The Independent Voice
November 2009
Journal of the Queensland Independent Education Union
November 2009
1
Volume 9 Number 7
ABOVE: QIEU members from the St Laurence’s College campaign in support for professional rates of pay at the Catholic members day of action, Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Intensifying the Campaign for Professional Rates of Pay Union members have demonstrated a determination to win professional rates of pay with recent developments in the public sector only hardening that resolve. Over 1000 teachers in up to 87 Catholic schools took a full day of protected industrial action on 28 October 2009 in their campaign for professional rates of pay. (See further reports pages 4 and 5.) Teachers in 18 of the 23 Catholic employing authorities are currently authorised to take protected industrial action with 8 in 10 teachers across the state endorsing action in the secret ballots conducted by the Australian Electoral
Commission (AEC).
table.
Members in Lutheran schools are also authorised to take a set of protected actions with 9 in 10 teachers endorsing protected action in the AEC conducted ballots.
Members in the non-government sector are not, however, resiled to the mirror image of the public sector outcome for the settlement of their claim for professional rates of pay.
Catholic and Lutheran employers appear slow to understand the depth of the determination of members to achieve professional rates of pay. Unable to hide behind a ‘special relationship’ with the state government any longer with the release of a likely settlement in the public sector, the Catholic and Lutheran employers have now at least returned to the negotiating
With little prospect of a better arbitrated decision from the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission and little prospect of any more by way of a political intervention, the Queensland Teachers’ Union (QTU) members have little option but to accept the proposed settlement. Members in the non-government
sector, however, have a clear view that they will continue to campaign for accessible wage structures which maximise professional rates of pay. Employers have a responsibility to their employees to meet those professional rates of pay. That is a responsibility far greater than any consideration of a ‘special relationship’ with the state government. It is even more so a responsibility that they should accept when they are recipients of supplementary increases to their federal funding which are in large part generated by the interstate professional
pay rates driving up the funding entitlement. Union members do not take industrial action lightly. They do so only when fundamental issues are at stake. Quality schools need quality teachers and impoverished pay rates do not attract and retain those quality teachers. Teacher unionists are prepared to stand up and campaign for quality schools and quality education. Non-government employers must now show their employees that they are prepared to stand up for quality education as well.
Our Profession - 90 Years Union Strong
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The Independent Voice
November 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
REMINDER QIEU members are reminded that if you have recently changed your address you need to inform QIEU! To change your details log on to the QIEU website at www.qieu.asn.au Alternatively, call the QIEU office on (07) 38397020 or FREECALL 1800 177 937
President’s Report It’s time to negotiate Professional Rates of Pay The message should be ringing loud and clear in the ears of employers in the Independent sector; it’s time to negotiate professional rates of pay. Catholic employers have seen the strength and commitment of members in the Religious Institute and Diocesan Schools as stop work meetings across Queensland had standing room only. The Diocesan schools that were denied the opportunity to take action also held rallies after school and will likey be provided another opportunity to vote to take protected action. Significantly the majority of Lutheran schools have overwhelmingly endorsed the taking of protected action. Members in Lutheran Schools also expect that their employers start to negotiate on professional rates of pay. Our employers have continued to run away from real negotiations on rates of pay. They have attempted
to thwart our campaign with industrial technicalities on which jurisdiction our negotiations should occur. Employers argue they do not have the capacity to pay and that funding is in jeopardy and now they say they do not want to put at risk the “special relationship” that they have with the state government.
At our union’s Annual General Meeting on the 30 October, I acknowledged the significance of our 90th year and also highlighted how our relationship with the Queensland Teachers’ Union continues to strengthen as both unions focus on the issues that we have in common.
At every one of these obstacles that has been placed in our way we have risen to the challenge. We accepted to negotiate in the Federal jurisdiction; we have demonstrated how their funding argument is flawed and now the state government has confirmed that our negotiations are independent of the state sector.
The work of our Committees this year has been of high quality and the contributions of people involved in this work ensures sensible oversight of many aspects of our working lives. I am very thankful to the members of the Executive Committee and Union Council for the many hours of work they devote to the governance of our Union and the many issues that face us.
It is essential for the future of the teaching profession across all sectors that Queensland teachers gain success in this campaign. This dispute is not only about a wage increase it is about investing in education for the future.
Members have most generously participated in representing our Union at various educational bodies and other organisations and their willingness to do this work on our behalf means that the voice of employees in the Independent
Education Sector is heard. I would like to acknowledge the excellent leadership provided by the General Secretary and the Assistant General Secretaries. I also would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to each and every one, member or employee of our Union, for the great work you have done this year. I believe we can be proud of our contributions and actions taken to ensure the future of our profession and union. Andrew Elphinstone QIEU President
General Secretary’s Report True to Our Legacy At a time in which widespread protected industrial action has occurred across Queensland Catholic schools it is appropriate to reflect upon our organisational strength and capacities. It is even more relevant as we celebrate our 90th year as the union representing employees in the non-government education sector. The capacity of our members to take the recent industrial action reflects positively on our capacity as an organisation to support the industrial and professional agenda of our members. The campaign in the various sectors for the achievement of benchmark professional rates of pay is the most critical campaign for our members currently and into the near and medium future. If we fail to achieve these professional rates of pay within the life of the current agreements, then we run the risk of institutionalising teacher rates of pay which are amongst the lowest in the country. There are those within our membership who can recall the consequences of being the lowest paid in the country during the 1980s and we cannot afford to revisit these invidious circumstances.
employees in 18 Catholic employing authorities is clearly a practical demonstration of the resolve of members to achieve these rates.
industrial action also provide a keen insight into the professional and industrial issues which now face employees in education.
However, they are not alone and while they are taking the visible action at this stage, it is the case that our members overwhelmingly support the campaign for the achievement of these rates.
Our capacity to respond to those considerations lies fundamentally in the strength of our membership which will always be a reflection of our level of membership in the sector, the level of understanding our members have of the issues they confront and their capability to deal with those and, as we have seen this week, our capacity to act collectively in our shared interests.
This campaign is a challenge for our membership; a challenge in that it requires each one of us to adopt a collective perspective which goes beyond our own ‘backyard’ to understand the implications of issues in contexts which are quite unfamiliar to us. At our organisational level we have been able to respond positively to that challenge.The fact that we can do that is a tribute to the organisational change and development that we have undertaken as a union over the past decade. Our organisational structures and processes have enabled us to adapt flexibly to the demands that have been placed upon us and to make significant interventions borne of the specialised expertise and capability that we have as a union.
Members remain open to the manner in which these rates of pay might be achieved within the life of current agreements but achieved they must be.
That is not to say that there is still not more to do but it is to recognise that the decisions made by successive Councils over the past decade have ensured that we are well positioned to undertake the tasks that are before us.
The action taken recently by
The circumstances surrounding this
Those themes have always been part of our union and our 90 th year celebrations this year have highlighted our members’ determination over those 90 years to ensure that their professional and industrial interests are well represented. Each generation of union members has faced its challenges. In our 90th year as a union we have taken the opportunity to reflect on our achievements and to look to the future as to how we might build on the legacy of the last 90 years so that we are an even stronger and more relevant organisation. In reflecting on that legacy derived from the last 90 years, there is a self-evident set of key themes which emerge. Fundamentally we know that our strength as a union comes from our membership. However, if our membership is to
win the industrial and professional campaigns which must be fought then we have a responsibility to build a strong membership where our members are well trained, well understand the issues and have the ability to wrestle with those issues in their workplace. However, most fundamentally we have to ensure that we build a sense of the collective which is union. It is a matter of pride that we, in looking back on the previous twelve months, can say that what we have done in the past year has been true to that legacy in no small measure. When our union antecedents were established in 1919, surely none there at the time could imagine what we would be 90 years later. We can look with pride on what we have achieved in those 90 years and with even greater pride we can say that we have not only built a strong union but also that we have built a union which makes a real difference to the working lives of our members and to the nature and character of our community. Kind regards, Terry Burke General Secretary tburke@qieu.asn.au
The Independent Voice
November 2009
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Lutheran members take action in their campaign for professional rates of pay Lutheran members have joined their Catholic colleagues in endorsing protected industrial action in the fight for professional rates of pay. Wage settlements in other states and territories delivered professional rates of pay for teachers which have effectively established a national benchmark and teachers in Lutheran schools have consistently called upon their employer to commit to matching these rates early in the year. Whilst the employer is to be commended for taking the first step towards achieving professional rates of pay with their agreement to make an interim payment of 4.5% to all employers in May, employers (at the time of writing) have so far failed to commit to professional rates of pay. Employee representatives at the Lutheran Collective Bargaining meeting in September were told that employers were not prepared to see professional rates of pay included in the Lutheran School Agreement, because of fear of going ahead of state sector outcomes. The same special relationship was used by Catholic employers. Lutheran teachers are not only some of the most poorly paid teachers in
the country but they are the lowest paid teachers in Lutheran schools in Australia. Lutheran teachers might have expected at least some consistency with national Lutheran pay offers, but so far this has not been the case. Experienced teacher colleagues in the Northern Territory will be enjoying up to $7,790 more by 1 July 2010 than an experienced teacher in a Queensland Lutheran school and in South Australia the difference
sector outcome. Earlier last month, Lutheran chapters authorised QIEU to prepare an application for protected action, which included stop work meetings. The secret ballot which took place at the end of October was overwhelmingly endorsed with 91% of teachers and 83% of school officers voting in favour of protected action. Lutheran members began their protected action badge protest
Experienced Teacher Wages 2009-2010 2009 NSW State $78,667 Victorian Lutherans $77,740 Northern Territory Lutherans $75,388 South Australian Lutherans $74,148 Queensland Lutherans $71,939
is $5,292. The difference over two years between New South Wales rates and the Lutheran employer offer is a massive $13, 568 (please also refer to table). In further stark contrast, the South Australian Lutheran sector employers chose to increase wages to their teachers ahead of any public
19 November 2009 as the next stage in their campaign to secure professional rates of pay. Curiously, the day after this action was announced, Lutheran employers wrote to QIEU committing to resume negotiations at the Lutheran Single Bargaining Unit (SBU) on Friday, 20 November 2009.
As a gesture of goodwill the employee representatives agreed to postpone the half day stopwork on 19 November to allow the employers the opportunity to table an offer that removes Queensland Lutheran teachers from the tag of 2010 being the lowest paid Lutheran teachers in $81,656 Australia. Under negotiation
$79,157 $77,899 $74,816
QIEU wrote to employers and indicated that two chapter members from each Queensland
Lutheran school be released on full pay to attend an Employer Network meeting in Brisbane on the 19 November to consider current developments relating to wages and to provide clear authority on key issues for employee representatives attending the Lutheran SBU on Friday 20 November. At the time of writing, in the event the employers fail to commit to professional rates of pay at the SBU meeting on 20 November, the half day stopwork will take place on Thursday, 26 November. Employees have determined to continue their protected action if the employers fail to commit to professional rates of pay on 26 November and into 2010. BELOW: Members from St John’s Lutheran, Bundaberg meet with local organiser Richard Pascoe to discuss their protected action campaign.
wearing on Thursday, 12 November, which continued for a week. Members also signed a petition asking employers to commit to professional rates of pay. The Lutheran School Employee Network authorised protected half day stop work action on
Northern Territory News Catholic Collective Bargaining Negotiations for the latest collective agreement covering Northern Territory Catholic Schools are almost finalised with an interim increase of 2.5% agreed to by the Single Bargaining Unit (SBU) on the 22nd September.
classification structure for Indigenous Education Workers (IEW), Inclusion Support Officers, Teacher Assistants, Information Technology employees and Early Learning Centres (ELC) along with a revised wage structure for ELC employees was also accepted.
An ‘in principle agreement’ to most clauses tabled in the log of claims has been reached.
Agreement has also been reached in part for a further provision for Indigenous Education Workers (IEW) which recognises training, prior service and experience as well as cultural life experience for the purposes of incremental advancement.
A further increase of 2% is yet to be paid with the 4.5% backdated to March 2009. The teacher pay scale will also be adjusted at this point with relevant transition arrangements and back payment to March 2009. At the SBU meetings held during August and September, employer representatives agreed to enhance release time for primary school teachers achieving parity with the release time allocated in the public sector, effective from the beginning of 2010. The development of a
Remote Area provisions have also been enhanced for employees who work in Indigenous Catholic Community Schools (ICCS). SBU representative Mr Bruce Wallace said one of the substantial improvements in these negotiations was that members in these schools had a voice and were listened to. “The greatest gain was ironically for teachers who end their employment
in a remote community.The transport costs for personal items, including a motor car to Darwin will be covered by the employer and this will save members hundreds of dollars,” Bruce said. The SBU has agreed to the establishment of a housing committee to oversee the maintenance of staff accommodation.
Negotiations soon at The Essington School The Essington School are continuing their collective bargaining which started at the beginning of this year.
A key area addressed is a clause for the development of a Charter of Rights and Responsibilities.
Nominations were accepted for employee representatives to the Single Bargaining Unit (SBU) from various sections of the school.
Staff at Essington want to ensure that there is a transparent structure available to both management and staff by which to assess issues that may arise throughout their working lives.
Staff representative and IEUAQNT member, Cheryl Salter said, “We have members represented from all aspects of the school life.”
“The charter is our priority issue in the log of claims, all staff are keen to get one because we want transparent processes clearly outlined” Cheryl said.
The collective bargaining negotiations are ongoing and a further SBU meeting took place in the middle of November.
“It is not just teachers which is a very positive thing because it means that all members of our school community have a voice,” she added.
“The SBU is very keen to get negotiations underway with the support of the IEUA-QNT” Cheryl added.
More updates will be available for members in the next Northern Voice newsletter due out in December.
Members developed the log of claims in August and recently met to consider it.
Household items have also been upgraded and will include additional household items including fire safety equipment. New provisions for long service and family leave have also been agreed to.
Members are hoping to present the log of claims to management this month and are looking forward to the negotiations.
