Newspaper of the NSW/ACT Independent Education Union (vol 33 #6) October 2013
Beating the bullies Support Staff conference p7
30-year badge celebrations p11
Nice ladies no more p8
The Revolution is over …if there ever was one
Cap on backburner Following an IEU submission on the issue, the outgoing Labor Government announced it would place on the backburner a cap on tax concessions for work-related self-education expenses. The Government said it would defer the introduction of the $2,000 cap from 1 July 2014 to 1 July 2015, to allow further consultation on how to best target excessive claims “while ensuring the impact on university enrolments and genuine continuing professional development is minimised”. In the IEU submission, the Union outlined its argument that the cap is bad policy because: • • • •
it is a short sighted measure that fails to take into account the long-term national economic and productivity consequences there was no consideration of the education industry or a sector-by-sector analysis it is a tax on learning, innovation, aspiration and the continuing professional development that is a mandated requirement for accreditation, and regional Australia would be particularly disadvantaged because of the higher real costs involved in further study.
The Union has urged a review of the cap and will continue to stress its incompatibility with the requirements of professional teacher accreditation.
Cooperation costs
The election of the Coalition Government will certainly have an impact on workers in our sector and will lead to change, IEU General Secretary John Quessy writes. How quickly that change comes about will likely depend on the eventual makeup of the new Senate next year and how easily micro-parties can be influenced. The precise nature of any change will depend not only on the Senate. It will also hinge on what the Coalition parties ultimately decide some of the generalised statements in their policy documents actually mean. Schools and funding The new Government has committed to the same school funding that the ALP introduced but only for the next four years. This cuts short the six-year
“Gonski” deal where the bulk of funding increases were in years five and six. Depending on future events this could leave a shortfall off up to $7billion. The Abbott Government claims it will dismantle “command and control” from Canberra ending the Federal Government’s ability to “dictate to states and territories about what they must do in their schools”. This is in marked conflict with other parts of their policy where they set out what they expect to see implemented, including: • 25% of existing public schools to become Independent Public Schools • a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths • revive teaching of foreign languages and improve the take up rate for studying Asian languages, and
• revisit and refocus the Australian Curriculum particularly in respect of what they see as its politicisation. None of this is consistent with a “hands off” approach. A remarkable amount of their policy in relation to teachers and teaching seems to reflect that of the outgoing Government’s National Education Reform Agreement (NERA) & National Plan for School Improvement (NPSI). In short, the Gonski dollars may not be delivered but the requirements will be. Perhaps one differentiating factor is the attitude of the incoming Government to NAPLAN where they want a quick turnaround for the test results and an end to the publication of data which can be used to “name and shame” schools. Continued page 3
If the State Government wants teachers to take on additional duties related to supervising prac it must be made worth their while, The Union told a Great Teaching Inspired Learning forum at press time. The IEU attended the forum on Great Teaching Inspired Learning as one of the major stakeholder groups to address the NSW Institute of Teachers and State Education Minister Adrian Piccoli. IEU General Secretary John Quessy says the day, which dealt with the practicum, “for us is about recognition”. “The pay for those supervising, guiding, assisting and reporting on student teachers has not changed since 1991, yet the work has, as has the level of responsibility of the task. Where else have wages stood still for more than two decades?” The Union’s position remains consistent. “If teachers are taking on extra advising and mentoring tasks it must be made worth their while,” he says. “Governments and universities do not own the practicums. They are owned by teachers and schools and what we are calling for is a significant lift in the rate for supervisors. Governments and universities can have all the cooperation they are prepared to pay for.” The Union is calling for the resourcing of the practicum to be re-examined at both a State and Federal Government level. Related coverage, page 4