upon completion of three years service as an AST Level 1. AST 2 is awarded in recognition of what occurs in the classroom and at a wider level, beyond the classroom but within a whole school context. Those eligible to apply for AST status include full-time teachers, part-time teachers, teachers who
are religious, teachers in a position of added responsibility, school counsellors, teacher-librarians and specialist teachers. Teachers receiving an allowance for a Position of Added Responsibility may also be awarded the status of AST, but under the provisions of the Award, no additional allowance is paid. • An AST Application Round is conducted once each year - July to December. • Applicants who wish to apply for AST1 or AST2 status should do so in the year prior to their eligibility date becoming effective. • If the application is successful the payment of the appropriate AST allowance will be paid as from the eligibility date in the following calendar year. • For those teachers who apply after their eligibility date has passed, and their application is successful, their AST Status will become effective from the first school day of the following calendar year. • Eligible teachers who have been on leave or are new to a school should not be disadvantaged. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate the activities that they have engaged in over the preceding period in whatever educational setting. The Format of the Application The application requires completion of the AST Log Book, which lists the relevant criteria and performance indicators. This is available from your employer. In completing the Log Book a series of brief validated statements of what has actually been done is sufficient. The statements should together demonstrate that the applicant’s performance is exemplary and has been sustained over a period of time. It would be expected that an applicant would be reporting on activities undertaken over preceding years. While there is no definite time period stipulated in the Award, it would be expected that reported activities would not go beyond the previous five years. Applicants should address all the criteria and as many performance indicators as possible. It is not necessary for all indicators within each criterion to be met in order to satisfy that criterion. All the criteria however, need to be addressed and satisfied for the AST status to be awarded. Teachers should commence recording appropriate activities in the AST Teacher Log as they occur in anticipation of applying for AST status when they become eligible. Teachers should go through the criteria and think about the skills, experience and capabilities they have which match the criteria.
To illustrate their skills, teachers should identify initiatives they have taken, activities they have been involved in and tasks they have undertaken. Skills and abilities are not only developed in the workplace. Many are acquired by “working” in other capacities such as in volunteer organisations and in day-to-day living. These are legitimate and useful skills that should be included as part of this submission, providing of course, these skills are linked to the teaching programme.
documentation or explanations required and 14 days notice of such an interview. This time requirement may be varied through the mutual agreement of the Chair of the panel and the applicant. Following this interview - if the application is still rejected - the applicant can request a review. The applicant has 14 days to seek such a review. The review panel shall consist of two employer nominees and two union nominees.
Applicants should have their statements validated by people who can testify that what the applicant has written down has occurred/is occurring. Any person in or involved with the school community can validate such statements. This may include people on the validation panel.
All members of this panel have to have attended a joint training session by QIEU and BCE. The Chairperson of the Review Panel shall write a confidential report to the Employing Authority signed by the Chairperson and all members of the Review Panel, clearly indicating the reasons for either:
Application should be submitted to the panel before the closing date and applicants should keep a copy of their application.
(i) upholding the Validation Panel’s original recommendation; or (ii) rejecting the recommendation of the Validation Panel and recommending advancement to AST status.
Submit your application to the Chair of the Panel (Principal or nominee) by the closing date Validation Panel Composition: • Principal • Member elected by staff • Member selected by the Employing Authority from the pool approved by the Employing Authority and the union. All members of this panel have to have attended a joint training session by QIEU and BCE. The panel will then meet to consider the application and if they accept the application the Employing Authority is notified and the Applicant is duly notified and appointed in due course. If an application is rejected an interview must be offered. Applicants are to be given an indication of the additional
The Employing Authority shall advise the applicant of the recommendation made by the Review Panel. If AST status is not awarded by the Employing Authority, the reasons for such a decision shall be provided to the applicant, including a clear indication of the criteria that have not been met. Re-submission of the AST application at some other time in the future may be suggested by the Employing Authority. Portability Currently there shall be portability of AST 1 and AST 2 positions within schools in BCE. Tenure Tenure for AST 1 positions is for
an initial tenure of five years, whereupon a reapplication can be made if the applicant so desires. Appointments to AST 2 shall be for an initial tenure of five years whereupon a reapplication can be made if the applicant so desires. Appraisal During the period of tenure as an AST, the teacher will be subject to a formative appraisal process in accordance with Part (2) (D) of Schedule 2 of the Teachers’ Award Non-Governmental Schools. Re-Application Upon the conclusion of the period of tenure, or after three years, an AST may reapply for the current level, or may apply (if eligible and appropriate) for a higher level of Advanced Skills Teacher. Teachers are reminded that no quotas for AST apply in the non-government sector. Our union encourages all eligible teachers to apply for AST classification. Further information and advice regarding AST is available for members from the QIEU website or by contacting your QIEU organiser. We need you! The panel that reviews applications and makes recommendations regarding the awarding of AST status consists of local school members and a nominee from QIEU or BCE. QIEU members are needed as panel members for both primary and secondary schools. If you are interested in being a QIEU nominee to panel/s in your local area, please contact QIEU Assistant General Secretary/Treasurer Paul Giles at pgiles@qieu.asn.au for further information.
Advanced Skilled Teachers Round Timeline 2009 Friday, 27 February, 2009 AST Pool Panellist Training and Information session dates posted on Professional Development calendar Wednesday, 1 April AST expiry letters sent to AST holders (AST 1 and AST 2). Materials available on the intranet at http: elibrary.bne.catholic. edu.au/docushare/dsweb/View/ Collection-22 Monday, 20 April Eligibility letters sent to Teacher’s (with AST application) Wednesday, 27 May Training and Information
Session (1) in Gympie presented by QIEU and Brisbane Catholic Education (notify attendance to BCE). Thursday, 4 June Training and Information Session (2) in Ashmore presented by QIEU and BCE (notify attendance to BCE). Thursday, 11 June Training and Information Session (3) at O’Shea Centre presented by QIEU and BCE (notify attendance to BCE). Monday, 15 June Intention to Apply Forms to be returned to BCE.