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The Independent Voice
November 2009
Catholic Member Catholic school teachers across Queensland met and rallied on Wednesday, 28 October in their campaign for professional rates of pay condemning their employers refusal to negotiate a fair wages deal. Members successfully rallied and met in Brisbane, Cairns, Toowoomba, Yeppoon, Rockhampton, Townsville, Atherton, Innisfail, and Dalby. Members from St John’s Roma, took their action on Tuesday, 27 October. Members sent a strong and clear message to Catholic employers across the state that they must stop hiding behind state arbitrated outcomes and negotiate a fair wages deal in current negotiations. Up to 87 Queensland Catholic schools participated in the action. The teacher support showed that members want their employers to start negotiating professional rates of pay in good faith. It was also very clear that Catholic teachers are willing to fight for professional wages because they want what is best for their students and for the future of education in Queensland. In the meetings, Catholic school teachers unanimously carried a set of resolutions that called on their employers to enter into immediate negotiations for a wage outcome consistent with established professional rates of pay. In the absence of employers entering into good faith bargaining, members unanimously voted to schedule further industrial action including regular work stoppages. Members in Brisbane, Rockhampton and Townsville who were denied their right to take protected action showed their support by rallying outside their respective Catholic Diosean offices that afternoon. BELOW: Teachers in Cairns rally together outside the Catholic Education Office on the day of action
ABOVE: Teachers from Brisbane rally outside the Queensland Catholic Education Commission in support for the profess
ABOVE: Teachers from St John’s Roma on their day of action, Tuesday 27 Octobe
ABOVE: Brisbane teachers braved the rainy weather to rally outside the Brisbane Catholic Education Centre on Wednesday afternoon 28 October
ABOVE: Members from Rockhampton rally outside the Catholic Education office in their support for professional rates of pay
The Independent Voice
November 2009
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rs Day of Action
sional rates of pay campaign
er
TOP: Teachers in Toowoomba unanimously endorse resolutions for a fair wages deal at their meeting ABOVE: Teachers in Dalby show their support in their campaign for professional wages
ABOVE: Members from St Ursula’s Yeppoon, Peter O’Sahughnessy, Deb Walker and Maree Ogden
ABOVE: Members from St Ignatius Park in Townsville vote on resolutions at their meeting
ABOVE: QIEU Organiser Wendy Hutchinson addresses members at their meeting in Innisfail
ABOVE: Townsville members rally outside the Catholic Education Office on the afternoon of our day of action
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The Independent Voice
November 2009
Assistant General Secretary’s Report
Professional rates of pay for teachers achieved at A B Paterson College Queensland school employers in the non-government sector have continually used the excuse throughout the campaign for professional wages, that it is not affordable, possible or practical to pay wages commensurate with interstate benchmarks ahead of state sector outcomes. However, QIEU members will be interested to hear that a single-site Gold Coast school last month did exactly that. A B Paterson College is an independent, non-denominational, co-educational school from Prep to Year 12 based at Arundel on the Gold Coast. Negotiations for a replacement federal union collective agreement concluded, with an employee ballot overwhelmingly endorsing the proposal in August. Fair Work Australia has recently approved the replacement Agreement on 8 October 2009 Professional rates of pay for teachers won ‘Professional Rates of Pay for teachers’ was the first item listed for negotiation in the employee log of claims - and a key industrial and professional concern for all Queensland teachers at this time. A B Paterson College employees claimed: “Wages and salary increases should be negotiated that provide for parity with contemporary benchmarks, such that: • Graduate teachers receive at least
$53,000 per annum in their first year of service; and • A full time teacher with nine years experience receives a salary of at least $80,000 per annum in the near term…” While management refused to institutionalise the benchmarking of teacher salaries at the College to those wage rates payable interstate in the wording of the Agreement, the following percentage increases negotiated had the same result:
It was clear from all presenters who have implemented the programme that the following are essential elements for success: Quality Leadership in schools and quality teachers, to engage parents
Increasingly, education policy is being nationally-driven. The proposed National Curriculum is but one example of this. Therefore, the inherent inequity in teachers doing the same job, but remunerated differently depending on where in Australia they are doing it, is no longer tolerable.
The positive resolution of recent teacher wage negotiations at A B Paterson College shows it is possible for Queensland nongovernment school employers to pay fairly ahead of state sector outcomes.
Can Queensland non-government school employers take the lead on paying teachers professional rates of pay?
• 4.5 percent 1 April 2011
It highlights what members can achieve as a collective in negotiations for improved wages and conditions.
In dollar terms, this means that in 2011:
Why are Professional Rates of Pay for teachers important?
The fact that the majority of Queensland non-government schools’ funding comes from the federal government, whilst the majority of state schools funding comes from the state government, is the key reason why Queensland non-government school employers have the capacity to pay professional rates of pay now.
• A new graduate teacher at A B Paterson College would earn $57,048 per annum, actually placing them ahead of a similar teacher in New South Wales earning $56,830; and
The campaign for professional rates has highlighted that Queensland teachers deserve to be paid salaries commensurate with colleagues in other states.
All non-government school employers across Australia receive federal government funding based on the average cost of educating a student in an Australian school.
Teachers do complex jobs. They deal with many challenges in their classrooms and provide quality education to their students.
Non-government school employers interstate, who pay higher teacher salaries, are funded on the same formula as Queensland nongovernment schools. The difference is that a greater portion of this federal government funding is passed on to teacher salaries interstate, whereas Queensland non-government school employers are still coming to terms with this necessity.
• 5 percent 1 April 2009 • 4.5 percent 1 April 2010
• An experienced classroom teacher at A B Paterson College would earn $80,287 per annum ($4,500 behind a similar teacher in NSW); while a Senior Teacher would receive $83,744 (or $1,000 short of NSW experienced classroom teacher earnings). Pleasingly, these rates were achieved whilst also passing on the same percentage increases to all teacher classification levels.
Equity Matters: The Stronger Smarter Summit, organised by the Indigenous Education Leadership Institute of the Queensland University of Technology, highlighted the need to focus on growing a positive sense of Indigenous identity in schools, embracing Indigenous leadership, having high expectations, having innovative and dynamic school models and school staffing models.
While there was a commitment to reconvene the SBU to consider Education Queensland outcomes (once known), management also acknowledged that no reduction would occur in the event that state school teacher wage increases were less than those provided for in the Agreement.
Professional rates of pay for teachers help secure high quality education for Queensland students. We need to both attract the best and brightest to our profession and retain the wealth of experience we already have in Queensland classrooms.
In short, Queensland nongovernment schools do have the capacity to pay teachers
professional rates of pay that are fair and equitable. The emergence of a settlement in the public sector is a further step in our campaign for professional rates of pay. Our wage claims in the Catholic and Lutheran have always sought a committment to benchmark professional rates of pay. Negotiations in these sectors continue for accessible wage structures which maximise professional rates of pay. High quality education for Queensland students is worth fighting for. QIEU members will continue the campaign to ensure that the recent salary outcomes achieved for teachers at A B Paterson College become the norm.
Ros McLennan Assistant General Secretary rmclennan@qieu.asn.au
Changing the tide of low expectations of Indigenous children in schools
and community in the whole life of the school, to improve attendance at school, and ensure that students enter school ready to learn. There needs to be a strong focus on Literacy and Numeracy. The key is building strong relationships founded on respect and trust. To achieve this, leadership training is necessary as is ongoing, highly targeted professional development for all staff. Staff needs to be committed to staying the course and this means that those employing them must be
absolutely truthful about the living and working conditions that go with this work in some locations. Another critical factor in the programme is the determination to grow indigenous capacity. Many schools have their own training programmes for indigenous workers who then go on to gain formal qualifications Provision of adequate resources to cater to the specific needs of the particular community served by the school is likewise essential. Early childhood education was also highlighted as a key ingredient in
building success.
by many.
Building an environment of trust and security for the parents, carers and community elders is of paramount importance.
However, this needs to be more universally applied in both government and non-government schools.
Of particular concern for us in IEUA - QNT is the need for well targeted and fully resourced professional development plans to build competencies in working with indigenous students, their families and communities.
The Stronger Smarter Summit was held in Brisbane on Monday and Tuesday 28-29 September, 2009.
It is also vital that all our school leaders are resourced and supported effectively to implement best practice in their schools. We know that much good work is being done
The Indigenous Education Leadership Institute of the Queensland University of Technology has been renamed the Stronger Smarter Institute. Miriam Dunn IEUA-QNT Research Officer and Equity Committee member
The Independent Voice
November 2009
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Assistant General Secretary/Treasurer’s Report
Looking back and looking forward Recently I submitted my report to the Annual General Meeting of our union. In this report I referred to two aspects of our union and my particular role. The first aspect I referred to was the financial situation of our union. It was noted that the 2008/2009 budget was in surplus and that over the previous budget period we had undertaken significant projects that were provided for in our budget estimates and projections. Of high significance in the previous budget year were the 90 th Year celebrations. Throughout this past calendar year, various activities have celebrated QIEU’s (in one guise or another) ninety years under the motto – Our Profession 90 Years Union Strong. Various Independent Voice articles and member profiles have highlighted our history and our history-makers/activists. A lunch for life member members, our QIEU conference, the establishment of perpetual bursaries and the formal acknowledgement of 90 activists in our union have recognised the growth and vitality
of our collective. It was good to be able to note that at the end of the 2008/2009 budget year, we are able to acknowledge the positive state of our union both in size of membership (and we continue to grow) and in our financial situation. The 2009/2010 budget year anticipates an exciting period. In this period, it is proposed that a number of special projects/inclusions form the centrepiece of the budget. Significant and substantial resources will be directed to support industrial campaigns across all sectors to ensure that members are treated fairly, justly and equitably. As a union, we will need to be vigilant and responsive so that professional and industrial gains that have been achieved are not lost or eroded. As well, we will need to be forward thinking and proactive to ensure that working conditions and salaries for all involved in non-government education are enhanced. Emphasis will be placed upon providing training for members and in
supporting members as they work to achieve healthy, rewarding workplaces. As well, resource allocation will be directed to highlighting the professional nature of union activity with a number of conferences planned for 2010. In reporting on the past year about non-financial/non-budget matters, I reported that it has, from my perspective, been a period of growth and challenge industrially and importantly, a period of increased maturity for our members in our 90th year. As noted above, our membership has continued to grow over the past year. The growth has been across all sectors. We look forward to consolidating this growth because, at times, it is not just the strength of our argument but the argument of our strength, which achieves fair and just outcomes and conditions. Education and training of members has continued to be a focus of our union in 2009. This training and education has been about industrial issues and skill building as well as professional issues such as
professional rates of pay. There has also been a developing sense of empowerment for members as a collective. Members, as a collective, are internalising an understanding of, and belief in, the moral rightness of collective power in action. This will be consolidated in 2010. Directly coupled to this developing sense of power are the solidarity building activities that have occurred over the past twelve months. Regular involvement of members in activities such as endorsement of motions, petitions and various other types of industrial action have operationalised, in a very concrete way, the education that has been provided to our members. Of course, the stop work and other protected industrial action endorsed and undertaken by some of our members recently have been momentous.
and the way we are perceived by employers and employing authorities. As we move towards the end of 2009 our membership is more knowledgeable, engaged and more industrially “sophisticated” than it was at the beginning of 2009. It is a year we can look back upon with a sense of accomplishment. The 2009/2010 year will be one of challenges, excitement and growth for our union. Our union is made up of a diverse group of individuals who all contribute such that the amalgam is greater than the sum of its parts.
We cannot and should not underestimate the courage and sense of solidarity that these members displayed and the impact it has and will continue to have on all members
Paul Giles Assistant General Secretary/ Treasurer pgiles@qieu.asn.au
QUEENSLAND INDEPENDENT EDUCATION UNION
QIEU is a union representing over 15,000 teacher, school officer and services staff members in non-government education institutions throughout Queensland and the Northern Territory.
We would like to say...
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The position is based in Brisbane. Training will be provided to the successful candidate. Applicants should have effective reporting and communication skills. An education background will be favourably considered. A salary package dependent on qualifications and experience will be determined.
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For an Information Package, applicants may contact (07) 3839 7020 or nmorris@qieu.asn.au APPLICATIONS CLOSE 4 DECEMBER 2009 QIEU promotes a non-smoking lifestyle
^ Refinance cost waiver is limited to the following: QTCU establishment fee, Government mortgage release and registration fees, search fees and agent’s fees that are either charged by QTCU or paid for on behalf of the member by QTCU that relate to settlement of the refinance from existing financier. The refinance cost waiver does not apply to package fees for our Gold Star Premium or Teachers’ Life packages. Offer expires at start of first school term 2010 and is only available to teachers who are registered with the Queensland College of Teachers. Offer is subject to change without notice and is limited to the first 100 refinances only (excludes existing QTCU loans). A minimum balance of $200,000 per loan is required to qualify for the waiver of refinance costs. QTCU’s lending policies, conditions, fees and charges apply. Full details of the terms and conditions are available on application. Queensland Teachers’ Credit Union ABN 83 087 651 054 AFSL 241195 QTE4395IV
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The Independent Voice
November 2009
Sector Matters ELICOS sector - Kaplan Aspect: QIEU members working for Kaplan Aspect Brisbane look forward to the commencement of collective negotiations having endorsed a log of claims dealing with a number of issues including professional rates of pay for ELICOS teachers, recognition of higher education qualifications and paid parental leave.
currently have no access to paid parental leave but collective bargaining within the sector is beginning to introduce paid parental leave as the new standard.”
QIEU Lead Organiser Nick Holliday said Kaplan Aspect members in Brisbane are excited about the opportunities presented by the collective bargaining process.
Staff at Kaplan Aspect in Brisbane are looking for parity with interstate wages and conditions.
“Employees in the majority of ELICOS colleges
Employees of Kaplan Aspect interstate already enjoy the benefits of collective bargaining.
Employees in several other ELICOS colleges are engaged in collective bargaining at present, with members seeking enhanced working conditions.
Islamic schools sector: Islamic College of Brisbane The Single Bargaining Unit (SBU) at the Islamic College of Brisbane met on Wednesday 21 October.
The SBU met again on Wednesday 11 November, where the employers offered wage increases of 4.5%, 4% and 4%.
Employees presented a modest log of claims to the employers for negotiation.
As a gesture of good faith, the initial 4.5% will be paid to all employees from 1 October 2009.
They highlighted to the employer that there were a number of items that did not have financial implications such as formation of policy statements.
Employers also offered access to pro rata long service leave after seven years.
Employees also highlighted to employers they have not received a wage increase in 2009.
These are the only positive aspects of the employer response. Employees also offered a proposed clause that outlined a process
Independent Sector Shalom Christian College: Members at Shalom Christian College in Townsville have commenced negotiations for a new collective agreement to cover all employees of the college. Five QIEU members have been elected as staff representatives on the Single Bargaining Unit (SBU) at the College, and have participated in training for this important role. One of the new SBU staff representatives, Bree Denniss, said that, “extensive consultation has taken place with staff in the preparation of the Shalom Employees Log of Claims for this round of bargaining. A large number of staff participated in staff surveys and discussions around issues to be included in the negotiations.” Ms Denniss also said that, “staff have identified the need to bring pay for teaching staff into line with interstate benchmarks as a key issue to be addressed in this round of bargaining.” Staff have also identified a range of improvements in conditions to be discussed in negotiations. These include enhanced family leave provisions, recognition of prior relevant work history for both teaching and non-teaching staff, enhanced support for professional development and improved access to the qualifications allowance for school officers. Staff employed in Boarding have also identified issues for negotiation, including: workload, hours of duty, roster provisions and payment of overtime. QIEU Organiser Patrick Meikle advised that the first SBU meeting took place on 23 October 2009, with further meetings scheduled to take place before the end of the 2009 school year.
about how complaints against employers would be dealt with. Employers rejected the clauses outright saying they did not believe that an industrial agreement was the right place for such a statement. QIEU Organiser assisting with the SBU Sherryl Saunders said that employees are concerned such fundamental working rights were rejected. Negotiations will continue with further meetings to take place in the future.
