Education : journal of the N.S.W. Public School Teachers Federation

Call Number
Nef 331.8809944 EDU
Created/Published
Sydney : The Federation, 1919-2021
Issue
Vol. 92 No. 10 (24 Oct 2011)
Images
32
View Catalogue

Contents

EDUCATION Journal of the New South Wales Teachers Federation 1
September 8 rallies and the way forward 1
Government attacks TAFE teachers 1
EDUCATION 2
Executive 2
Officers 2
Contents 2
Advertising 2
Stand up for super 3
Temporary salaries still incorrectly paid 3
Our Fed Reps 3
United frontin Cooma 4
We were there 4
Workers tell the Premier it's not on 4
Regional forces 4
Positives for public in Gonski papers 5 , 9
Advertising 5
Action on schools funding review 5
Oppose preschool fees 6
Chance to influence devolution debate 6
Association spotlight Uralla Teachers Association 6
2 Schools 2 Sites protest gains momentum 7
Teach for America fails the test 7
Advertising 7
Universal themes in global struggle for public education 8
Michigan teachers forced to make the switch 8
Unions across the world mobilise 8
Review of policies on violent behaviour is necessary 9 , 10
Association funds students' Sydney adventure 9
Advertising 9
YOU ME UNITY Why should Australians support Constitutional change? 10
Investing in TAFE is vital in NSW skills reform 10
School facilities standards to be updated 11
Want to be an energy and climate change leader? 11
Advertising 11
The industrial changes must be defeated 12
letters DO YOUR HOMEO-WORK 12
VITAL CORRECTION 12
TESTING TIME 13
No title 13
THANKS 13
CHILEAN EDUCATION PROTESTS 13
TRADE-OFFS 13
Advertising 13
KEEP IT CIVILIAN 14
FAITH BY NUMBERS 14
UNCRITICAL THINKING 14
SHAME ABOUT THE SHIRTS 14
THE ART OF WAR 14
Carbon copy 14
Advertising 14
features 15
lie real cost of the West’s War on Terror 15 , 17
Inside 15
Paper Plane 16
Opportunity to shape the future of your credit union TEACHERS CREDIT UNION 16
Documentary questions journalist practices 16
It's time to bite the bullet: teaching for peace 17
Supporting Maiaiafs struggle 17
Class of ’58... you are requested to commence duty. 17
In the libraty 18
Retired Teachers Association 18 , 19
Social news 18
Westport students shine at Landcare Forum 19
In brief 19
Teachers want secure jobs for a better future 20
State of our TAFEs survey 20
Dataset to expose workforce trends 20
Help close the gap 20
your say 21
Coal seam gas: coming to a school near you, courtesy of the carbon tax 21
Inside 21
NRMA directors have let down its members 22
Pen and ink 22
reviews 23
Film 23 , 24
Inside 23
Computer Corner 24
Advertising 24
Theatre 25
In brief 25
Advertising 26
Corkscrew 27
Book 27
Advertising 28
administration 29
2012 Project Officersrecruitment and activism DT SMITH 29 , 31
Advertising 29 , 30 , 31
No title 31
Snapped in and out of class 32

Text

EDUCATION  

Journal of the New South Wales Teachers Federation  

Agreement No. PP255003 00104  

Dave feeds the  

community spirit  

 

Plus  

Superannuation  

Funding review  

Violent behaviour  

i: l, '7V',"  

October 24, 2011 Vol 92 No 10  

September rallies and  

the way forward  

The Domain crowd of 35,000 texted their displeasure to Barry O'Farrell on September 8.  

Bob Lipscombe  

President  

On September 8, tens of thousands  

of teachers joined protests of public  

sector workers in Sydney and  

across NSW against the O'Farrell  

Government's flawed industrial  

legislation. Not only has the Gov-  

ernment failed to respond to this  

widespread concern, but it has now  

declined to set date for the com-  

mencement of salaries negotiations  

for school, TAFE and other teach-  

ers. This is despite the fact that  

those awards are set to expire on  

December 31.  

The Government is well aware  

that salaries negotiations would  

normally have commenced well  

before now. It is also well aware that  

if it can delay negotiations and  

settlement beyond January 1, each  

week without new award repre-  

sents savings that run into the mil-  

lions of dollars. All this, of course,  

comes at the expense of teachers  

and their families and is in addi-  

tion to any other savings it hopes  

to make by cutting the real income  

of teachers over the next four years  

under its wages policy.  

Importantly, with its earlier  

changes to the Industrial Rela-  

tions Act, its proposed changes to  

the employment arrangements of  

thousands of TAFE teachers with-  

out notice or negotiation, and the  

failure of the Government to make  

any offer, it now seems clear that  

the Government is more intent on  

disrupting and delaying negotia-  

tions than progressing them.  

With all its flaws, the O’Farrell  

Government’s NSW Public Sector  

Wages Policy announced earli-  

er this year requires the Govern-  

ment’s Wages Policy Taskforce or  

Expenditure Review Committee  

to approve bargaining parameters  

"three months prior to the expiry  

of current industrial agreement  

and before an offer is made”. It also  

requires that, "Agencies should ap-  

proach negotiations in coopera-  

tive and problem-solving manner...  