Thursday, 18 June Training and Information Session (4) in Daisy Hill presented by QIEU and BCE (notify attendance to BCE). Monday, 13 July Eligible applicants should have received information packages and Application Forms. Friday, 7 August Applications to be lodged with the Chair of the Validation Panel, i.e. Principal of the school Friday, 13 November All applications to be validated and recommendations to be forwarded to BCE by this date.
18
The Independent Voice
February 2009
QIEU Branch meeting dates Mackay Branch meeting February 18, 4pm - Shamrock Hotel Courtyard, Nebo Road
training Day 1 March 3, all day - QCU training room, 41 Brisbane Street
Wide Bay Branch meeting February 19, 4pm - QCU Building, 44 Maryborough St, Bundaberg
C&K Emerald area meeting March 6, 6:45am - Emerald Explorer’s Inn
Mackay Graduate Teacher session February 19, 4pm - February 18, 4pm - Shamrock Hotel Courtyard, Nebo Road
Townsville Industrial Relations training Day 1 March 10, all day (8:30am - 3:00pm) - QIEU Townsville office, Level 1, 316 Sturt Street
Townsville Graduate Teacher session February 23, 4pm - QIEU Townsville office, Level 1, 316 Sturt Street
Fraser Coast area meeting March 11, 4pm - White Lion Hotel, Maryborough
North Queensland Branch meeting February 24, 4pm - Centenary Hotel, French Street, Pimlico Central Queensland Branch meeting February 25, 4pm- Brothers Leagues Club, 1 Lions Creek Road, Rockhampton Legal Issues member training (North Queensland) February 25, 4:30pm-6:30pm Castle Lodge Motor Inn, 6 Don Street, Bowen All New Employee Information Session (Darling Downs Branch) February 26, 4pm-6pm - Gold Park, 341 Hume St, Toowoomba Metropolitan Branch meeting February 26, 4:15pm - QIEU Brisbane Office Mackay Industrial Relations
Far North Queensland Branch meeting March 12, 4pm - Rydges, Corner Esplanade and Kerwin Streets, Cairns FNQ Industrial Relations training Day 1 March 12, 8:30pm-3:00pm Rydges, Corner Esplanade and Kerwin Streets, Cairns Metropolitan Branch Industrial Relations training Day 1 March 12, 8:30pm-3:00pm - QIEU Brisbane Office Brisbane Graduate Training March 16, 4pm - QIEU Brisbane Office Graduate Training Regional Teleconference March 17, 4pm - QIEU Brisbane Office for regionals Mackay Industrial Relations training Day 2 March 17, all day - QCU training
Seeking promotion? Going for Promotion? Need help with your application? Need help with your application? Give yourself the best chance!
Introducing our new Online Packages for Application Writing & Interview (for promotions positions in independent schools) Developed by a former principal and teacher of 35 years’ experience, these highly practical, plain English packages (delivered to you by email) contain a detailed booklet and powerpoint to guide you through the process of ¾ crafting your cover letter ¾ developing your CV for maximum impact ¾ creating dynamic responses to criteria ¾ preparing for a top interview performance The packages contain practical examples and advice for aspiring Catholic & independent school leaders at all levels. Middle managers’ packages: $135 Deputy Principals’ packages: $135 Principals’ packages: $165 Full school site licence: $499 Tel 0411 245 415 i email rbowman@bigpond.net.au Order direct from our website
www.professional-resume.com.au i Individual assistance is also available i Teachers’ Professional Résumés ABN 40 833 718 673 Rick Bowman, BSc, MEd, DipEd, MACE, FAIM
room, 41 Brisbane Street Townsville Graduate Training March 18, 4pm - QIEU Townsville Office Bundaberg Graduate Teacher session March 19, 4pm - QCU Building, 44 Maryborough St Moreton Branch meeting March 19, 4pm - Fig Jam Café, 59 Limestone St, Ipswich Moreton Branch Industrial Relations training Day 1 March 19 - Fig Jam Café, 59 Limestone St, Ipswich Rockhampton Graduate Teacher session March 23, 4pm - Brothers Leagues Club, 1 Lions Creek Rd Townsville Industrial Relations training Day 2 March 24, all day (8:30am - 3:00pm) - QIEU Townsville office, Level 1, 316 Sturt Street Gold Coast Graduate Training March 24, 4pm - Fiascos Function Room, Parkwood Tavern FNQ Graduate Teacher session March 25, 4pm - Rydges, Corner Esplanade and Kerwin Streets, Cairns
Member profile Steve Blacklow Publications/Web Officer Trinity Anglican School, Cairns Taking photographs, designing publications and maintaining a website are all in a days work for Trinity Anglican school officer Steve Blacklow. A former newspaper hand and machine compositor by trade, Steve has worked as a Production Manager, Retraining Officer in colour scanning and as a Leading Hand/Quality Control Officer of publications before he began his role as a Publications/Web Officer at the Cairns school five years ago, bringing his printing and designing experiences to the artistic role. and sisters.” Steve said there are many advantages to working at the school. “Positives to my job are the variety of tasks, and the fact that I can be a photographer one day, a graphic designer the next, then a web designer, as well as getting to see my work appear in all forms of media,” Steve said.
FNQ Industrial Relations training Day 2 March 25, 8:30pm-3:00pm Rydges, Corner Esplanade and Kerwin Streets, Cairns
The only real negative to his job was not having anyone who could assist if there was something that he could not solve, as there would be if he was in the print industry, he said.
Emerald Graduate Teacher session March 26, 6:45am - Emerald Explorer’s Inn
He said one of the most important issues currently facing school officers is the new classification matrix.
North Queensland area meeting (Bowen and Collinsville members) April 1, 4:30pm-6:30pm - Castle Lodge Motor Inn, 6 Don Street, Bowen
“It appears that all Anglican schools in Queensland, except north Queensland, can get with the program this year and implement the new proposed classification matrix. But here in the deep north it appears that we will be left waiting another year.