PMSA schools: The three key issues PMSA employees tabled for an employer response at the 4 November 2009 Single Bargaining Unit (SBU) were wages, hours of duty and the inclusion of all employees in the 2010 PMSA Enetrprise Agreement. The employee claim for movement towards interstate outcomes was clear and the PMSA was on notice that PMSA teachers were now (2009) amongst the lowest paid teachers in private schools in Queensland. Employers offered 4% from 1 January 2010; 2% from 1 July 2010; adjustment to 2% above the state wage rate from 1 January from 2011; and to maintain 2% above the state in 2012. Employers note that this offer that begins the process of them moving towards interstate outcomes, however in the short term it leaves PMSA teachers amongst the lowest paid in Queensland. Employers note the offer’s weakness is that the increases are off a low PMSA base salary in 2009, thus making ‘catch up,’ to interstate benchmarks, a prcess which could take years. Now that the state outcome is known with teachers receiving 4.5% for 2009, the PMSA
increase of 4% leaves PMSA teachers near the bottom of the Queensland wages league table. PMSA teachers would expect to at least see a stategy that would see them move to at least parity with other like schools in the Anglican sector.Employee representatives were also disappointed at the 12% pay increase offer over three years for school officers, which is below the public sector offer. Employers also ignored employee insistence that the hours of duty that currently applies to the three Brisbane schools should form the basis of the hours of duty in the new agreement. Whilst claiming theydo not want to see anychange, employers proceeded to table a clause which would see Brisbane PMSA schools working above and beyond their current hours. Employees rejected this position and re affirmed their orginal claim. Employers also sought to increase the length of the school year in which they can direct teachers to be in the classroom to forty weeks and three days. Employers also rejected that employees other than teachers and school officers be included in the new agreement. Chapters are now meeting to consider their response and vote on resolutions relating to the employer position.
Independent Sector - Scots PGC College: Scots PGC College have almost completed negotiations for a revised federal workplace collective agreement that sees increased wages. Employers have offered wage increases of 5%, 4.5% and 4.5% over the next three years. The negotiation of this outcome is a positive step in achieving professional rates of pay for
staff. The salary offer is also trying to lift and enhance the professional status of non-teaching employees at the College. The negotiated document is now available for employee review and will hopefully go to ballot before the end of the school year. Union Enterprise Bargaining Co-
Ordinator Rob Dawson said that the negotiations, especially in regards to the professional rates of pay issue have been very positive. “The negotiations have seen a very positive reaction from employers to employee requests and we are now on the pathway of achieving professional rates of pay for teachers and nonteaching staff.”
Christian sector: Caloundra Christian College Caloundra Christian College employers continue to assume that employees will accept an inappropriate wage offer that continues to fall short of both state parity and interstate professional rates of pay throughout current negotiations. Employee Single Bargaining Unit (SBU) representatives, however, want their employer
to include in their new agreement a commitment to reconvene the SBU once wage negotiations are finalised in the state sector to set future wage and salary increases over the life of the agreement. Negotiations for a replacement collective agreement at the College continue, as further outstanding issues are still to be agreed.
The issues still to be agreed include, improved provisions around release time, Positions of Added Responsibility (PARs) and job sharing. Other issues still to be agreed include grievance procedures, paid maternity/adoption leave, and review and reclassification of school officers.
The Independent Voice
November 2009
9
Graduates prepare for career in education QIEU associate and graduate members are now better prepared for securing employment as education professionals thanks to the recent information session Strategies for seeking employment in the non-government education sector. The professional development session provided members with information and resources to assist them in preparing for a career in education. Teachers already working in the profession, representatives of Brisbane Catholic Education and QIEU officers addressed over 100 QIEU associate members. Deputy Principal at St Rita’s College and QIEU member Cathy O’Kane provided a comprehensive overview about what employers look for in a graduate. Numerous topics ranging from where to find a job, what to include in a resume, and appropriate dress and conduct in a job interview was also covered. Cathy also spoke on supply teaching including advice on how to find supply work and how they can use this as a stepping stone to more permanent employment. Brisbane Catholic Education’s Ray Ashford and Mary McNeill were also on hand to explain how to specifically apply for employment within BCE schools in Queensland. QIEU Membership Development Officer Rebecca Sisson spoke to members about where to find employment in the non-government sector, including specific job websites to help find the right position at the right school. QIEU Organiser Nick Holliday was also on hand to discuss the importance of being a QIEU member to ensure that they had appropriate support and assistance. The session concluded with presentations by second year teachers and QIEU members Danika Ehlers and Melissa Favero.
ABOVE: St Rita’s College graduate teacher Melissa Favero presents on what QIEU associate members should expect in their first year of their career, offering tips and advice during the ‘Strategies for seeking employment in the non-government sector’ information session
Danika spoke to members about her experiences as a graduate teacher covering topics such as lesson planning, classroom set up and interacting with students. Melissa provided comprehensive information that helped her secure a teaching position at St Rita’s College, including providing a portfolio of her prac work, which members were eager to view after the session concluded. All attendees were provided with information packs to assist them in finding employment and help them become better educated about the profession. QIEU are hopeful further sessions will occur in 2010.
ABOVE: QIEU associate members listen to the presenters to help prepare them for securing graduate employment
What did you learn from attending the information session? “Identifying your skills and abilities in relation to a particular school is important.” QIEU Associate member Emma McLaren (left) ABOVE: Deputy Principal of St Rita’s College, Cathy O’Kane, addresses the audience
ABOVE: Danika Elhers of Chisholm Catholic College retells her experiences in her first year of teaching
“Learning about USP (unique selling point) - it has changed my perspective on how to market my professional identification.” QIEU Associate member Amy Duncan (right) ABOVE: St Rita’s College graduate teacher Melissa Favero shows her portfolio to associate members during the session
10
The Independent Voice
November 2009
Early Childhood Education Enterprise Bargaining - C&K
Enterprise Bargaining - ACSEA
The Crèche and Kindergarten Association readily entered into negotiations for a new Agreement covering Branch Centre employees. At the time of writing, the proposed Agreement was subject to a ballot of C&K employees.
With the assistance of the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission, the negotiations with the Australian Community Services Employers Association (ACSEA) finally appeared to have reached a position where a proposed Agreement can be provided to employees for consideration.
If approved by employees the C&K Agreement will provide for: • A commitment to wage outcomes which will match those applying to Education Queensland teachers, subject to DECKAS funding. (In the absence of increased DECKAS funding the wage increases will be 4% from 1 July 2009 and 4% from 1 July 2010.) • Additional allowances and “emergent leave” for employees who work in remote locations. (This provision is also subject to DECKAS funding.) • A pupil free day each term for programming and all administration tasks. • A commitment to accept a review of wage rates for assistants conducted by either Fair Work Australia or the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission. • A commitment to provide 3 hours clerical assistance per week for each Centre to alleviate the Director’s workload. • The Agreement clarifies the entitlements of employees who may be employed in 2 classifications. The Crèche and Kindergarten Association has been part of a joint approach to the Queensland government seeking to maintain the comparability of wage rates between Education Queensland and community kindergartens.
The primary focus of your union was to both protect existing conditions for teachers (specifically hours of work) and assistants (payment for 52 weeks). In addition the continued comparability of wages (subject to DECKAS funding) was sought. The ACSEA has agreed to continue negotiations during 2010 in relation to: • Comparability of wages with Education Queensland; • Review of wage rates for assistants; • Remote area incentive arrangements; • Portability of entitlements; • Redundancy provisions; • Paid maternity leave; • Pupil free days; and • Contact time. The Agreement proposed with ACSEA will contain specific provisions protecting both the hours of work for teachers and the payment for the full calendar year for assistants. It is pleasing that, after a very frustrating process, an Agreement can now be provided to employees for consideration.
Members gather for Central Queensland Branch annual dinner On Wednesday night 11 November 2009, members from the Central Queensland Branch came together for their annual dinner where a significant update was provided on the current professional rates of pay campaign. Complimenting this update, life member Kerrod Bendall spoke on the importance of union involvement and advances that had been made in the nongovernment schools sector over the years as a result of collective bargaining. Members appreciated Kerrod’s speech as it helped focus their attention on the matters at hand in their campaign for professional rates of pay. Members also celebrated Jessica Lawless-Pyne being awarded the Ruth George Award School Officers Award as she was unable to make it to Brisbane for the presentation at the annual AGM. (Please see pages 12 and 13 for more information about Jessica’s win and for stories about other recipients). QIEU member Bill Grieves from St Brendan’s who was nominated for the John (Max) McDermott Award was presented with his certificate of nomination. QIEU Organiser Richard Pascoe said Bill is to be congratulated for his nomination.
Queensland Independent Education Union of Employees
“Bill is a tireless promoter of the importance of union activism and leads by example. Bill deserves this nomination for his determination to support issues that impact the teaching profession.”
Election of casual & unfilled vacancies
Election Notice The Queensland Industrial Registrar has issued a Decision, pursuant to the Industrial Relations Act 1999, that the Electoral Commission of Queensland conduct an election for positions of office within the Queensland Independent Education Union of Employees.
Office
No. of Positions
General Member of Council ............................................................ 2 Branch Network Co-ordinator ........................................................ 1* Branch Organising/Campaigning Co-ordinator ................................ 1# *from each of the following Branches: Bayside, Moreton, North Metropolitan, Principals. #
from each of the following Branches: Moreton, North Metropolitan, Principals.
Nominations close at 5.00 p.m. on Monday, 7 December 2009
Queensland Independent Education Union of Employees
Cheryl Moss from St Ursula’s who was nominated for the Elizabeth McCall Award was also presented with her certificate of nomination.
Nomination Form Nominations close at 5 p.m. on Monday, 7 December 2009.
Richard Pascoe said Cheryl’s nomination is a testament to her pursuit of union values.
We the undersigned financial members of the Queensland Independent Education Union of Employees from (Branch name)
Nominations open at 9.00 a.m. on Monday, 16 November 2009. No person may be Branch, hereby nominate Member No: Ms/Mr/Other: Courtesy Title (Optional) nominated unless that person has been a financial member of the Union for at least twelve (12) months immediately preceding the date of closure for nominations. Nominations must be in writing and reach the Electoral Commission of Queensland (Print the full name of the person you are nominating) no later than 5.00 p.m. on Monday, 7 December 2009. Nominations for General Member of Council shall be signed by two (2) financial employed at members of the Union and by the candidate.
“Cheryl is an outstanding contributor to her chapter and her branch. Cheryl always stands up in support of her colleagues in the quest for what is right and just.” Members were able to use this time to effectively network and discuss issues as all sectors in Rockhampton were represented at the evening.
(Name of school)
Nominations for Branch Network Co-ordinator and Branch Organising/Campaigning Co-ordinator shall be signed by two (2) financial members of the relevant Branch and for the position of : (Show the Branch name (if Branch position) and position title in full - see Election Notice) by the candidate who shall also be a member of the relevant Branch. A nomination form suitable for use in this election is printed with this notice. Nominations forms are also available from your Union’s office, the Electoral Commission of Queensland and the Commission’s website: www.ecq.qld.gov.au. Any form of nomination which complies with the Union’s rules is acceptable.
Full Name
Signature
School
Prospective candidates and their nominators should confirm their financial status and other qualifications required by the Union.
Candidates Statements Candidates may lodge a statement on an A4 sheet of paper including their name and other details: e.g. their credentials, policies, union activity, views and work history. Statements should reach the Commission by the close of nominations. Statements will be reproduced and distributed with ballot materials.
Ballot
Consent to Nomination
A secret postal ballot of eligible members will be conducted should any position attract more nominations than positions available. Postal ballots will open on Monday, a finan1 February 2010 and close at 5.00 p.m. on Friday, 19 February 2010. Eligible members And I, (Show your name as it is to appear on the ballot paper) are those members who were financial on 22 September 2009, being forty (40) days before the opening date for nominations. Ballots are decided using a first-past-the- cial member of the Queensland Independent Education Union of Employees from post voting system. Branch, do hereby agree (Branch name - if Branch position) The positions of General Member of Council are to be elected by eligible members of the Union. The positions of Branch Representative Member of Council, Branch Network Co-ordinator and Branch Organising/Campaigning Co-ordinator are to be elected by to be nominated and to act if elected. eligible members of the relevant Branch. The rolls are prepared within seven (7) days of the opening of nominations. Members should advise the Union of any change Signature: Date: relating to their membership details. Address: Postcode
JOHN JANSSEN-GROESBEEK Telephone: (Home) Returning Officer 16 October 2009 Facsimile:
(Business) E-mail:
ELECTORAL COMMISSION of QUEENSLAND Level 6 160 Mary Street, Brisbane, Qld. Postal Address GPO Box 1393 BRISBANE QLD 4001 Telephone 1300 881 665 or (07) 3035 8034 Facsimile (07) 3221 5387 www.ecq.qld.gov.au
ABOVE: Bill Grieves receives his nomination certificate from QIEU Organiser Richard Pascoe BELOW: Cheryl Moss is awarded her nomination certificate
The Independent Voice
November 2009
Independent Education Union of Australia Queensland and Northern Territory Branch
Queensland Division Vacancy Election
ELECTION NOTICE
11
All Hallows Chapter celebrate their 100th teacher member The All Hallows School Chapter recently celebrated by honouring their 100th member Kara O’Neill, a teacher who joined in 2006 and their 100th teacher member, Kylie Moore who joined last month.
Workplace Relations Act 1996
All Hallows Chapter Executive member and QIEU Council member Michael Moy said it was important to recognise the activism of the Chapter members especially as QIEU has also been celebrating its 90th anniversary.