All parties are expected to behave  

in an open manner, with integrity  

and honesty.”  

To date there is no evidence of  

compliance with either the spirit or  

the wording of these aspects of the  

wages policy. In reply to the most  

recent correspondence from the  

Federation seeking fair and rea-  

sonable salaries offer and negotia-  

tions, sent at the end of September,  

Minister for Education Adrian Pic-  

coli replied on October 17 that ap-  

provals required under the Public  

Sector Wages Policy before negoti-  

ations can commence had not yet  

been gained. So much for the re-  

quirements above.  

Since the Minister's reply, thou-  

sands of members have also emailed  

the Government seeking the com-  

mencement of negotiations.  

Clearly, this situation cannot be  

allowed to continue. With the matter  

being considered at the meeting of  

the Federation’s Council on October  

22, members should be prepared for  

action in the weeks ahead.  

Government attacks  

TAFE teachers  

Bob Lipscombe  

President  

Once again, despite claims during  

the state election campaign that  

it would usher in new era of  

openness and transparency, the  

O’Farrell Government is in the  

process of introducing signifi-  

cant industrial changes without  

any prior consultation with those  

most affected. In fact, the Feder-  

ation, with thousands of affect-  

ed members, was only advised  

once the legislation was before  

Parliament, with another major  

union, the Public Service Associ-  

ation, only being made aware the  

following day.  

Late on Tuesday October 11,  

the O'Farrell Government intro-  

duced the Technical and Further  

Education Commission Amend-  

ment (Staff Employment) Bill  

2011 into the Legislative Assem-  

bly to change the employment  

status of TAFE teaching and non-  

teaching staff in NSW. Currently,  

TAFE employees are employed in  

the government service and not  

directly by the TAFE Commis-  

sion. Under the change they will  

be employed directly by the TAFE  

Commission.  

In introducing the change,  

the Government said it was im-  

portant that TAFE employees be  

employed directly by the TAFE  

Commission. It was argued that  

the change will provide TAFE  

with "flexibility”. However, the  

most significant and immediate  

change is that TAFE employees’  

salaries and conditions will no  

longer be subject to state industri-  

al legislation, but will be covered  

by the federal Fair Work Australia  

legislation.  

This is the major reason for  

the Government's action at this  

time, with the immediate inten-  

tion being to complicate and dis-  

rupt salaries negotiations for  

new TAFE award to replace the  

current award which expires on  

December 31. It will also provide  

an opportunity to further attack  

TAFE salaries and conditions.  

Although the Government is  

claiming that it will simply roll  

over existing TAFE conditions,  

the undertaking may prove fairly  

hollow given that salaries negoti-  

ations to even just maintain real  

income will give them the oppor-  

tunity to open up any conditions  

they choose to pursue.  

Importantly, because of their  

complexity, teacher salaries ne-  

gotiations with the Government  

can often take many months.  

For example, in 2008 salaries ne-  

gotiations commenced in Sep-  

tember for new award to oper-  

ate from January 1, 2009. Even  

with this start, negotiations for  

school teachers took more than  

four months, and for TAFE much  

longer. With the Government  

only being prepared to maintain  

existing conditions for 12 months  

under the legislation, there are  

real dangers for TAFE teachers.  

If negotiations should prove  

unsuccessful because, for exam-  

ple, the Government insists on  

cutting real incomes and/or slash-  

ing working conditions, at the end  

of 12 months it is likely that TAFE  

teachers will pass under the feder-  

al Educational Services (Post-Sec-  

ondary Education) Award 2010.  

Under this award, the maximum  

rate for TAFE teacher is little  

more than $52,000 per annum.  

The Federation has joined  

with the Public Service Associa-  

tion in vigorous lobbying cam-  

paign against the legislation with  

Members of Parliament. Should  

this prove unsuccessful, mem-  

bers should rest assured that the  

Federation will defend its TAFE  

members' salaries and conditions.  

Cite

Citation options:
Work identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-667367682

APA citation

N.S.W. Teachers' Federation & New South Wales Public School Teachers' Federation. (1919). Education : journal of the N.S.W. Public School Teachers Federation Retrieved August 13, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-667367682

MLA citation

N.S.W. Teachers' Federation and New South Wales Public School Teachers' Federation. Education : journal of the N.S.W. Public School Teachers Federation Sydney: The Federation, 1919. Web. 13 August 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-667367682>

Harvard/Australian citation

N.S.W. Teachers' Federation & New South Wales Public School Teachers' Federation. 1919, Education : journal of the N.S.W. Public School Teachers Federation The Federation, Sydney viewed 13 August 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-667367682

Wikipedia citation

{{Citation
  | author1=N.S.W. Teachers' Federation.
  | author2=New South Wales Public School Teachers' Federation.
  | title=Education : journal of the N.S.W. Public School Teachers Federation.
  | year=1919
  | section=volumes.
  | issn=0013-1156
  | issue=Vol. 92 No. 10 (24 Oct 2011)
  | location=Sydney
  | publisher=The Federation
  | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-667367682
  | id=nla.obj-667367682
  | access-date=13 August 2025
  | via=Trove
}}

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