Lunch and Learn on ‘Hours of Duty’ April 2, during both lunch breaks - St John’s Bosco’s in Collinsville for all staff Metropolitan Branch meeting May 21, 4:15pm - Venue to be confirmed Metropolitan Branch Industrial Relations training Day 2 July 30, 8:30pm-3:00pm QIEU Brisbane Office Metropolitan Branch meeting August 6, 4:15pm - Venue to be confirmed
“This means north Queensland school officers are way behind in the wages stakes compare to our south east Queensland brothers
Steve said the school’s female school officers were also concerned about proposed new maternity leave arrangements, which he believed could mean they get less paid leave than they would have if the agreement was to stay as it has been for over the past year. Only by being an active member of QIEU, which Steve has been for four years, can these issues be addressed by continual support from an active Chapter. The north Queensland school officer said he joined QIEU because he believes everybody should be in a union. “Unions constantly struggle with employers to get workers favourable work agreements, conditions and wages. Without unions, employers would have a field day.” Steve has now taken another step forward with QIEU by joining its Publications Committee. “I decided to join the Publication Committee as I believe we should all work together to support our union in any way we can – not just pay fees.”
QIEU COMMITTEES QIEU committees have direct input into QIEU Council by helping to guide QIEU policy development around member issues and devise strategies regarding the various industrial and professional issues and campaigns. You can join any of the following committees: Education; Equity; Industrial; Member Benefits; Organising and Campaigning; and Publications. If you would like to be involved please contact the QIEU office on 1800 177 937 (toll free) or email enquiries@qieu.asn.au
The Independent Voice
February 2009
Legal Briefs
19
Andrew Knott, Macrossans Lawyers
NEW RESTRICTIONS ON SUPPLY OF ALCOHOL TO MINORS SIGNIFICANCE FOR TEACHERS Alcohol, Teachers and Minors Teachers must be extremely careful in any dealings with alcohol when they are on duty or when they are associating with students or minors who are not their students. The importance of that issue is beyond the scope of this article and we simply acknowledge that as part of the background. However, there are now new provisions in relation to the supply of liquor to a minor at a private place which may be relevant to teachers even when they are not discharging their duties as a teacher and even dealing with minors who are not their students. These provisions could be of significance in teacher
registration and teacher discipline environments should teachers be charged with and convicted of, or even just accused of, such conduct.
at a private place, unless the supply is consistent with the responsible supervision of the minor. Maximum penalty – 80 penalty units.
and the period over which it was supplied.”
The “New” Restrictions
(3) For subsection (2), in considering whether the supply is consistent with the responsible supervision of the minor, relevant factors include the following –
It is defined in Section 5 of the Act as follows:
(a) whether the adult is unduly intoxicated;
(b) an adult who has parental rights and responsibilities for the minor.”
Amendments were made in 2008 to the Liquor Act 1992 (an Act of the Queensland Parliament). The critical section is s.156A entitled “Irresponsible supply of liquor to a minor at a private place etc”.
(b) whether the minor is unduly intoxicated;
That Section reads as follows: (c) the age of the minor; “(1) An adult must not supply liquor to a minor at a private place, unless the adult is a responsible adult for the minor. Maximum penalty – 80 penalty units. (2) A responsible adult for a minor must not supply liquor to the minor
(d) whether the minor is consuming the liquor supplied with food; (e) whether the adult is responsibly supervising the minor’s consumption of the liquor supplied; (f) the quantity of liquor supplied
QIEC Super goes Platinum!
The term “responsible adult” is obviously fundamental.
“(a) a parent, step-parent or guardian of the minor;
Quite apart from any prohibitions imposed by employers, it would be very imprudent for any teacher to take the view that they fell within Section 5 as a person who has “parental rights and responsibilities” for the minor. Accordingly, the only practical basis on which teachers should operate is that with the exception of a minor for whom they are in
fact the parent, step-parent or guardian, it is illegal to supply alcohol to a minor because of the prohibition in s.156A(1). Don’t Forget the “Old” Restrictions Even prior to the insertion of Section 156A set out above, it was an offence to sell liquor to a minor and an offence to supply liquor to, or permit, or allow liquor to be supplied to or consumed by a person who is a minor, on licensed premises. Conclusion This is a very sensitive area and teachers need to proceed extremely cautiously. If in doubt, refrain. Teachers should also familiarise themselves with their employer’s instructions.
Transition for overseas students
QIEC Super is proud to have been awarded a Platinum rating from SuperRatings for its Superannuation product in 2009. Platinum is the highest rating that can be achieved and it means that QIEC Super is one of the best value for money super funds in Australia. QIEC Super was also a finalist in the 2009 SuperRatings Rising Star Award. Our recent enhancements to the Fund has led to greater value for money and improved benefits for our members. SuperRatings provide independent superannuation assessment and ratings. They believe that the best “value for money” funds offer the greatest potential to maximise the retirement savings of its members in a well serviced, secure environment, whilst offering suitable well priced related ancillary benefits such as life and disability insurance and quality impartial financial planning services.