Nominations are called for: Queensland Division Branch Executive Members from the Queensland Division (2) Written nominations, which comply with the Rules of the Organisation, may be made at any time from Friday 20 November 2009 and must reach me not later than 4.00 pm Monday, 14 December 2009. Nominations cannot be withdrawn after that time. Candidates may submit statements not later than 4.00 pm on Monday, 14 December 2009, for distribution with ballot papers, in accordance with IEUA Branch Rule 10.9. A statement must not exceed 200 words and contain only the candidate’s personal history and/or policy statement and a passport-sized photograph of the candidate. Nomination forms are available on request from the Returning Officer or the Branch Office of the Union. The use of these forms is not compulsory provided that nominations comply with the rules.
HOW TO LODGE NOMINATIONS By Post: GPO Box 2590 Brisbane QLD 4001 By Fax: 3832 4727 By Hand: Australian Electoral Commission, 488 Queen Street Brisbane QLD 4000 A postal ballot of Queensland Division Members, if required, will open on Friday 22 January 2010 and close at 12 noon on Monday 15 February 2010. Ballot material will be posted to the member’s address shown in the Union records. Changed Address? Advise the Union now.
“In 2006 we reached 100 members when Kara joined our Chapter, but we did not get around to celebrating this achievement,” Michael said. “However, in October when Kylie became our 100th teacher member, we thought, in light of our union’s 90 years of achievement and having many meetings to discuss our collective bargaining negotiations, what better way to celebrate our Chapter.” Kara and Kylie both joined QIEU because they believe what members can achieve when they stand together as a collective. “I joined our union because I strongly believe in the power of the collective voice to right injustice in the workplace when the need arises,” Kylie said. “I am a member of QIEU because I like to have a professional voice and support when and if I need it,” Kara added. Kara and Kylie were both awarded with a framed certificate. The awards were presented by retired All Hallows School Chapter Representative and past Elizabeth McCall awardee, Carradine Lucas.
Note: A copy of the AEC’s election report can be obtained from the organisation or from me after the completion of the election. Gayle Scott Returning Officer
Tel: (07) 3834 3464
20 November 2009
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ABOVE: Kara O’Neill, Carradine Lucas and Kylie Moore
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12
The Independent Voice
November 2009
QIEU honours achievers John (Max) MacDermott Award - Jacquie Boyle Jacquie Boyle of Unity College, Caloundra, has been recognised for her energetic and considered union activism with the awarding of the John (Max) MacDermott Award for 2009.
Coordinator, Jacquie makes herself available to advise members on any issue or concern and she keeps up to date with the knowledge necessary to provide this vital support within her community.
“Jacquie has great courage and tenacity as well as a determination to stand up and pursue important issues while also encouraging others to do likewise,”wrote SueLobegeiger, the Staff Representative at Unity College.
Jacquie’s teaching experience includes working in the poorest and most violent parts of South Auckland in New Zealand. During her employment there she was a strong advocate for Long Service Leave for teachers.
Sue also stated that “Jacquie leads by example in promoting member action and involvement in Chapter and Branch activities. She is always the first to volunteer her time and organise meetings, morning teas, and information sharing sessions and speaking to the media in the interests of promoting our union and members’ rights and conditions.” Despite her heavy workload as a teacher and Year Level
On returning to Australia Jacquie said she was “stunned to see the widening gap between the wages of Queensland teachers and our colleagues in other states.”
important job of representing the best interests of Queensland teachers.” The John (Max) MacDermott Award was established to recognise the outstanding contribution to union activism of this highly respected teacher at Mercy College, Mackay. As a union activist and staff representative Max was tireless in ensuring that members were accorded due process and that issues of concern to members were properly and appropriately represented.
Jacquie is a passionate advocate for professional rates of pay. Because of her enthusiasm for this cause and her non-confrontational approach to all she undertakes, membership at her College has increased significantly. Jacquie says she is committed “to continue our very, very
Jessica Awarded Ruth George School Officers Award
Pat wins the Elizabeth McCall Award The Elizabeth McCall Award for 2009 has been awarded to Pat David of Calvary Christian College, Loganholme, in recognition of her unequivocal support for union values. Pat was presented with her award by Mark McCall (pictured with Pat below). In her nomination, Jessica Prouten the Chapter Representative at the College said, “Pat is a tireless campaigner for justice. She gives a voice to both staff and students who are marginalised and seeks to promote understanding within the community.”
Jessica Lawless-Pyne has been recognised for her leadership and example with the awarding of the Ruth George School Officer Award for 2008. A Teacher Aide working with students with special needs at Emmaus College, North Rockhampton, Jessica has demonstrated by example and encouragement the importance of building a stronger union collective among her colleagues.
The Elizabeth McCall Award was established to honour inspirational QIEU member and activist Elizabeth McCall who died as a result of a tragic accident in 2006. This award recognises those who demonstrate a fundamental commitment to the principles of unionism and in particular give expression to the pursuit of social justice in our schools and community.
Pat has been union representative at her school for many years (prior to 2009). She has fought for improved standards for teachers and is also consulted when staff experience industrial matters requiring assistance. Her demonstration of the value of union solidarity is an inspiration to all with whom she has contact. Pat is a tireless campaigner for social justice. She runs a school chapter of Amnesty International and seeks to educate students about
The Innagural John Nash Bursary Award To celebrate the 90th anniversary of our union’s origins, it has been determined that up to four general education bursaries will be awarded annually. The John Nash Bursary will be awarded to the outstanding applicant.
Jessica accepts the Ruth George Award in recognition of her leadership and union activism from QIEU Organiser Richard Pascoe
responsible citizenship.
John James Nash (1947-2006) was an extraordinary man who played a significant role in our union. Having played an important part in building our capacity as a union in the 1980s, John ensured the continued strength of the Chapter at St Laurence’s College, Brisbane, by educating and inspiring new staff to become active in our union. These awards were established to benefit the relatives of current or past QIEU members. Those who had the privilege to teach beside him were always impressed by his commitment to his profession. John was especially concerned about the less gifted, the non-conformist, and the struggler. He always rejoiced in their success and never condemned them for any shortcomings.
Jessica has participated in the Industrial Relations in the Workplace course conducted by QIEU and has been diligent in passing her knowledge and understanding on to her fellow school officers. She has actively engaged potential members about joining our union and the benefits of belonging. As a result school officer membership has grown.
John was an outstanding teacherprofessional and teacher-unionist. This year’s recipients received their bursaries at the Annual General Meeting on 30 th October. They are: Karen Capper and Tracey Sheppard for the general education bursaries and Cenly Wong for the John James Nash Bursary. Chris Nash, John’s son, presented the cheque to Cenly Wong, and encouraged all those being awarded bursaries to keep his father in mind as they follow their calling in life. He said, “It is the hope of the Nash and Egan families that this bursary will aid a worthy person in becoming an inspiring teacher. We believe that this is a very fitting way for everyone to continue to remember John Nash.”
Jessica has been an articulate and strong advocate for the industrial rights of her colleagues and a friendly and supportive colleague for those who have needed her support. This willingness to put the needs of others first has won her the respect of all with whom she works. Jessica’s enthusiasm as a union member and her commitment to seeing our union being identified as the voice of school officers has ensured strong representation of school officer issues. The Ruth George Award honours the memory of Ruth George who, along with her union colleagues, played a key role in re-establishing the provisions in the award covering non-government school assistant mistresses in the mid 1930’s following the removal of conditions by the then industrial tribunal as part of the now discredited response to the Great Depression.
Cenly Wong is presented with the John Nash Bursary Award by (from left) John Nash, Noreen Nash and Paul Rolls
Tracey Sheppard accepts her educational bursary
The Independent Voice
November 2009
13
th
in 90 anniversary year Congratulating our Life Members Barbarina MacKenzie and Dick Sherman Barbarina MacKenzie and Richard Shearman were awarded Life Membership at the QIEU Annual General Meeting. Barbarina MacKenzie Life membership was conferred on long term union activist, Barbarina MacKenzie in recognition of her outstanding contribution to building union strength over nearly two decades of union activism. Barb joined QIEU in 1991, one of the first School Officers to do so after our union gained coverage of this area. From this time onwards she committed herself to ensuring that the voices of school officers were strong within the collective and the workplace. Barb said that her involvement was motivated by a strong sense of social justice, and that when School Officers were finally granted the same rights as teachers to membership of our
union she felt it “was important that we took on equal responsibilities and did our bit for our union.” “Barb was fundamental in establishing the Bayside School Officers network and encouraging school officer members to become QIEU members active in the school officer campaign for school officer classification,” said Christine Cooper, Assistant General Secretary of the Independent Education Union of Australia and former Bayside Branch organiser. Barb is only the second School Officer to receive this high honour in our union. Richard (Dick) Shearman Dick joined QATIS (The name changed to QIEU in 1997 to reflect the broader membership) in 1976 when he was a teacher at Mt Carmel College at Wynnum. Clearly he very quickly became involved in union activity as he was elected to Union Council for the 1979/80 term and was then elected to the position of Vice President.
He served as President between 1980 and 1982 and then became Assistant Secretary/Organiser on a full time basis within our union. In 1985 he took up a position as Officer Assisting the General Secretary for the Independent Teachers Association in New South Wales and subsequently, General Secretary. In 1991 Dick became Federal President of the ITFA which later became the Independent Education Union of Australia and he has served all the IEU Branches throughout the nation since then. From the outset of his career Dick understood that while teachers go to work to be paid, there is a great deal more to be considered. “Teachers need to believe in what they do: they need to enjoy it,” he said. He believes strongly that a just workplace is one where teachers (and indeed all employees) have as much right to be part of the running of the school as employers. His vision for schools sees a situation where employers, employees
and their union work in partnership to achieve the best outcomes for all. At the heart of this vision is the notion of the respect and dignity that should be granted to education professionals. Dick has devoted a great deal of his
life’s work to our union, and has always been very member centred in his approach to all aspects of union activity. He is a most worthy recipient of Life Membership of our union and most respected member.
Erin recognised with Emma Miller Award
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Marian Catholic School teacher and QIEU member Erin Fuller has been honoured with a nomination for the 2009 Emma Miller Award. The Emma Miller Awards were established by the Queensland Council of Unions (QCU) to recognise women who have made a significant contribution as an activist in their union. Emma Miller was a leading activist who did much to argue in Queensland for women’s social, political and economic rights. The Townsville teacher’s passion for our union began in her final year of university, and eight years later her commitment has not waned, as evidenced by her integral involvement as Branch Network Coordinator, school staff representative, SBU representative for the Diocesan group and QIEU representative on QCU. Erin said her inspiration to become an active union member was a natural progression from her union family background. “Being an active member enables everyone to have a say in their profession, making sure they are getting the best working conditions possible”. Erin’s current commitment to the professional rates of pay campaign has seen her strongly advocating for union members by taking their feedback to the employers, as well as scheduling in time to provide support for colleagues in the QTU. This absolute commitment to our
union further highlights Erin’s deserved nomination for this award. “I am very proud of my nomination because it recognises the input women have into our union and to be nominated for an award after someone who was committed to improving the rights of workers in QLD, particularly women, is very humbling.” In true Emma Miller spirit , Erin said: “rights at work are defended regardless of whether you are full time, part time or casual. Our union is concerned with many social and cultural aspects that affect workers and the financial obligation to our union is minimal in comparison to the gains we have made and will continue to make as a collective.” The Emma Miller Awards and dinner on 13 November was hosted by QCU as a tribute to the pioneering spirit of this woman.
14
The Independent Voice
November 2009
Looking back on the history of our union: Moments contribute to genesis of the teaching profession At our 90 th Anniversary Conference in March, Associate Professor Malcolm Vick guided us through significant moments in the genesis of the teaching profession and teaching unions. As we come to the end of this year in which we celebrate 90 years of union strength, it is an opportunity to reflect on where our union has come from, what we have achieved over the years and how this history might inform the future. Malcolm’s “moments” are worth reconsidering. Moment 1: The 1850s saw the “birth of the profession: [the] formation of the modern teacher” where ‘Schoolkeeping’ was seen as “the last resort of unprotected females and broken down tradesmen.” This was the time of mass elementary secular school systems which facilitated the creation of a visible body of teachers – a profession. It was at this time that Teachers’ Associations first appeared to address both industrial and professional concerns. Moment 2: The early 1900s saw the independent (secondary) sector “become visible.” As we know, this is when the Assistant Masters’ Association and the Assistant Mistresses’ Association were formed. Also at this time the independent sector came under regulation heralding the demise of the private venture schools. Teachers’ Colleges came into being at this time and the profession become more respected within the community. However, because the profession was feminised, it was often seen as weak and politically quiescent. Moment 3: The 1960–1970s witnessed substantial growth and differentiation of the independent sector. Formal teacher education was becoming universal and more extended elevating the significance and impact of the science of education. There was a continued strong role played by our predecessors
in addressing both industrial and professional concerns. Moment 4: The turn of the century saw the emergence of integrated national educational frameworks and the rise of professional self regulation regimes and, significantly, the reinstatement of education as a priority. What we can see from this is the growth in significance of education in our society and hence the growth in the significance of the professional educator to the national well being. It is clear when we look at our history that QIEU and its antecedents have played a significant part in elevating the status of the profession and in ensuring high quality outcomes for our students. In the early minutes of the Assistant Mistresses’ Association there is reference to both the Masters and Mistresses calling for professional registration of qualified teachers. It took time, but the persistent efforts of many women and men, along with the growing recognition of the importance of education to both the individual and the broader community, finally saw their dream become a reality. In 1971 Queensland was the first state to establish a system of registration for teachers in both public and private schools. Registration became mandatory in 1975.
concerned with education matters such as setting of examination papers, representation on the Board of Public Examinations and the selection of set texts for study. Our union has always worked hard to meet the needs of those beyond the South East corner of the state. The Assistant Masters’ Association started the practice of members of the executive travelling to regional centres to hear the voices of those who could not attend meetings in Brisbane. The Assistant Mistresses’ did the same the following year. We must remember that travel was not as affordable then as it is now and not as convenient either. However, these men and women devoted their holidays to attending to the concerns of their members as best they could. The establishment of regional
Moreover, through our federal union the Independent Education Union of Australia (IEUA), the joining together of the Queensland and Northern Territory Branches has facilitated a better resourced network for our members in the Northern Territory. There has always been and will always be the parallel interest by our members in maintaining fair and just working conditions and ensuring the highest possible standards of education for the students in our care. On the industrial side of our interests there has been evidence from the outset of our belief in the principle of professional rates of pay. For many years the women in our profession worked hard for a percentage of the pay earned by the male colleagues. For many years women had to resign when they married. Both these injustices were fought against and ultimately the wrong was undone. It has always been the case that when such challenging issues are raised, there are those who claim that it will lead to the downfall of our schools, the suffering of our students and that our schools cannot afford the financial impost of the change. Yet still our sector thrives and over the years has grown.
