COVID-19
COVID-19: a timeline of union action By Kirsty Henderson
The beginnings of a pandemic Never has the community faced a challenge like that posed by COVID-19. Since a fleeting mention in January, the virus has come to dominate every aspect of life, with schools and TAFEs being no exception. The outbreak was quickly declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and although the virus spread at a slow and steady rate throughout WA, public hysteria swiftly began to escalate. Whilst the federal government did its best to orchestrate a national public health
The West Australian, 25 March 2020
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Western Teacher    May 2020
emergency plan, it stumbled to deliver clear and consistent messaging to the public.
businesses both great and small, with thousands of people suffering unemployment.
States and territories were left to follow their own paths in dealing with the crisis and in turn the levels of anxiety among the public and WA teachers increased exponentially.
All the while, the Morrison Government was asking educators to battle the front line in the complex world of teaching, where hygiene is questionable and social distancing almost impossible.
There was no longer a consistent and transparent national response.
Throughout the crisis, the SSTUWA worked tirelessly behind the scenes, consulting and lobbying with the state and federal governments, the Department of Education (DoE) and the Director General about the rights and safety of its members and students. View the timeline on pages 9-10.
It was no longer business as usual. The implementation of strict social distancing measures and hygiene restrictions saw the closures of
The West Australian, 22 April 2020