For more information, contact QIEC Super:
PO Box 2130 Ph: 1300 360 507 Email: info@qiec.com.au Milton Qld 4064 Fax: (07) 3236 0719 Web: www.qiec.com.au SuperRatings Pty Limited holds Australian Financial Services Licence No. 311880. This information is of a general nature only and has been prepared without taking account of your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on this advice, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs. You should also refer to the Combined Annual Report, Member Handbook and Financial Services Guide (Product Disclosure Statement) before making a decision. To obtain a copy of the PDS, contact QIEC Super or visit the website. QIEC Super Pty Ltd ABN 81 010 897 480, the Trustee of QIEC Super ABN 15 549 636 673, is Corporate Authorised Representative No. 268804 under AFS Licence No. 238507
ABOVE: Ipswich Girls Grammar School teachers Sophie Grieger, Kym Coleman and QIEU member Justine Bomm utilise the QIEU Assisting the Transition booklet in their teaching
A Queensland Independent Education Union (QIEU) booklet for teachers to provide better programs for students who have English as their second language has been appropriately utilised at an Ipswich Grammar school. Ipswich Girls’ Grammar School teachers have used the booklet, ‘Assisting the Transition – A guide for teachers’ to assist Chinese students moving into mainstream secondary school education. IGGS teacher Kym Coleman said the school have a number of students who have English as their second language from Prep to Year 12, with these students primarily coming from China, Korea and Vietnam, together with some students from remote
Indigenous communities. “Booklets such as these provide valuable information for teachers about the educational experiences of students from other countries and help teachers to empathise with some of the challenges these students face,” Kym said. The school also offers ESL programs through the Enrichment Department and professional development at staff meetings to help engage students who have English as a second language. Schools and teachers who are interested in obtaining the booklet, ‘Assisting the Transition – A guide for teachers’, please contact the QIEU Brisbane office on (07) 3839 7020
20
The Independent Voice
February 2009 THE NAME OF EACH PERSON WHO HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT AT ANY TIME DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD, AND THE PERIOD FOR WHICH HE OR SHE HELD THE POSITION Queensland Division: The following persons holding positions on the Committee of Management have held their positions for the full 12 months of this reporting period:
Independent Education Union of Australia - Queensland and Northern Territory financial statements for the year ending 31 December 2008 The provisions of the Workplace Relations Act 1996 require that a copy of the audited accounts is provided to members. In accordance with that provision the audited accounts for the Independent Education Union of Australia - Queensland and Northern Territory (IEUA-QNT) are printed on the following page. Members who have any inquiries regarding these accounts should direct any correspondence to the General Secretary at: PO Box 418 FORTITUDE VALLEY 4006
Terry Burke John Kennedy Suzanne Burdon Tom Denham Christopher Chapman Ros McLennan Des McGovern Jocelyne Benoit Denis Kettle
The following persons held positions on the Committee of Management for part of the reporting period: Christine Cooper Miriam Dunn Lynn McGovern Ray Cloonan Denyse Liddy John Vanden Berg Kerrod Bendall Terrence Frawley Philip O’Brien Pat Atkinson Paul Giles Maria Campanini
IEUA-QNT OPERATING REPORT - 2008
Peter Butler-Wood
PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR (i) Provision of support and advice to members, specifically service staff members. (ii) Provision of support for overseas activities, such as ongoing support for the Council of Pacific Education and the Shanghai Education Union Relationship. (iii) Provision of support for the Federal union agenda in education, equity and industrial issues.
Aleisha Connellan
RESULT OF THOSE ACTIVITIES Solid and growing membership base in Queensland and the Northern Territory, demonstrating member satisfaction of the support currently provided to them.
Bryce Goldburg Lyn Byrnes Bernadette Murray Beverley Day Andrew Elphinstone Michael Moy Andrew Stein Peter Lovegrove
Lorraine Hellmrich Joanne Lawes Jane Maliszewski Susan O’Leary Jennifer Winn Susanne Stevenson
1 January 2008–20 July 2008 1 January 2008 – 20 June 2008 1 January 2008–31 October 2008 1 January 2008–31 October 2008 1 January 2008–31 October 2008 1 January 2008–31 October 2008 1 January 2008–31 October 2008 1 January 2008–31 October 2008 1 January 2008–31 October 2008 1 January 2008–31 October 2008 20 July 2008–31 December 2008 31 October 2008–31 December 2008 31 October 2008–31 December 2008 31 October 2008–31 December 2008 31 October 2008–31 December 2008 31 October 2008–31 December 2008 31 October 2008–31 December 2008 31 October 2008–31 December 2008 31 October 2008–31 December 2008 31 October 2008–31 December 2008 31 October 2008–31 December 2008 31 October 2008–31 December 2008
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE NATURE OF THESE ACTIVITIES There have been no significant changes in the nature of these activities over the past year.
Kerry Laws
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE BRANCH FINANCIAL AFFAIRS DURING THE YEAR There have been no significant changes in the financial affairs during the past year.
Northern Territory Division: The following persons holding positions on the Committee of Management have held their positions for the full 12 months of this reporting period:
DETAILS OF THE RIGHT OF MEMBERS TO RESIGN In accordance with Rule 21 of the rules of the Independent Education Union of Australia, a member may resign from membership by written notice addressed and delivered to the Branch Secretary.
Nuala Cullen Erica Schultz Lon Wallis
DETAILS (INCLUDING POSITION HELD) OF ANY OFFICER OR MEMBER OF THE BRANCH WHO IS: (i) TRUSTEE OF A SUPER ENTITY (ii) A DIRECTOR OF A COMPANY THAT IS A TRUSTEE OF A SUPER ENTITY Terry Burke Branch Secretary Director of QIEC Pty Ltd, the Corporate Trustee of QIEC Super John Spriggs Industrial Officer Director of QIEC Pty Ltd, the Corporate Trustee of QIEC Super Greg McGhie Organiser Director of QIEC Pty Ltd, the Corporate Trustee of QIEC Super Chris Seymour Organiser Alternate Director of QIEC Pty Ltd, the Corporate Trustee of QIEC Super THE NUMBER OF PERSONS THAT WERE RECORDED IN THE REGISTER OF MEMBERS ON 31 DECEMBER 2008 14,531 members were recorded in the register of members on 31 December 2008. THE NUMBER OF PERSONS WHO WERE EMPLOYEES OF THE BRANCH ON 31 DECEMBER 2008, INCLUDING FULL-TIME OR PART-TIME Nil.