Our members The rules of have from the the Masters earliest years and Mistresses’ been concerned to Associations ensured continue to expand that members were their professional suitably qualified. In a list of members and ABOVE: Associate Professor Malcolm Vick guides QIEU through the significant knowledge, skills their qualifications moments in the genesis of the teaching profession and teaching unions, at the 90th and competencies. and experience from Anniversary Conference in March In the very early the minutes of the Mistresses’ Association in 1921, branches went a long way to years guest speakers attended we see that while some members ensuring that all members had an meetings to expound upon current had matriculation as their highest opportunity for timely input into matters of concern and members qualification, the vast majority had the decisions of their union. And themselves shared the product of Bachelor degrees from universities so in time, as our union grew, it their professional reading with their in Australia. became possible to finance the colleagues at various meetings of establishment of regional offices, the Associations. We also learn from the minutes first in Townsville and then in By the late 1960s, when the that both Associations were deeply Bundaberg.
Our Profession - 90 Years Union Strong
processes for amalgamating the Masters and Mistresses’ Associations were starting to come together, the first Education Conference was planned for May 1970. This three day event covered the following topics: “Adolescent Development”; “Curriculum Development”; “Measurement and Assessment”; “Remedial Teaching”; and “Atypical Children in General”, including information about dyslexic and autistic children. It was an impressive programme of professional learning and discussion and was very well attended, demonstrating the long-standing commitment to professional learning of our union. We continue this interest and our concern now is to ensure that every teacher in every location should be provided with access to meaningful professional learning. As we have looked back over the work of those who have gone before us, it is clear that the issues have not changed; teachers are concerned with delivering the highest quality curriculum in the best possible manner. They are concerned to meet the learning needs of every student who comes under their care and they will fight hard to ensure that students are given every opportunity to do their best. They are also concerned to be treated with dignity and respect. Part of the respect is ensuring rates of pay that are comparable with other teachers in Australia and that working conditions reflect the prestige that should attach to a profession upon which the country so depends. We have shown great strength in the past and no doubt this will continue into the future. Looking to our history should give us the confidence to pursue our goals with the utmost energy and enthusiasm, not just for ourselves but for our students and communities.
The Independent Voice
November 2009
15
Honouring those who shaped QIEU Former QATIS Vice-President
Bronwyn Gartside Bronwyn Gartside’s involvement in our union began as a humble staff representative at Queen of Apostles Primary School. When Bronwyn saw a need for an improved focus on primary school professional issues she decided to become more active in our union. Joining the Education Committee, being elected on Council and later becoming Vice-President of the then QATIS, Bronwyn’s dedication and activism has helped shape what our union has become today. In the 90th anniversary year of our union, Bronwyn Gartside tells of her personal experiences and growth within our union over the years. In search of relief from the cold Darling Downs winters of the early seventies, I resigned from teaching in the State Education Department and applied (unsuccessfully) for jobs in the tourism industry. When I received a Christmas card from a school friend in Cairns, I sent off an application for a teaching job in the far north and was very pleased to be employed at a small Catholic primary school
just south of Cairns. It was the most wonderful year, filled with weekends of swimming, dining and nightclubbing and developing a great friendship with the other lay teacher whom I drove to Gordonvale with every day. A colleague suggested we join our union so that North Queensland might have a voice in the newly amalgamated association - the Assistant Masters and the Assistant Mistresses had recently joined to form QATIS. Great year though it was up there, I was happy to return to Brisbane the following year where I taught at Queen of Apostles Primary School at Stafford. The Union Rep there soon recruited me to take over from her and I was Union Rep until I left Cath Ed in 1986. I am an activist, the daughter of parents who always believed that the world could be made better by the actions of its people. QATIS had a very small number of staff in those days - the General Secretary and a Personal Assistant, so its professional and industrial capacity was quite limited. To me there didn’t seem to be much focus on primary school professional issues, so I joined the Education Committee and listened politely to many discussions on the new system of scoring students for
tertiary entrance, for Queensland had not long abandoned public exams in favour of school-based assessment. The announcement of the Ahern Inquiry into Education in Queensland in 1977 meant that our union had to focus more intently on professional issues across both the primary and secondary sectors, so my interest and involvement soon grew. QATIS Council members had mostly been from the secondary sector, having been the Masters and the Mistresses in independent schools. But the huge increase in numbers of lay staff in Catholic schools during this period meant that industrial and professional issues of these teachers became quite urgent. By this time I’d nominated myself for Council, unaware that a team of teachers from Catholic schools in southeast Queensland had also decided to nominate at the same election. Many of us were elected and we all worked very hard to move QATIS forward. It was exciting to be part of a group of reformers; I was on many committees as well as Council, along with teaching full time and studying part time. By 1978 QATIS was ready to make
its submission to the Ahern Inquiry and I proudly helped present our union’s submission; two years later I helped present our union’s case for maternity leave to the Industrial Commission. I was a delegate to the national association, ITFA’s Council for two years, I represented QATIS at Queensland’s Primary Curriculum Committee meetings and I was a Vice-President of QATIS for two years. To me it was an achievement to see primary school issues gain equal importance with secondary during my time of union activism – it was inevitable that they would, but I am proud to have worked hard with so many others to have made the great achievements of QATIS’s first decade. The establishment of QATIS’s Working Rights of Women Committee and being its initial Chair is also one of the highlights of this time. Our first conference attracted delegates from all over the state and beyond and we were very pleased to have some of our male
colleagues do the babysitting for some of the lead-up meetings! Much was done during these early years to improve the position of women in schools and to counter sexism in education. Lastly, but not least, all this fervent union activity was conducted in the personal context of a developing relationship with Tim Quinn, QATIS Organiser from 1978 to 1981. It was not difficult for me to front up several nights a week for meetings at the office in St Paul’s Terrace if it meant I would spend some time with Tim afterwards. We met through our shared interest in workers’ rights, we made a difference and we have enjoyed a loving and successful life partnership of more than thirty years.
Reflections on my time with QATIS 30 years ago - Tim Quinn I was involved with QATIS (as our union was then known) in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was a very exciting time of change as people were building the modern foundations of the very successful organisation which exists today. A reforming group of Councillors was elected in 1977 with a commitment to a stronger industrial presence, greater professional support for teachers in all the non-government school sectors and the building of a stronger organisation through increased membership and participation. In this context, I left my teaching position and began work as our union’s first Assistant Secretary/Organiser. My four years in that role were extremely interesting and a
most valuable experience but also requiring a high level of work commitment and long hours from the honorary officials and the small staff alike as resources were very limited. My main responsibilities were to visit all the non-government schools throughout the state on a regular basis, to develop local Branches and Sub-Branches and to assist the General Secretary, especially with teacher professional development policies and industrial issues as they arose. I was very fortunate to work with a number of incredibly dedicated teachers who were also honorary officials of our union and also with three legendary General Secretaries in Colin Bevan, Pat Hallinan and Peter O’Brien. All these people were great friends from whom I learned a lot. My strongest memories are of driving to Central and North
Queensland for six weeks at a time to visit schools in our union’s Falcon station wagon loaded with promotional brochures and materials. Many long enduring friendships were forged during those years. Less positive are memories of unjust dismissals of teachers which happened in those years, sometimes resulting from little more than personality differences or personal preferences and prejudices. Our union contested those dismissals vigorously. I learned many skills during my time at QATIS, not least of all a strong sense of direction and how to get to several hundred non-government schools throughout the state. This sense of suburban geography came in very handy later during my 18 years as a Brisbane City Councillor, most of them as Chair of Planning and Development land use.
For me the lasting personal legacy from those days has been threefold. Firstly, a confirmed view about the value of education as a powerful means of individual personal development especially for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and as a vehicle for social justice generally. Secondly, an ongoing belief in the vital importance of unions to working and professional people,
a belief surely confirmed for us all by the major industrial relations struggles by workers and their unions over the last decade. And finally it was through QATIS that I met my wife Bronwyn. She was a very dedicated Staff Rep and union Councillor and the smartest, most attractive person around. As she continues to be.
ABOVE: Former union activists Tim Quinn and Bronwyn Gartside
Our Profession - 90 Years Union Strong
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The Independent Voice
November 2009
2009 Literary Awards highlight skills of young writers Winners of the 2009 QIEU, English Teachers’ Association of Queensland (ETAQ) and James Cook University Literary Competition were presented with their awards at a ceremony at The Bardon Centre on 14 October. The competition gives students and teachers throughout the state an opportunity to practise their skills and be recognised and rewarded for their talents. The competition also celebrated its 50th year. This year, 62 students and teachers from both government and non-government schools were acknowledged for their outstanding literary works. Those entering this year’s competition could submit either a short story and/or poetry piece, while students in Years 11 and 12 could also enter a work of nonfiction prose. A new teachers short story category was also introduced for the first time. The competition was judged by members of ETAQ and James Cook University and the winning entrants were presented with their awards by ETAQ Vice President Lindsay Williams and guest presenter author Jo Hinchliffe (below). With the competition celebrating its 50th year, the ceremony was attended by students, families and members of the school communities from throughout Queensland.
me, beckoning for me to open it and I cant resist. I slowly confront the door, raising my hand to the knob and turn it, revealing the room slightly as I push.
Section D: Short Story - Years 6 & 7
“Suddenly, I Am Alone” Suddenly I am alone.
The room is completely empty: empty except for a small glass table situated in the middle of the room.
If only I knew why I am here I wouldn’t be. I wouldn’t be alone in the dark, to face my worst fears. There is nothing, not a whisper, not a voice, nothing! The only signs of life are the swirling curtains made to move by the soft blowing wind – but from no window, because only a brick wall lies on the other side – and my lost footsteps wandering down the halls.
The table is ordinary: nothing special, but what is on it is what is catching my eye. A large, black book bound by silk with a torn cover lies flat on its face. I hurry over to it. I begin to turn the first page, but is is blank. I turn to the next, but instead of writing, as in a book, there are pictures, and titles like they have been cut out of a news article:
I search helplessly through the halls of this dead house: this personal hell. Door after door, I hope for escape from this place, but all doors remain shut, for all that all lies behind them is nothing, but more brick wall. This house is dead: the walls are horribly cracked and disfigured: the doors are old and groan in protest when I open them and the floors are covered with a thick layer of dust that explodes when I through them.
‘Murder in an Alleyway.’ ‘Police Can’t Catch Murderer.’ ‘Young Lady Blamed.’ ‘Young Man Shot.’
I scream, but nobody listens. For years I have gone without food and something to quench my thirst, yet I survive. I talk to someone who is not there, but what is even more terrifying is that the voices – which are owned by nobody – fall back. I slowly drive myself insane. I see pictures of people I don’t remember meeting, but flash away before I can remember them in my past. I hear cries and pleads all echoing through the halls. They get louder and louder as I approach, but as always as I turn the last corner, I come to a dead end. The cries cease and the pleads are silenced. I just turn and walk away, again by myself. Alone!
The pictures are of someone, but I soon realise this person, this young man is me. ME. I died. My unmoving body lies on the floor: pictures of my body scattered all over the page: my funeral attended by only one person – a girl. A GIRL! The girl from my memories: she is the key. It’s her voice I’ve been hearing the whole time. I know who she is … She’s … I am unable to finish, for unseen hands pull me backwards down into the darkness. I’m left alone again. This is where I was sent. This is where I belong. This really is my personal hell. Suddenly I was alone alone.
Hours seem to pass, to me, but they are probably seconds to the rest of the world. I begin to think of my past – before I was sent to this hell – but the visions are fragmented. I see an alley way. I’m walking slowly but I’m not alone, someone’s with me but I’m unsure who. Their voice is drowned out. Someone emerges from the shadow: a man, I assume: his face shrouded in darkness, the voice screams and my eyes flutter open and my moment of peace is disturbed. Yet again voices invade my mind driving me insane. I follow the voices deeper and deeper into the house: I start to realise things I have never noticed before: broken windows with blocks of wood covering them. Outside I see snow falling slowly down to earth, locked doors, tables and chairs. I approach the last corner, where I know the sounds will end. As I turn, the voices stop as usual but this time, something is different: no dead end lies before me, but a door. It’s handle coated in gold, with gold hinges and lock. Well one thing’s for sure, I am crazy: first voices with no owners, but now the door seems to be calling
by Gaberiell MacMinn, Northgate State School
Section D: Poem - Years 6 & 7 LEFT-QIEU President Andrew Elphinstone and ETAQ President Garry Collins cutting the 50th Anniversary Literary Awards cake
BELOW:Section D: Poem -Years 6 & & winners Jessica Regtien, Bindi Nguyen and Caitlin MacDonald
Oh Banjo, I Understand I felt the brown soundless dust falling through my fingertips. I smelt the intense fragrance of the dull green eucalyptus leaves. I heard the murmur of the breezes as they whispered together in voices from the past. I tasted the fresh cool air as it mingled with the fading smoke from the campfire. I saw the faint ripples in the billabong as they raced to the bank where I stood. I walked in your footsteps. I saw the rich red plains. I breathed the ancient outback dust. Oh Banjo, I understand.
by Jessica Regtien, A B Paterson College
The Independent Voice
November 2009
Section C: Short Story - Year 8
Heart of Stone Rain sunk through the man’s cardboard roof, dripping onto his sleeping face with a hollow sort of noise. Waking with a start he sat up slowly and pulled himself out of his makeshift bed. Hesitantly he rose to meet the night. A cat scurried down the dark street before him; disappearing into a shadow as the man slunk cautiously along the grey cobblestones, glancing about him. A few of the people out with the added light of the full moon looked at him for a second before returning to their business. Only one girl dared to meet his dark eyes. With a shudder she realised he was young, no more than twenty, no older than her. It could be so easily be him going home to a loving family, a house and her on the street, forlorn and all alone. She didn’t think that was fair. Her shyness kicked in, bringing with it a soft stutter “Um Exc-excuse me”. She had no more brushed his arm with her fingertips than he fled down the street. She called after him helplessly but his thin legs had already carried him far from earshot. His bare feet pounded on the stone as he shoved tangled hair from his face. Soon the knot of fear in his stomach had eased enough that he could bring himself to stop. After a time he began slowly towards the empty street he had walked so many times. Light spilled from the window of his fiancée’s house, radiating life, warmth, happiness. He half wondered how it could do any of those things when she was not inside. Bitterly he thought of the cold earth his
only love now lay beneath. Maybe she was happier, he would have been happier to be with her now. He shook his head, coming back to the reality of the winter night. A face peered out at him from the rain-washed glass, its hellfire eyes staring him down. He felt a familiar sense of panic swelling between his frozen ribs and tried backing away. A soft whimper escaped his lips. He could not move, could not breathe, could not scream for help. Somebody passed between the man and the window and the demon’s spell was broken. A crack of thunder split the night as he raced down the corridor of his prison. The child stared after him. Tears streamed down his weary, beaten face. His feet echoed the pattern of the rain as he ran to the very edge of the town. He stared out over the midnight field. A soft wind blew, causing a ripple to pass through the wheat as though it were a body of water. Before he could turn away a great ocean stretched before him. He collapsed, defeated, as a wave lapped at his ankles. He could not leave the town, no matter how much he wanted to escape the memories, he thought despairingly, that he could never run far enough to get away from them. A sob passed through the man’s withered body as he recalled the words he had heard a barkeeper say to him once. As they had stared accusingly at another customer they had meant nothing to him. But now, how they fit him perfectly. Nothing more than a lighthouse without a sea. She had been his sea, his moon, his stars, his north, south, east and his west. He had lived to see her smile. Every word he uttered was for her. But now she was gone and he
“Tears streamed down his weary, beaten face. His feet echoed the pattern of the rain as he ran to the very edge of the town. He stared out over the midnight field.”
had nothing left, everything he had held close had died along with her. He put his hand to his chest, wondering how a heart of stone could still beat. Clouds covered the liquid silver moon and a shiver coursed down his spine. Standing slowly he left the dark ocean behind him. Returning reluctantly to the town the noise of laughter and happy conversation called him towards a small café. His entire being ached at the prospect of a warm meal. He started towards the doorway when a sudden thought struck him. Full of hope, he dipped his bony hand into his pocket. Empty. What else had he expected? He moved away quickly, the emptiness of his stomach now almost overwhelming. The young man stumbled towards a dim grey light, not caring to what it belonged. His knees gave out beneath him and suddenly he was plummeting into darkness. It seemed endless; as if he would never stop falling. He always had been falling, but now it seemed there would be no ground to stop him. He lay at the base of a flight of stairs, unsure if he was under the town or at the gates of hell. Eventually he pulled himself to his knees and crawled to the nearest tiled stall. The dim light above him flickered. He locked the door behind him and felt his pounding head. Grimacing he saw dull crimson blood staining his palm. A sudden wave of nausea washed over the pale, gaunt boy and he held himself shakily over the grimy porcelain toilet. He wiped his mouth and lay down on the floor. Curling into a ball he vainly tried to rub the life back into his frozen limbs. Sleep pulling at the edges of his mind he wrapped his threadbare coat tighter around him and tried to ignore the faint smell of mildew and urine tainting the air. The spark of hope that had kept him alive for so long flickered and died. His body lay frozen, broken, and alone as the darkness pulled him deeper. A smile formed at the edges of his cracked lips. Her face was the first and last thing he saw, it was all he ever wanted to see. The words scribbled over the walls stared down at what had once been a man. He had been alone so long, it seemed only fit he died alone.
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Section C: Poem - Year 8
The Long Road Clothing cannot shroud me from the desolate cold of dawn, Its presence overwhelming my senses and mind. The eerie calm sparks a fire within me, As I step onto the platform of fate. The motionless highway stretches for miles below, Its gloomy winding path shadowed by snow capped peaks. My left foot reunites with the ground for mere seconds, As I push all my weight forward with a single kick. Wind embraces my body as I begin my descent, The icy, solid road like waves under my soft, urethane wheels. My mind slows as I gracefully carve the bitumen, Large elegant arcs the only trace of my work. Tiny white specks begin to fall from the heavens, Making my fate evermore decided. I crouch and reach out my wool clad hands, My palms sliding along the freezing road. Arcing my body, with all my might, I slide my board into a single refined turn. Facing the mountains, then the valley once more, My slide comes to its closing stages. My board almost still, my senses flared, I lean forward into my chilling descent. My journey far from over, I eye the depths below, And the long hard road ahead.
by Issac Naumann, Anglican Church Grammar School
By Katherine Evans, Clayfield College
ABOVE: Section C: Short Story - Year 8 winners Georgina Kilshaw, Christian Tseng, Julian Vidler-Ellerton, Krishore Subramanaim, Joel Berry, Daniel Grieves and Katherine Evans
ABOVE: Section C: Poetry - Year 8-Paul Sherman Award, winners, Issac Naumann, Danielle Sjogren, Sean Adcock, Zan Fairweather and Taili Beausang
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The Independent Voice
November 2009
Section B: Short Story - Years 9 & 10
still a clone, after all.
Just Like Me
The next person to bring Michael his food was knocked unconscious and his clothes swapped with Michael’s flimsy pyjamas. No-one noticed that Michael had escaped and was walking the corridors, but they could be forgiven for mixing up Simon and his clone. Any doors Michael came across were opened either by a thumbprint or a card he found in his stolen lab coat pocket. He didn’t know exactly where to go, he just had an inexplicable compulsion to go up a floor and north.
The clone work up, his head a foggy, roiling mass of nothingness. He tried to sit up, but it made his head ache and the room spun around, so he lay down again. After a while, he was able to form a thought. Who am I? He honestly did not know. He remembered nothing. He had just woken up, his head hurting, in a strange place, knowing nothing. Maybe I am nothing. On his wrist was a band. CLONE 0/001. Something stirred in the back of his mind. For some strange reason, he know what “clone” meant. A copy. He was a copy. No wonder he felt so empty. After some more fitful sleep a man walked into the room, closing the door behind him. The clone sat up, confused again. He knew what a door was, but not who he was. Who he was supposed to be. ‘Wow, you really do look like me,’ the man said. Me? Do I look like him? Who is he? Who am I? ‘Who are you?’ the clone asked. Who are we? ‘I’m Simon, a genetics scientist,’ the man replied, ‘and you are my clone.’ ‘Is my name Simon too?’ ‘Do you want it to be Simon?’ Simon was confusing the clone. He couldn’t quite put his finger on any actual names, although he felt the knowledge was just in the back of his mind, taunting him. But if he was Simon too, who would know who was who? Michael. I do not know where I am getting this knowledge. ‘What about Michael? Is that a name?
I like the sound of it.’ ‘Yes,” Simon smiled, ‘that’s a good name. It’s been a pleasure to meet you, Michael.’ Then Simon left. But Michael was far from satisfied. He guessed time passed, but he didn’t know how to tell. Food was passed through his door at regular intervals. People come in and out, poking in needles, taking out the red water from inside his body. They called it blood. He remembered another couple of words. Pain, and hurt. The needles and not knowing what was happening any of the time hurt. He didn’t get to see Simon again either. Simon had been the only nice one. Michael listened to the people that came and went. They said Michael was a medical breakthrough, a miracle, a fluke, a perfect double, a government secret and creepy. He didn’t like the sound of any of those. And no-one has told him why he was there yet. One night, Michael remembered something. It wasn’t his, but it was. A memory. A memory of a small person … a baby, nestled in his arms, peacefully asleep. He didn’t know the baby’s name, or if it was Simon’s baby, or if it was even real. He’d never seen a baby before, by thinking about it made him feel strangely warm inside. But this is not mine, this thought, this memory. It is not mine to carry or feel happy about. What have I got to feel happy about? Nothing. I have nothing. I am nothing. Michael had so many questions, and he knew who could give him the answer. Simon. And getting to him would be considerably easy. He was
Michael was pretty sure he’d found Simon’s office when he came across a door saying “Simon Black - lead geneticist”. Michael remembered Simon saying he was a genetics scientist, or something like that. When Michael entered the office, he found his likeness typing away at a computer, seemingly unaware of the presence of anyone else. Michael stole a quick look at himself in a mirror, then glanced back at Simon. All those strange people were right; I really do look exactly like him. I don’t have a body of my own, and now I am starting to have someone else’s memories too. ‘Do you have a baby?’ Michael asked. Simon jerked as he looked up. ‘Woah, you scared me half to death. I guess I’m still not used to seeing my own self staring back at me.’ ‘But, you do have a baby?’ ‘No, but my sister had a kid a couple years back … Wait, how do you know that?’ ‘I got a memory of me … you … us … holding a baby, and I thought it might be yours.’ ‘That’s incredible! You’re getting my memories! What else do you remember?’ ‘Nothing yet. I need to get out of here. Please. You’ve got to help me.’
The two look-alikes were able to get out of the building by leaving one by one – Simon was second and said he’d forgotten something and came in through the back door, so that the clerk at the front door didn’t get suspicious. Michael took a greedy gulp of air before he got in the car. Tastes like pollution and freedom. Michael slowly remembered how to drive by watching Simon as they drove back to Simon’s place. It was very strange, sensing a world of knowledge was just out of his reach in the back of his mind. Even though Simon’s work had been top secret, he had still told his fiancée, Isobel, that he was working on the cloning of humans. But Isobel was still a bit shocked when she opened the door. Simon went and fetched a glass of water, leaving Michael and Isobel in the lounge room together. I think I’m beginning to remember her … I love her. No, I don’t love her, Simon loves her. ‘So your like, an extra Simon?’ Isobel said, trying to start up a conversation. ‘I am a clone, a copy. I have decided
that my name is Michael. It would be a bit confusing if there were two Simons.’ ‘I think you’re right, the world isn’t ready for two of anybody.’ Michael felt a strange pang in his chest as he read into Isobel’s statement. So I am a freak. Simon came back into the room, thankfully breaking the awkward silence. ‘What are you going to do with Michael here?’ Isobel asked. ‘You can’t take him back to that awful lab you keep him cooped up in. I know what you’re like when you can’t go where you want, and he’s obviously like you.’ Simon looked thoughtfully at Michael. ‘What do you want?’ ‘I want … I want to know that I fit in this world. I want to know that I did not just wake up one day to be poked and stared at and tested on. I do not want to spend the rest of my time without any purpose or meaning … I want to know my meaning.’ ‘You really are just like me, aren’t you?’
“One night, Michael remembered something. It wasn’t his, but it was. A memory. A memory of a small person … a baby, nestled in his arms, peacefully asleep.”
by Rachel Whitlock, Mt St Michael’s College
Section B: Poem - “Lisa Allen Memorial Prize” Years 9 & 10
After The Fire They stand on the hill, Black against the scorched grey earth. Long thin branches like Fingers groping, Reaching for the sky. Each alone, A lonely skeleton Standing amongst the ashes Like a ghost Haunting Its grave.
LEFT: Section B: Short Story - Years 9 & 10 winners Elizabeth Brazier, Diana Logue, Caitlin McKenna and Rachel Whitlock
RIGHT: Section B: Poem - Lisa Allen Memorial Prize Years 9 & 10 winners Matthew Paterson, Amy Swan and Courtney Sutton by Courtney Sutton, All Hallows’ School
The Independent Voice
November 2009
Section A: Short Story - Years 11 & 12
River Ben Winter 1940 The branches of the jacaranda tree above me are bare and on the river there is one lonely fisherman in a woolly green jumper. The wind blows cold into my face. Daddy lets go of my hand and helps me to do up the buttons of my favourite red coat. We walk along the dusty track next to the river and along an empty street lined with wide-verandahed Queenslanders. Everyone else is inside, out of the wind gusts, keeping warm. At the corner shop, while Daddy pays the shopkeeper for the Saturday paper, I look at the brightly coloured lollies in the jars behind the counter. When we arrive home, Mummy has already filled the bath tub. James, William, Lucy – my brothers and sister – and I take turns in the warm soapy water. Afterwards, we settle on the rug and listen to Daddy read us articles about the war from the paper. Lucy is too young to understand. She plays with her rag doll. My father’s dark brown eyes flicker with excitement as he reads the stories of brave men who fight in trenches, aim guns, navigate ships and pilot planes. In my head I pretend I am there too, fighting. He pauses mid-sentence and looks at us with a very serious face. “This is a very important war”, he explains. “Our country needs lots of men to fight, so that we can we win.” I listen carefully, and suddenly understand. “Do you have to go away like the men
in the paper?” I ask. Daddy nods slowly, then pulls a sleepy Lucy onto his lap. She pulls at a tuft of Daddy’s black hair, and giggles as he tickles her chubby toes.
sisters,” he reminds me before he turns to ruffle my brothers’ hair. Finally, he kisses my mother and little Eva goodbye, and walks resolutely across the gangplank. In spite of the withering heat, I stand and wave at him until the ship melts into the hazy no man’s land between the sky and water. Autumn 1944
“I want to become a pilot,” Daddy says. “I’ll have to learn to fly first. That will take some time, I expect.” I smile up at him. I am very proud of my Daddy. Summer 1942 The sun glitters off the water as two seagulls hang lazily in the air above the rich leafy green canopy of a jacaranda tree. Although it’s early, the January morning is hot and humid, making my Sunday-best dress stick uncomfortably to me. The crowd is too large and too close. Around me, I can hear the subdued voices of people reluctant to farewell their sons, husbands and brothers but eager to retreat from the heat. I am now old enough to understand that this could be a final farewell for some. The air is thick with the smell of grease and oil from the huge troop-carrier tied to the dock. William, James and Lucy are grumpy and hungry, but my new baby sister Eva attracts some doting attention from other women in the crowd. Suddenly, my father turns to me – and I know that it is time for him to leave. I throw my arms around his neck and hug him tightly. He smells strongly of soap and tobacco. “I am going to miss you,” I say quietly. He smiles tightly. “Look after your mother, and watch out for your younger brothers and
The leaves on the jacaranda trees look dull yellow-green as they flutter limply in the early autumn breeze. The river is moving sluggishly beside me as I hurry to collect James, William and Lucy from the local primary school. I am just in time. As I arrive, children begin spilling out of the buildings, giggling and chatting excitedly. James and William are kicking a football to one another, and Lucy is struggling with a satchel which is bigger than her. It is almost two years since my father left. Mum now works at the post office during the week – and I have started at secondary school. As we jostle our way through our front gate with our bags and books and a painting Lucy has done in class, I notice that mum is standing on the front verandah. She has Eva on her hip and an envelope in her hand. I stand in the middle of the path. I feel like a tiny leaf tossed in a raging river as my brothers and sister push around me. I meet my mother’s blank gaze. I don’t need to read whatever is inside the envelope to know what it means.
hands on hips, to gaze at the river as meanders through the Milton reaches. Down the slope, near the river bank, my brothers and sisters toss a ball and giggle with a group of friends. Further down the slope, two gangly boys are struggling to tie a hand-painted sign to the trunk of a knobbly pine tree. Written in bold black letters are the words “War Widows’ Guild Picnic.” The sweeping grounds of “Moorlands”, a grand family home on the Brisbane River, are bustling with troupes of energetic children and sombre knots of women.
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hear James boast. I smile at James’s exaggeration – my father did fly fighter planes, although he was a Flight Sergeant. At this I try to picture his face, but my images are static and framed like photographs around my house. I stare wistfully down towards the river.