Matthew Dash
Cheryl Salter Sam Typuszak
THE INDEPENDENT EDUCATION UNION OF AUSTRALIA - QUEENSLAND AND NORTHERN TERRITORY BRANCH
Meeting Expenses Payroll Tax Postage & Freight Printing, Stationery & Photocopying Provision for Employee Entitlements Publications Rent Salaries – Officers Salaries – Clerical Superannuation Telephone & Facsimile Travel & Allowances – Officers – Executive & Council Vehicle Expenses Web Site Costs Work Cover Building Union Strength Funding of Cope Shanghai Relationship Net Operating Profit/(Loss) for period CURRENT ASSETS Cash at Bank Trade Debtors Receivables – Affiliation – Other NON-CURRENT ASSETS Office Furniture & Equipment – at cost Less: Accumulated Depreciation
207 1200 664 7729 4488 2824 6000 47181 4189 2973 16502 20321 11559 2800 2125 12635 4000 191 416157 29079
52 197 1737 3909 2500 10070 22 1207 2602 1235 71514 189116
$ $ 328364 205438 14123 5674 49020 723 391507 211835
TOTAL ASSETS
8346 1911 6435 397942
6593 459 6134 217969
CURRENT LIABILITIES Trade Creditors Sundry Creditors & Accruals Subscriptions in Advance GST Payable Loan – QIEU Provision for Employee Entitlements TOTAL LIABILITIES
73 141647 3596 1582 1293 5683 30664 19574 4488 179747 28853
NET ASSETS
218195
189116
ACCUMULATED FUNDS Balance as at 1 January 2008 Net Operating Profit/(Loss) for Year
189116 29079
189116
Balance as at 31 December 2008
218195
189116
Cash Flows from Operating Activities Receipts – Grant Received Receipts – Subscriptions & Affiliation Receipts – Interest Received Payments to Suppliers & Employees Net Cash Outflow from Operating Activities
482559 17427 (386396) 113590
108851 123447 2165 (42006) 192457
Loan – Qld Independent Education Union
11090
19574
Purchase of Non Current Assets
(1754)
(6593)
Net Increase/(Decrease) in Cash held Cash at beginning of the Financial Year
122926 205438
205438 -
Cash at the end of the Financial Year
328364
205438
Represented By:
STATEMENT OF INCOME & EXPENDITURE FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2008 2008 INCOME $ Affiliation Levies 250250 Other Income 1818 Membership Contributions 175741 Grant – IEUA Queensland Branch Grant – IEUA Northern Territory Branch Interest Received 17427 445236 EXPENDITURE Advertising 98 Affiliation Fees – IEUA 182636 Affiliation Fees – Others 1769 Audit Fees 2200 Bank Charges 445 Branch Expenditure 2874 Conference Seminar Training Costs 444 Depreciation 1452 General Expenses 173 Industrial Campaign Expenses 72924 Insurance 1544 Legal Fees 2010
2007 $ 57891 1406 64150 36914 98104 2165 260630 493 46327 142 84 119 459 277 82 -
1.SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES This general purpose financial report has been prepared in accordance with Accounting Standards, other mandatory professional reporting requirements and The Workplace Relations Act 1996. The accounts are prepared on an accrual basis and in accordance with the historical cost convention. (a) Income Tax The association is exempt from income tax under section 50 – 15 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997. The ongoing applicability of this ruling is at the discretion of the Australian Taxation Office. (b) Depreciation Depreciation is calculated on a straight line basis so as to write off the full net cost of each depreciable non-current asset over its expected useful life. (c) Cash For the purpose of the statement of cash flows, cash includes deposits at call which are readily convertible to cash on hand and are used in the cash management function on a day to day basis, net of outstanding bank overdrafts.
The Independent Voice
February 2009
(d) Goods and Services Tax Business expenses and assets are recognized net of the amount of GST except where the amount of GST accrued is not recoverable from the Australian Taxation Office. 2. INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED TO MEMBERS OR REGISTRAR In accordance with the requirements of the Workplace Relations Act, 1996, the attention of members is drawn to the provisions of Sub-Sections (1), (2) and (3) of Section 272 of the RAO schedule, which read as follows: (1) A member of a reporting unit, or a Registrar, may apply to the reporting unit for specified prescribed information in relation to the reporting unit. (2) The application must be in writing and must specify the period within which and the manner in which the information is to be made available. The period must be not less than 14 days after the application is given to the reporting unit. (3) A reporting unit must comply with an application made under sub-section (1). 3. RELATED PARTIES The Queensland Independent Education Union provided staff and administrative services to the Independent Education Union – Queensland & Northern Territory Branch during the period. The councillors and the executive of the Queensland Independent Education Union are all members of the Independent Education Union – Queensland and Northern Territory Branch, Branch Executive and Management Committee respectively. 4.FINANCIAL REPORTING BY SEGMENTS The Union derives its income from affiliation fees levied to members, which are in turn forwarded to the Union’s federal office. The branch operates within Queensland and the Northern Territory. 5. RECONCILIATION OF NET OPERATING PROFIT/(LOSS) TO NET CASH INFLOW/(OUTFLOW) FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES 2008 2007 $ $ Net Operating Profit/(Loss) for Year 29079 Change in Operating Assets & Liabilities Increase/(Decrease) in Sundry Creditors/GST 135316 (Increase)/Decrease in Receivables (56745) Increase/(Decrease) in Provisions 4488 Depreciation 1452 Net Cash Inflow/(Outflow) from Operating Activities
113590
189116
9279 (6397) 459
192457
6. COMPARATIVE FIGURES These audited accounts represent the accounts of the IEUA – QNT Branch and cover the period 1.1.2008 to 31.12.2008. Comparative figures represent the first accounts of the IEUA – QNT Branch and cover the period 27.8.2007 to 31.12.2007. 7. RECOVERY OF WAGES There was no recovery of wages activity during the period. 8. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS No matters have arisen since the 31.12.2008 which would have a material effect on these financial statements. Committee of Management Certificate We, being two members of the Executive of the Queensland and Northern Territory Branch of the Independent Education Union of Australia, do state on behalf of the Executive and in accordance with a resolution passed by the Executive, that: (a) The Financial Statements and Notes comply with Australian Accounting Standards; (b) The Financial Statements and Notes comply with the reporting guidelines of the Industrial Registrar; (c) The Financial Statements and Notes give a true and fair view of the financial performance, financial position and cash flows of the reporting unit for the financial year to which they relate; (d) There are reasonable grounds to believe that the reporting unit will be able to pay its debts as and when they become due and payable; and (e) During the period ended 31 December 2008 and since the end of that period: i. Meetings of the committee of management were held in accordance with the rules of the Branch; and ii. The financial affairs of the reporting unit have been managed in accordance with the rules of the Branch including the rules of a branch concerned; and iii. The financial records of the reporting unit have been kept and maintained in accordance with schedule 1 of the Workplace Relations Act 1996 and the Regulations; and iv. The information sought in any request of a member of the reporting unit or a Registrar duly made under section 272 of schedule 1 of the Workplace Relations Act 1996 has been furnished to the member or Registrar; and v. There has been compliance with any order for inspection of financial records made by the Commission under section 273 of the schedule 1 of the Workplace Relations Act 1996. INDEPENDENT AUDIT REPORT To the members of The Independent Education Union of Australia, Queensland and Northern Territory Branch. Scope We have audited the financial accounts of The Independent Education Union of Australia, Queensland and Northern
21
Territory Branch for the period ended 31 December 2008 as set out on pages 1 to 8. The Union’s Committee of Management and Accounting Officer are responsible for the preparation and presentation of the financial accounts and the information they contain. We have conducted an independent audit of these financial accounts in order to express an opinion on them to the members of the Union. Our audit has been conducted in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards to provide reasonable assurance as to whether the financial accounts are free of material misstatement. Our procedures included examination, on a test basis, of evidence supporting the amounts and other disclosures in the financial accounts, and the evaluation of accounting policies and significant accounting estimates. These procedures have been undertaken to form an opinion as to whether, in all material aspects, the financial accounts are presented fairly in accordance with Australian accounting concepts and standards and statutory requirements so as to present a view of The Independent Education Union of Australia, Queensland and Northern Territory Branch, which is consistent with our understanding of its financial position and the results of its operations. The audit opinion expressed in this report has been formed on the above basis. Independence In conducting our audit, we followed applicable independence requirements of Australia professional ethical pronouncements and the Workplace Relations Act 1996. Audit Opinion In our opinion the financial report of the Independent Education Union of Australia Queensland and Northern Territory Branch is in accordance with; (a) The Workplace Relations Act 1996, including: (i) Presenting fairly the Branch’s financial position as at 31 December 2008 and of its performance for the period ended on that date; and (ii) Complying with Australian Accounting Standards; and (iii) Complying with any other requirements imposed by the Reporting Guidelines or Part 3 of Chapter 8 of Schedule 1 of the Act; and (b) Other mandatory professional reporting requirements in Australia.