Picking up my shady hat, I amble down the hill towards the river. My brother James and his unruly mates are recklessly clambering along the branch of a mangrove tree that reaches out precariously over the muddy water.
A sudden gust of wind delivers a defiant jacaranda blossom to my feet. I pick it up, admiring its vibrant colour and sense of adventure before tossing it into the current. It swirls and then leaps forward and away. The river flows on steadily, under bridges, through suburbs, around bends and beneath ships. I send a fervent prayer to the blue dome of heaven that no more men will ever sail away to any other war. The wise old river flows on, knowingly.
“Well, my father was a Squadron Leader who flew fighter planes,” I
by Erin-Jane Claridge, Loreto College
Spring 1947 The brightly coloured bunting strung between the jacarandas flutters in the gentle breeze as I help mum spread out our tartan blanket. It looks like a deserted island amongst the purple sea of spilled jacaranda flowers. I turn,
Section A: Poem - “Mary Alexis Macmillan Memorial Prize Years 11 & 12
Train to Somewhere The train to somewhere is leaving now, I hear the speaker say. Hop on all those desperate for more, For a better day.
For a better day. Last call, last call, please contact us, We need your confirmation. For the train with the lonely souls, To an unknown destination.
Grab those empty suitcases and pack them on. Say goodbye if they’re not gone. Walk by and take a seat, Next to that old retiree. Hear stories of times back then, Times when people cared. ABOVE: Section A: Short Story - Years 11 & 12 winners Eibhlis Emerton, Jessica Bermingham, Ella Breydon, Amber Broughton and Erin-Jane Claridge
LEFT: Section A: Poem Mary Alexis Macmillan M e m o r i a l Prize Years 11 & 12 winners Savannah Van Der Niet, Millie Gilbert, Deni Cooper and Emily Rankin
The train to somewhere is leaving now, I hear the speaker say. Hop on all those desperate for more, For a better day. And that’s the way my life crumbles, Can’t breathe as my fingers fumble. Packing my things in a suitcase of leather, I’ve come to my last tether. My fragile heart can take no more, Crying as I slam the door. Last call for the train to somewhere, I hear the speaker say. There’s limited tickets, so much demand
by Savannah Van Der Niet, Grace Lutheran College
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The Independent Voice
November 2009
Section A: Non-Fiction Prose - Years 11 & 12
Defying the Dream •
THEY LIVED BEHIND THEIR WHITE PICKET FENCES, DROVE THEIR CADILLACS AND WATCHED SITCOMS WITH THEIR NUCLEAR FAMILY. THROUGH THE AMERICAN DREAM THEY HAD IT ALL. WHO WERE THESE FORTUNATE FEW? AND WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF SOCIETY?
What typifies America? Is it Independence? Free speech? Equality? Democracy? A land of opportunity?
Look a little way behind the façade and you’ll realise the American Dream was attainable to some, but to the rest it remained an urban myth.
Nurse Ratched’s ward reflects society in the 1950s, suffering from rigid rules and complete control. Those living in the sterile and artificial environment of the institution struggle to achieve some sense of individuality under the dictator-like reign of the “Big Nurse”. Forced to conform to constrained ideals, the inmates are given no space to have independent thoughts or feelings. Mirroring democratic America, the majority of the inmates are coerced by Nurse Ratched and feel terrified to stand up for what they truly believe.
During the 1950s, “middle” America was a society in which a lucky minority were living what has been labelled the “American Dream”. Subsequent to the devastation of World War Two, American citizens became entrenched in post-war consumerist ideals, obsessed with the notion of living the “perfect” life. The Dream has been defined as a “dream … in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement”. However, the dream gushed with materialism, consumerism and conformity and before long an emergence of diverse countercultures arose, defying the very essence of this fairytale.
Where the 1950s saw the introduction of the Diners Card, Drive-In-Movies and McDonalds, the novel sees the establishment of poker, uprising and brawling in the ward courtesy of Randle McMurphy, the novel’s protagonist. McMurphy does not adhere to social constraints and represents an individual who is emancipated and sexually liberated, proving that individuality must be retained to resist society’s pressures. His frequent laughter and singing provides a stark contrast with the individuals whose silence is a sign of their oppression. Irrevocably, he changes the lives of other inmates in the ward, giving them hope, courage and inspiring a sense of identity within them.
The Beat Movement of the 50s challenged the cultural values of the era and exploded into a whirl of drug experimentation, sexual liberation and freedom from censorship. As a founding member of the Merry Pranksters and a renowned author of his time, Ken Kesey was inspired to write One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, an anti-social commentary on prevailing cultural values. Coupled with the influence of the Beat Movement and experiences gained working as a psychiatric aide in a hospital, Kesey’s masterpiece of literature emerged.
The power of society’s pressures is reflected in the recent 2008 box-office hit Revolutionary Road. It depicts the struggles of a young couple living in suburbia Connecticut during the mid-1950s. April, frustrated with her life as a housewife, comes to the realisation that she and her husband are losing their sense of individuality. In one of the movie’s most dramatic scenes she exclaims, “Look at us. We’re just like everyone else. We’ve bought into the same, ridiculous delusion”.
Or does America bring to mind Hiroshima? The Great Depression? Red Scare? Black Segregation? Vietnam War? Unemployment? Greed? Oppression? Conformity?
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest has been commended for its bold exposure of the hidden side to the American Dream. Its revelations remain critically acclaimed both at its time of publication and now to present day readers who gain valuable insight and understanding into the prevailing issues of the 1950s and 60s. Set in an Oregon mental institution, Cuckoo’s Nest is narrated by Chief Bromden, an American-Indian who is considered a paranoid schizophrenic. Bromden’s shrewd understanding of the ward and society is reflected through the metaphorical concepts he devises. The conformist attitudes espoused by “middle” America are represented through his imagination of the “Combine” which epitomises the government’s machine-like power and control over society. Nurse Ratched, the novel’s antagonist, becomes the Combine’s most personified form and takes mechanistic means to manipulate the individual. As Bromden realises, “it’s the whole Combine, the nation-wide Combine that’s the really big force, and the nurse is just a high-ranking official for them”.
Unfortunately for April, during the 50s, individuals who refused or were unable to conform to the social strictures of the time
were ostracised as abnormal or worse, insane. As a result of society’s harsh influence, these people often sought help in psychiatric institutions. This is evident within Cuckoo’s Nest, where the majority of patients have admitted themselves into the institution voluntarily. As the Big Nurse cruelly points out, “You men are in this hospital because of your proven inability to adjust to society”. One doctor also preaches how “society decides who’s sane and who isn’t”. The novel also sheds light on the gender role stereo-types of the decade. Traditionally, society believed a man’s job was to work and provide money for his family, whereas a woman’s task required her to do housework, cook and raise two perfect children. American citizens have long been bombarded by portrayals of the “ideal family” through popular sitcoms, one being the comical Leave it to Beaver. The main couple, June and Ward, meet the criteria in fulfilling the typical gender roles of the time: June, the happy housewife and Ward, the admired middle-class professional. Cuckoo’s Nest is void of such gender portrayals, with women constructed as
dominating and powerful figures. Nurse Ratched embodies the ideas of repression, power and order and patient Dale Harding is the first patient to admit that the hospital inmates are “victims of a matriarchy”. He also verbalises, “We comical little creatures can’t even achieve masculinity in the rabbit world, that’s how weak and inadequate we are”. This “rabbit world” is the realm of the mental institution, where few women do not fit the mould of a “ball-cutter” as McMurphy flippantly describes Nurse Ratched. Kesey’s audacious revelations shatter the idealistic American bubble and reveal it for what it truly is; unreachable and nothing more than fantasy for the majority of American citizens. Clearly, his novel is well-deserving of the praise it has received and its phenomenal cult following. Denying the Dream, demolishing the Dream, death of the Dream – Cuckoo’s Nest daringly defies the American Dream. If a picture paints a thousand words, then One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a veritable museum of a decade of delusion.
Emma Schimke, St Andrew’s Anglican College
LEFT: Section A: Non-Fiction Prose - Years 11 & 12 winners Camille Boileau, Alexandra Cronin, Georgia Bottomley, Stephanie Parsons, Alana Tapley and Emma Schimke
RIGHT: Section E: Open - Teachers winners Bernadette Whisson and Regina Edwards
The Independent Voice
November 2009
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Section E: Short Story - Open (Teacher) tragedy while the national talk is all about the war.”
Angel Hair The rusted rose grudgingly spat its droplets onto her tired skin, striking it with the sting of splintered glass. The shower felt penitential after a dayshift punctuated by more than the usual number of casualties from brawls and the end of the crushing season. 7.30 p.m. and the dense December humidity resumed its grip on her as she stepped from the communal bathroom. Stella Eckhart felt weary to her bones. The dull pulse of a wet season has quickened in town. The Americans had arrived in full force and gratifying uniform. That the North was on a war footing made their appearance even more exciting, reinforcing the gravity of circumstances and yet serving as a cause for distraction from them. The Yankee soldiers has class and charisma. They could talk with all the focused eloquence from their big city upbringings or the charm of their southerner hospitality. They had fancy treats and silk stockings, the boast of a well-oiled military machine behind them and the promise of an invincible future once the Pacific had been secured again for the Allies. Local lads paled to insignificance in their midst, so much more insightful of women and their desires than the amateurish, blokish ways of the region’s cane-farmers, tradies and businessmen. The seasonal cutters from the south brought some glimmer of excitement from June to December but here was a different creature again
who lifted the spirits of the female population even as many of them prepared for their own departure south along with children to the Brisbane line. Stella wasn’t ready to depart. Catching up on sleep could wait, too, until she wound down at the suburban Bowling Green hall with her friends Audrey and Sylvia and her workmate Gertie Rogers from Heatley & Sons. It was the night of the Waltz-Time Wonderland with Stewie and his Troubadours. “Stella, the white Milanese Nights came in, the ones with the contrasting trim on the pocket and the tie-belt.” Sylvia was her usual cheerful self. “Only 11 coupons!” The news fell into the chasm of her friend’s distraction. “Some people have all the luck, don’t they?” Stella lit a cigarette from Audrey’s. “A war’s on and here we all are about to be in the thick of it and, wouldn’t you know, you get laid off at the mill because the cancer has gone all rotten on your face. Your wife and kids get to see you and change your stinking bandages before you go downhill and head back to the Base. They come and see you to say their goodbyes and most of the kids, five of them, are too sick with Dengue fever to get out of the back of their borrowed ute to see you. So off they go down south to God knows what and here you stay to die in your very own personal
Audrey glanced up the road before they crossed to the hall. “You’re not kidding. Poor sod. I don’t suppose the Matron helped matters either with all her orders and efficiency. Come on Stell, the airmen will be waiting.” She strode across the bitumen as if she owned it. Sylvia continued, as ebullient as ever. “Girls, you have got to hear this – our dates were the peaches we thought they’d be. A New Yorker, no less, from Manhattan. And a goodmannered boy from Ohio. Didn’t we have the grandest time, Gert? Martinis and dinner and dancing. Guess what time we reached home? Come on, guess!” Audrey put in dryly, “Beyond your bedtime, no doubt. No, don’t tell me, you haven’t been there yet. You wore those fancy shoes to work.”
quickened floor. She looked across to Sylvia and Gert breathless and beautiful on the arms of their partners. In the dizzying heat, the time for the men’s departure came soon like Cinderella’s midnight clock tolling a return to reality. “We have to celebrate this silver cup, girls.” Sylvia was delirious with a winner’s delight. “Why don’t you take us along for the ride, Mr Yankee men, in your big flying machines?” It was no secret the American’s flew their transport planes and bombers to New Guinea from the mainland, to supply the Allies and, more recently, bomb the Japanese base in Lae and its supply vessels. They took off from Townsville with increasing frequency. “Those red shoes of yours would brighten up the trip there’s no denying that fact, ma’am. But just two this time round – our tourist seats are
Sylvia beamed. “An all-nighter! We ended up down on the Strand to watch the sun rise. Wasn’t it fun Gert?” She grabbed Gert’s arm excitedly. “And now another whole evening’s entertainment glistening before us.”
limited,” one of the men, a flight navigator wisecracked. “Let me be your first passenger. I want to do something crazy and spectacular.” Sylvia was all enthusiasm, outdone only by Gertie smitten with one of the airmen. “See you Audrey and Stella. Don’t wait up, We’ll catch up Sunday or some sunny day.” And laughing they parted in the promise of adventure. Stella remembered them like that, sparkling and spontaneous, reviving her own worn soul. She moved down to Brisbane and, two years on, heard from Audrey the wreck of a B24 Liberator had been discovered up on Hinchinbrook Island on Mt Straloch. In the midst of the plane’s wreckage the long strand of female hair and a half-burnt red stiletto. by Bernadette Whisson, Our Lady of the Southern Cross
“The night unfolded with all its heady promise of waltzing and glamour, the hall done up to the nines like a bowerbird’s nest with borrowed bits and pieces and improvised decorations.”
The night unfolded with all its heady promise of waltzing and glamour, the hall done up to the nines like a bowerbird’s nest with borrowed bits and pieces and improvised decorations. Stella let go of her melancholy allowing herself to rest her head on a Yankee’s shoulder as he led her gracefully over the hops-
2009 QIEU Literary Competition winners Section D – Poem Years 6 & 7 1st Place – Jessica Regtien, A B Paterson College 2nd Place – Caitlin MacDonald, Brookfield State School 3rd Place – Bindi Nguyen, Brookfield State School Highly Commended Lydia Li, Macgregor State School; Eva Blakemore, Mission Beach State School
Section D – Short Story Years 6 & 7 1st Place – Gaberiell MacMinn, Northgate State School 2nd Place – Dominic Whisson, Jondaryan State School 3rd Place – Lauren Satur, Grace Lutheran Primary School Highly Commended Isaak Jackson, St Andrew’s Anglican College (Peregian Springs); Anna Leahy, St Anthony’s School (Kedron); Lauren Sowerby, McDowall State School; Tayla Corbett, Ryan Catholic College
Section C – Poem Paul Sherman Award
Year 8 1st Place – Isaac Naumann, Anglican Church Grammar School 2nd Place – Taili Beausang, Loreto College 3rd Place – Danielle Sjogren, St Andrew’s Anglican College (Peregian Springs)
Lisa Allen Memorial Prize Years 9 & 10 1st Place – Courtney Sutton, All Hallows’ School 2nd Place – Amy Swan, Saint Stephen’s College (Ormeau) 3rd Place – Nicholas Slaven, St Andrew’s Catholic College (Cairns)
Highly Commended Steven Carroll, Chanel College; Zan Fairweather, Marist College Ashgrove; Sean Adcock, Ipswich Grammar School
Highly Commended Matthew Paterson, Anglican Church Grammar School
Section C – Short Story Year 8 1st Place – Katherine Evans, Clayfield College 2nd Place – Joel Berry, Brisbane State High School 3rd Place – Krishore Subramaniam, Brisbane State High School Highly Commended – Daniel Grieves, St Mary’s College (Maryborough); Julian Vidler-Ellerton, St Andrew’s Anglican College (Peregian Springs); Christian Tseng, Mount Gravatt State High School; Georgina Kilshaw, Mt Alvernia College
Section B – Poem
Section B – Short Story Years 9 & 10 1st Place – Rachel Whitlock, Mt St Michael’s College 2nd Place – Caitlin McKenna, Somerville House 3rd Place – Diana Logue, Grace Lutheran College Highly Commended Elizabeth Brazier, Wynnum State High School; Deanna Steffens, Lockyer District High School; Hannah Neep, Somerville House
Section A – Poem Mary Alexis Macmillan Memorial Prize Years 11 & 12 1st Place – Savannah Van Der Niet, Grace Lutheran College
2nd Place – Alistair Kitchen, Somerset College 3rd Place – Emily Rankin, Somerville House Highly Commended Millie Gilbert, St Aidan’s Anglican Girls School; Deni Cooper, St George State High School; Nina Wilson, Whitsunday Christian College
Section A – Short Story Years 11 & 12 1st Place – Erin-Jane Claridge, Loreto College 2nd Place – Amber Broughton, Harristown State High School 3rd Place – Ella Breydon, Harristown State High School Highly Commended Jessica Bermingham, Our Lady of the Southern Cross College (Dalby); Eibhlis Emerton, Lockyer District State High School; Bianca Nord, Gympie State High School; Jack Walton, Our Lady of the Southern Cross College (Dalby)
Section A – Non-Fiction Prose Years 11 & 12 1st Place – Emma Schimke, St Andrew’s
Anglican College (Peregian Springs) 2nd Place –Alana Tapley, St Andrew’s Anglican College 3rd Place – Stephanie Parsons, Keebra Park State High School Highly Commended Georgia Bottomley, Somerville House; Alexandra Cronin, All Hallows’ School; Camille Boileau, All Hallows’ School; Sarah Scupham, Our Lady’s College
Section E – Short Story Open (Teacher) 1st Place – Bernadette Whisson, Our Lady of the Southern Cross (Dalby) 2nd Place –Christine Winderlich, St Teresa’s Catholic College (Noosaville) 3rd Place – Debbie Peden, Stuartholme School Highly Commended Regina Edwards, Mt Gravatt State High School; Steve Herbert, Woree State High School (Cairns); Wendy Chimes, Aldridge State High School (Maryborough); William Martin, Gympie State High School
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The Independent Voice
November 2009
Legal Briefs
Andrew Knott, Macrossans Lawyers
RIGHTS AND PROCEDURES OF TEACHERS ASSAULT, ABUSE, THEFT Teachers’ Rights Assaults, attempted assaults and threats of assault to teachers (in circumstances where the threat could apparently be carried out) are likely to constitute criminal offences. This is true whether it is an adult such as a parent, or, in the case of students, students who have passed their tenth birthday (the significance of that date is that persons under the age of ten cannot be charged with criminal offences). It is open to teachers to make a complaint to police officers requesting that the police initiate proceedings to prosecute for assault. However, it is prudent to obtain advice as to the implications of making such a complaint and to obtain advice on particular circumstances. One factor often appropriate to take into account in these circumstances is whether there is a risk of a retaliative threat of criminal proceedings against the teacher. In some circumstances it is appropriate (rather than making a complaint to the police) to request legal assistance for a letter to be written to the person who has committed the apparent offence, pointing out to them that such conduct is to amount to a criminal offence. (No threats of prosecution can be made and such letters must be drafted with restraint so as to not themselves involve the commission of an offence or unprofessional conduct). When teachers are abused in a public place, or very near a public place, an offence under the Summary Offences Act may have been committed. It is in those circumstances open to teachers to consider making a complaint or to instruct solicitors to write a letter. In addition to that of course, the school may be prepared to make an appropriate administrative response, for example by imposing restraints on that person’s right to attend school activities, enter the school grounds, approach
a classroom or whatever is appropriate. In relation to assault and abuse, a number of other legal provisions may be relevant, such as obtaining a restraining order under the Peace and Good Behaviour Act or investigating whether a person can be charged with unlawful stalking. It is also important to note that it is an offence under the Criminal Code of the Commonwealth of Australia to use a telephone (or various other forms of technology) in a way which reasonable persons would regard as being in all the circumstances “menacing, harassing or offensive”. In this circumstance too consideration can be given to the writing of an appropriate letter as an alternative to making a complaint to the police. Procedures Teachers who have been assaulted, abused or had property stolen in the course of their teaching duties, should ensure that they document (and have witnesses document) at an early date all evidence which is relevant to their situation. We deal first with the question of assault or abuse.
particularity what they saw or heard dealing with issues such as whether a hand was clenched or open. If there are student witnesses, the teacher should request an appropriate administrative team member to request the student to write down their version and to request that a copy of that statement be supplied to the teacher. Teachers who had been assaulted or abused in such a way that their health may be affected, should attend a medical examination at their own expense and with their own doctor as soon as possible. They should request the doctor to make a full examination and to make a detailed record of all observations of possible impacts of the assault or abuse upon their physical or mental health. They should then request the doctor to write a report. Teachers who believe that they may suffer health impacts should also lodge a WorkCover claim, even if it is only for a very small amount of money. The significance of this is that they are in a much better position, should there be a serious consequence in the future to recover workers compensation if they have promptly lodged a claim and had it accepted.
The teacher in question should write a statement and should request all witnesses (other than s t u d e n t witnesses) to prepare a statement. S u c h statements should be an objective description of what the person in question saw and heard. UNTIL MARCH 31ST 2010 The various MEMBERS HAVE THE witnesses should not read CHANCE TO WIN ONE each other’s statements. OF THREE UNION
Teachers should seek advice from a Union officer in relation to the drafting and presentation of WorkCover claims. Where the assault or abuse has been carried out by a student, it is vital that the teacher not deal with the disciplinary consequences of that event themselves. Obviously, such a teacher would appear to be biased and would be subject to a suggestion that they had a conflict of interest when making disciplinary decisions. Teachers are, however, entitled to report the matter and to request that appropriate disciplinary action be taken. We deal second with the question of stolen property. If teachers believe that property has been stolen, they should report this matter in writing to their Principal, or other appropriate officer in the school. They should write out a statement objectively describing the events that have occurred. If they believe that evidence points to a particular suspect, that could be indicated but in sober and objective terms. In respect of obtaining witness statements the same principles as set out above will apply.
Teachers should be very careful not to discuss the matter generally except if they are seeking evidence and should do so then in a way which does not breach the rights or privacy of any other person. The stealing of a teacher’s property a t a school can have such unsatisfactory results that it is prudent for teachers to be very careful about bringing to school any private assets of any value, let alone leaving them in situations where they are unsupervised or subject to theft such as on a desk or in a staff room or even in a drawer in the classroom. Conclusion All statements, whether prepared by the teacher or by others, should be signed and dated. The statement should make clear what date is being talked about in the statement and what date on which the statement is prepared and signed. It is also prudent to keep a photocopy of any documents or letters handed to other people on any of these matters. A number of points to be borne in mind when dealing with these issues. Clearly there is a need in serious cases, to obtain advice from a source such as your union.
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The Independent Voice
G E N E R AT I O N N E X T
EVENTS DIARY Generation Next Seminar A public seminar aimed at understanding the unique health and wellbeing challenges facing generations Y and Z and how these challenges can be met will be held on 28 November at the University of Queensland. The Generation Next seminar will see Australia’s leading experts on children and teenagers at the one event, with presenters including: Dr Michael CarrGregg, adolescent psychologist on ‘Youth mental health’; Susan Mclean, Cybersafety expert on cybersafety and cyberbullying; Julie Gale, on ‘Sexualisation of children in the media’; Paul Dillon, on ‘Teenagers, alcohol and drugs’; and Dr Sally Cockburn, on ‘Understanding sexuality of young people - How to have that conversation’. The seminar also includes a Question and Answer panel, with
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November 2009
questions welcomed to be emailed to questions@gennextseminars. com before the event. Price is $45 per person and runs from noon until 5pm on 28 November at the UQ building lecture theatre. For more information visit the website gennextsemimars.com
Parliament of the World’s Religions 2009 The world’s biggest interfaith event will focus on the ability to create a more just and peaceful world - one in which respect for each other is matched by respect for the planet and its resources. The 2009 Parliament of the World’s Religions will also focus on the struggles and spiritualities of Indigenous people around the globe. The Parliament will be held from 3 to 9 December at the Melbourne Exhibition & Convention Centre. For more information visit www.parliamentofreligions.org
QSA 2010 Conference Shared vision: An Australian curriculum P-12 is the Queensland Studies Authority’s 2010 conference for principals, teachers and educators. The Conference is scheduled for 28 to 30 April, 2010 at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.
A public seminar aimed at understanding the unique health and wellbeing challenges facing generations Y & Z — and how these challenges can be met. Bullying r Internet & Cybersafety r Depression & Mental Health r Sex, the Media & Young People r Parenting Information & Advice SATURDAY 28 NOV, MIDDAY-5PM, LECTURE THEATRE, UQ BUILDING, UNIVERSITY OF QLD. FREE PARKING Supported by
For more information, please email events@qsa.qld.edu.au or phone (07) 3864 0471.
Catholic Educational Leadership Conference
Includes Q&A Panel Email us your questions before the event! questions@ gennextseminars.com
Presented by
The 5th International Conference on Catholic Educational Leadership - A Beacon of Hope: A light for the future, will be held from 2 to 4 August 2010 at the Australian Catholic University National Strathfield campus in Sydney. For more information visit www.acu. edu.au/leadershipconference2010
ALSO IN MELBOURNE, PERTH, SYDNEY & ADELAIDE SEE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS
AUSTRALIA’S LEADING EXPERTS ON CHILDREN & TEENAGERS IN ONE EVENT Dr Michael Carr-Gregg Adolescent Psychologist
Susan McLean Cybersafety Expert
Dr Ramesh Manocha GP, Convenor
Dr Sally Cockburn GP, Health Commentator Medical Adviser, Girlfriend Magazine
Paul Dillon Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia
Julie Gale Founder of Kids Free 2 B Kids Writer and Performer
For more information visit the website gennextseminars.com
45
$
per person
132 849
Teacher Exchange is for everybody!
Dear Jo, I am seeking some advice about how to manage a new situation for me. I am a secondary school art teacher and encourage the students to discuss their work and what they are trying to say when they are engaged with their projects. Many of my students reveal through their work and in their class discussion, a degree of pain and suffering that at times concerns me. I did not imagine that my role as a teacher in an isolated country school would include this type of role. Am I reading too much into this or do other teachers find that at times they feel like mental health professionals? Xanthie Dear Xanthie Well done Xanthie for raising this excellent question. Sometimes art can be a mechanism to release emotions and ideas which can be frightening and/or create some anxiety in the young person and concern in the teacher. It is always important to take notice of children whose work or behaviours or expressed ideas indicate that they are having difficulties coping with the many pressures that our youth have. Of course it is helpful if you feel able to manage these situations with a calm manner but above all, I must emphasise that you are a teacher not a mental health professional. It can be difficult to distinguish adolescent turmoil from depressive illness, especially as the young person is also forging new roles within the family and struggling with independence, and academic and career decisions.
One in five children and adolescents is affected by mental health problems and disorders. Those aged 18-24 have the highest prevalence of mental disorders of any age group. Depression in this age group should be taken seriously. Youth suicide is the third most common cause of death in this age group. The first port of call will always be the school counsellor. You can suggest the child see the school counsellor, or if you are unsure about this course of action, discuss your concerns for the child with the school counsellor and seek guidance about how to approach the issues which concern you. Kids Helpline 1800 551 800 is an excellent phone service for children to access themselves. If at any time a student indicates to you that they or anyone they know is at risk, it is important that you indicate that you are ready to listen and take them seriously. If such a situation occurs, you will of course have to consider whether under the particular circumstances you have a duty to report your concerns. Sometimes the complex role that teachers find themselves in, providing support for others, can lead to suffer personal stress and self questioning. Remember Teachers Union Health Supportline is there to help and support TUH members in such situations. Our phone number is 1800 655 203. The line is staffed by mental health professionals and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Jo
Teacher exchange offers a significant opportunity for both personal and professional development while experiencing life overseas. The benefits of teacher exchange reach your colleagues, school, students, their families and your family. As you do not enter the permanent service of the Host School and will be returning to your current position you will continue to be paid by your home employer and retain your accrued entitlements. The QIEU/IEUA-QNT Teacher Exchange Program is open to financial members with five years full time teaching experience. QIEU/IEUA-QNT works on behalf of applicants with various bodies including: overseas exchange authorities (e.g. UK, Canada, Colorado, ); teacher
registration authorities; consulates; principals of proposed exchange schools; Australian employing authorities; Australian immigration authorities and overseas unions (reciprocal union rights).
schools by contributing their knowledge and asking questions about education in Australia.
While on exchange, teachers are asked to complete an elective investigation project on a topic of their There is a $140 application own choosing. fee. A refund of $112.50 will occur if application is When an exchange teacher unsuccessful. returns home, the result of this project is to be shared Benefits of Exchange with the home school district and may appear on Students - Australian and the an exchange web site to be exchange country’s students shared with other teachers. benefit from being taught by a visiting teacher who Exchange Teachers - have brings to the classroom new the opportunity to: work ideas and experiences from a in another educational different educational system system; exchange ideas and culture. Teachers and and knowledge; observe schools have access to new different teaching practices; ideas and teaching methods and experience another by working closely with a culture and environment. teacher from another country Contact Jenny, QIEU/ and education system. IEUA-QNT Teacher E d u c a t i o n - V i s i t i n g Exchange Coordinator on teachers provide valuable (07) 3839 7020 or email input into curriculum within jennyz@qieu.asn.au
Teacher Exchange 5 years Teaching Experience + QIEU Membership = OPPORTUNITY Work overseas & retain your accrued entitlements United Kingdom, 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 click Overseas Exchange Program Contact Jenny at your Union Office Phone (07) 3839 7020 (Free Call) 1800 177937 (QLD) (Free Call) 1800 351 996 (NT) Email: jennyz@qieu.asn.au
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The Independent Voice
November 2009
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