……………………………….. Norman J Hoare MORRIS & BATZLOFF Chartered Accountants Registered Company Auditor Member – Institute of Chartered Accountants and current holder of Public Practice Certificate 9 February, 2009
EVENTS DIARY Schools leading way to Conference is themed: Economics Applies to Everyone. The keynote healthier environment Schools Clean Up Day on Friday, 27 February, is a great way for students of all ages to learn how to reduce the impact of waste on the environment and make a real difference to their local community. In addition to getting involved in Schools Clean Up Day, there are many easy, practical ways you can help make your school more environmentally sustainable all year-round: • Start a school worm farm • Start a paper recycling project • Use refillable water bottles. Register your school at www.cleanup.org.au or call 1800 CUA DAY (1800 282 329).
QETA Conference The Queensland Economics Teachers Association Inc will hold their 2009 Conference on Saturday, 7 March. Held at Brisbane Girls Grammar School from 9am to 4pm, this year’s
speaker is noted Australian economist, author and economic commentator, Ross Gittins. Other speakers include Gerard Alford from ITC Publications, Rob Byrne from the Victorian Commercial Teachers Association (VCTA) and a range of Queensland teachers of Economics. Costing for QETA members is $121 earlybird (until 27 February) and $130 after this date. Non-members pay $143 before 27 February and $165 thereafter. For more information visit www.qeta.com.au
The Australian Leadership Forum The Brisbane Leadership Voice forum to be held on Tuesday 24 March is designed specifically for Australian women who are aspiring to leadership roles. In this highly interactive full-day forum, you will undertake a systematic self-evaluation, explore communication styles, define the key attributes of leadership and learn to strengthen emotional
intelligence. Costs for women for a group rate is $495 per person (minimum three people). Single tickets cost $545. To read the full brochure go to http://www. womensforum.com.au/events/09/ Voice/09_Leadership_Voice.pdf For more information contact Kathy Willmott on 1300 138 037 or email kwillmott@wtaa.com.au
Senior Schooling Conference QSA’s 2009 Senior Schooling Conference promises to enhance participants’ understanding of how productive pathways in senior schooling lead to successful futures for students. Themes covered include transitions from school to further education and work, VET, Indigenous education, special needs, attitudes to school, national standards for teachers and developments in national curriculum.The conference will be held on the 19 and 20 of March at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. For more information email events@qsa.qld.edu.au or phone (07) 3864 0471.
QSA P-10 Conference Queensland Studies Authority’s conference for P–10 educators will be held in Brisbane on Thursday, 30 April and Friday, 1 May. Building success: rethinking access and engagement will feature: Professor Howard Gardner, Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Professor Paula Barrett, Director of Pathways Health and Research Centre; Professor Barry McGaw, Chair of the National Curriculum Board; and Dr Michael Nagel, Senior Lecturer in Education and Head of Education Discipline, University of the Sunshine Coast. The conference will provide a significant forum for discussion and debate as well as showcasing strategies for early and middle years teachers to take back to the classroom. For more information email events@qsa.qld.edu.au or phone (07) 3864 0471.
Aw e - S o m e Wo m e n : Leading Social Change
A new online forum of the Association of Women Educators has been launched for all members of the school community to participate in discussions about social justice and gender issues in all areas of education - http:// www.awe.asn.au/cgi-bin/yabb2/ YaBB.pl The AWE responds to disadvantage for women and girls in the identified key areas of: wellbeing; leadership; work education and career choices; and violence. The AWE Leading Social Change project has been funded by the Australian Government through the Women’s Leadership and Development Programme. The project aims to: build our community and its capacity to represent and support members; and increase our member and organisation capacity for leadership and influence on education policy and practice. To find out more visit http://www. awe.asn.au/project-leadingsocial-change/about.php
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The Independent Voice
February 2009
Global Issues South Korean teachers fired over standardised testing Seven primary and middle school teachers in the South Korean capital Seoul have been fired for giving students and parents a choice about whether to take a national standardised test. The teachers are all members of Jeon Gyo Jo, the Korean Teachers’ and Education Workers’ Union (KTU), an affiliate of Education International. EI joins the KTU in strongly condemning the firings, and calls on the education authorities to re-instate the teachers to their previous jobs. EI General Secretary Fred Van Leeuwen said that across the OECD countries, teachers are becoming increasingly concerned about the uses and abuses of standardized testing and its vastly increased stress on students and teachers. “High-stakes testing has significant negative impacts in terms of narrowing the curriculum in order to teach to the test. Teachers have a professional right and duty to speak out about testing regimes they believe to be harmful,� he said. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education dismissed the seven teachers, alleging they had not “followed orders� and had “induced� students not to take a national test, thereby “interrupting�
the students’ “right to learn.� In fact, the fired teachers had sent letters to the parents, suggesting that this kind of standardized testing might “raise unnecessary competition among students� and give children “a heavy, stressful burden.� If students did not want to take the test, the teachers suggested that they could participate in an educational field trip instead – provided they had their parents’ permission. If students wanted to take the test, they could. The South Korean education system is highly competitive, with government policy compelling all elementary and middle school students across the country to sit the standardized tests. High school students endure extremely intense schedules of study seven days a week in advance of critical university entrance exams. The KTU said the firings are the most recent example of a consistent pattern of attacks on teachers and public education by the administration of President Lee Myung-Bak. The administration has nullified the teachers’ collective bargaining agreement and imposed a punitive system of teacher evaluation, introduced by repeated hostile statements in the media. The KTU is determined to continue supporting the teachers, who they believe were merely exercising their professional judgment and
conscience, and will press its demands for teacher autonomy in the face of arbitrary government moves. Mr Van Leeuwen noted that parents and other stakeholders across South Korea have also joined in the union’s protests. “Parents and teachers share these concerns because they want a quality education for all children. They understand that quality education involves much more than high marks on standardized tests. Quality education is focused on academics, to be sure, but it is also about the arts, athletics, citizenship, critical and creative thinking skills, love of learning, and so much more.� EI will continue to monitor the situation in South Korean schools and to support its affiliate in complaints it plans to bring to the International Labour Organisation and the Expert Committee on the Application of the ILO/UNESCO Recommendation on the Status of Teachers (CEART). Defend MDGS against the economic crisis, EI tells World Bank EI’s General Secretary Fred Van Leeuwen has called on World Bank President Robert Zoellick to defend the Millennium Development
The Workshops Rail Museum is a $20 million education facility located at the birthplace of rail in Queensland at North Ipswich. The Workshops Rail Museum offers:
Goals, and especially Education for All, against the ravages of the current financial and economic crises. World Bank President Robert Zoellick said he couldn’t think of anything more important than trying to persuade governments to include funds for vital services in developing countries, including education and health, in their fiscal stimulus packages. “We’ve got solid evidence that this kind of spending will help global recovery and the more advanced economies as well,� he said, referring to recent discussions with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. He said the US labour movement could suggest that President-elect Barack Obama include support for overseas development in his recovery plans for the US economy, because the US would also benefit at the end of the day. This exchange was one of the highlights of two days of intensive discussions between Global Unions and the top leadership of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in January in Washington DC. The agenda was dominated by the financial crisis, which all participants concurred had caused the worst crisis in the real economy since the Great Depression. IMF Managing Director
FREE ENTRY
Dominique Strauss-Kahn told the union representatives that the unemployment forecasts for 2009 were worse than stated previously. So far world-wide unemployment had been projected to increase by 25 million this year but this could get much higher. He and Mr Zoellick also emphasised that the crisis had become truly global and that no country could escape it. Other items addressed included the food crisis, climate change, gender issues and respect for core labour rights. Mr Van Leeuwen warned that to these crises it was necessary to add a crisis in education, with a massive shortage of teachers looming in developing countries and in most of the North. Suggestions by World Bank staff that countries could meet their MDG targets by putting unqualified people in front of students were misguided, he said, and would deny quality education. He called on the Bank to work with EI and UNESCO to build up teacher education programmes and help governments recruit the needed qualified teachers.
For more information or to enlist your support for education workers worldwide, please visit Education International’s website www.ei-ie.org The IEUA is an affiliate of EI.
*
for Queensland Schools! Visit www.theworkshops.qm.qld.gov.au for more information.
ˆ FREE ENTRY* for Queensland Schools ˆ FREE Activity Trails for your visit ˆ FREE ready-to-delivery Units and Presentations for pre/post visit
*All Queensland School students (including relevant teacher/carer ratios) are admitted FREE during Queensland School hours.
The Workshops Rail Museum education experience encompasses: ˆ PEVKIV XLER PMJI ^SRIW XLEX IEGL I\TPSVIW E HMJJIVIRX EWTIGX of rail in Queensland. ˆ ,ERHW SR EGXMZMXMIW ERH QYPXM QIHME I\LMFMXW MRGPYHMRK a diesel locomotive simulator. ˆ +IRYMRI PSGSQSXMZIW GEVVMEKIW ERH VIEP WXSVMIW ˆ %PP TVMQEV] WGLSSP GYVVMGYPYQW MRGPYHMRK 4VIT ˆ 7IGSRHEV] WGLSSP 737) 7GMIRGI 1EXLW &YWMRIWW ERH ,MWXSV] PIEVRMRK STTSVXYRMXMIW ˆ &ILMRH XLI 7GIRIW 8SYVW XLVSYKL E VIEP [SVOMRK [SVOWLST where students can see steam train restoration take place ERH JIIP XLI LIEX SJ XLI FPEGOWQMXLW JYVREGI 4LSRI XS QEOI ]SYV FREE FSSOMRK XSHE] SV HMWGYWW ]SYV RIIHW [MXL SYV )HYGEXMSR 3J´GIV
WINNER
2007 AUSTRALIAN TOURISM AWARDS HERITAGE & CULTURAL TOURISM
A campus of the Queensland Museum
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The Independent Voice
February 2009
Divine Performing Arts 2009 World Tour Inspired by the spirit of an ancient culture, Divine Performing Arts brings to life classical Chinese dance and music in a gloriously colourful and exhilarating show. With an elite company of dancers, singers and musicians, the New York-based Divine Performing Arts comes to Brisbane this April. This is a unique opportunity for teachers and their students to see and learn about history and the lost world of ancient China. The company’s masterful choreography and graceful routines range from grand classical processions to ethnic and folk dances, with gorgeously costumed dancers moving in stunning synchronized patterns. Its themes are drawn from the pages of history as well as our world today. State-of-the-art backdrops conjure celestial
palaces and pastoral vistas, while ground-breaking music combines the best of Chinese and Western composition. Taking inspiration from ancient heroic legends and modern courageous tales, the breathtaking beauty of Divine Performing Arts is not to be missed. In 2007/2008 Divine Performing Arts dazzled nearly one million live audience members in more than 60 cities across 20 countries worldwide, performing in some of the world’s most prestigious theatres. Tickets are available now for 9 to 12 April 2009 at the Queensland Conservatorium Theatre, Brisbane and 13 April 2009 at the Empire Theatre, Toowomba. Visit www.divineshows.com/au for more information about the show in Australia or call 1300 074 131 for the lunch and dinner package with the show.
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Promote Fair Trade in your school The Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education (ERC) promotes international economic justice through their ‘Fairtrade Project’, applying the principles of fair trade including buying and selling fair trade goods and spreading awareness and community education of fair trade. ERC has set up a simple mechanism for schools to do their part in buying and selling Fairtrade products including premium teas, coffee and drinking chocolate in bulk at cost price. Schools have already become involved in selling Fairtrade Products, which include Fairtrade soccer balls, to their peers, teachers and parents, helping to raise awareness of this cause. ERC hope that such schemes will develop an understanding of Fairtrade, how it can affect the world we live in, and how it can improve staff morale as they feel they can contribute to the support of poorer communities with every cup of coffee or tea they consume or soccer ball used. The issues of Fairtrade awareness go beyond just and fair wages and helps create opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers. To find out more about the ERC ‘Fairtrade Project’ or for orders, contact Danny Long on (02) 8762 4224 or dannyl@erc.org.au
Health & Lifestyle Tips with Lauren Postans Exercise Physiologist, Health Educator
Post Christmas Detox – What Works? Dear Jo Have you written your goals for 2009 yet? Statistically, only three per cent of people write their goals and only three per cent reach their goals. Most people will decide to lose weight at the start of a new year and we will be reminded about this for a couple of months by the media. There is a plethora of diet pills, protein shakes and detox kits hitting the shelves of your supermarket and pharmacy. But what works, and what is just a ploy to get your money out of your pocket? Most detox kits contain either pills or powders which you consume each day for a couple of weeks. They also suggest you exercise and eliminate certain foods from your diet such as caffeine, alcohol and cigarettes. Some can be quite harsh and suggest you just eat fruit or have juice only for a week. This is not particularly sensible, as our bodies need all nutrients to support our physiology. The belief behind the detoxing diet is based on the fact that most of us have overindulged on rich, fatty types of food over the holiday season combined with copious amounts of alcohol and caffeine. We tend to feel sluggish as our bodies try to digest and eliminate the fats, sugars and toxins. It is usually a time that our exercise routine goes out the door which also contributes to lethargy. So to detox is simply to avoid this type of food and allow the body to unclog and move the overload of calories. The pills and powders are commonly a combination of vitamins, minerals and extracts designed to help cleanse and boost metabolism. These supplements may help if your diet is deficient but they do not miraculously rid your liver of all the nasty toxins. My recommendations for a New Year detox are: • Eliminate all alcohol for at least a week and then limit your intake to a few drinks, one night a week; • Eliminate caffeine and caffeinated drinks for a week and then limit caffeine intake to one or two per day; • Adopt a healthy diet, low in processed foods, low in saturated fats and simple sugars. High in whole foods, these are largely unprocessed foods that come from the ground; • Drink 2 to 3 litres of water each day. Some green tea will provide some antioxidants and help boost your immune system; • Exercise each day, preferably outdoor so you get some fresh air. At least 30 minutes of aerobic type of exercise; • Join a Pilates or Yoga class to assist in balance and core strength; • Meditate to help clear your mind and attain a positive approach to your life; • Be happy, laugh a lot and be grateful for what you have in your life; • Sleep, set a bed time routine and try to get about 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night; and • Focus on nurturing your body.
I am a 49-year-old Maths teacher, married with two adult children and I am having problems getting ready for work. I find myself taking more time preparing myself. As I get close to work, I get an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. My sleeping pattern is a little strange, as I sleep well on Friday and Saturday nights; however, find myself waking during the night at other times. Can you please help me? Helen Dear Helen Disrupted sleep, avoiding a situation, and “butterflies” in the stomach are symptoms often associated with anxiety. The fact that you sleep soundly on Friday and Saturday nights and are experiencing difficulty getting ready for work suggest that work may be the source of the anxieties. There are things you can do to manage the symptoms as well as things you can do to get at the source of the problems. Relaxation training and techniques are a great way to deal with the symptoms of anxiety. Some people like to listen to tape recorded relaxation instructions, others prefer meditation, yoga, or progressive muscle relaxation. All of these techniques feature slowed, deep, regular breathing, relaxation of the muscles, and focusing your attention on soothing or calming thoughts. You can also talk with your doctor about other ways to manage anxiety symptoms that can include medication when symptoms are severe. To get to the roots of the problem you will need to do a little detective work, and you will probably need someone to help you. Identify a supervisor, trusted colleague, your doctor or a mental health professional to help you review the history of your symptoms. When did they start, what makes them worse, what makes them better? When you can identify the specific elements of a work situation, or any situation that cause anxiety you can start to manage the anxiety at its source. Some sources of stress and anxiety can simply be avoided. In other situations you will need to change how you manage the situation or what you are telling yourself about the situation in order to bring the anxiety under control. The Telephone Counsellors at TUH SupportLine can help you organise a detailed plan to manage anxiety, and help you put that plan into effect. This might involve regular telephone support or a referral to a TUH SupportLine approved counsellor. Please call TUH SupportLine on 1800 655 302.
Write your goals for next week, next month and for the year. Then work out how you will achieve them. Remember that you have the power to achieve your goals and change your life.
Jo
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The Independent Voice
February 2009
TUH is there for you!
Ben’s always there for his students. But who’s there for him? As a not-for-profit health fund TUH is there for our members and we are proud to introduce our new website www.tuh.com.au Come and check out our new look and new features, including electronic claiming, online shopping, school area, looking after your health, refer a friend competition and much more. Our website also has information on all our products, member benefits and extra services.
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