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. 81 No. 13 (20 Nov 2000)
Images
24
View Catalogue

Contents

EDUCATION JOURNAL OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES TEACHERS FEDERATION 1
Labor set to pass States Grants Bill 1
Sigrid seeks change in funding 1
PUBLIC EDUCATION OPEN LETTER 1
Union calls for expedited private school review 1 , 2
NEWS Breakthrough on collegiates 2
Telegraph apology to Mt Druitt students 2
Know your rights about leave 2
Advertising 2
Officers 2
Executive 2
Countering the Government’s spin on the States Grants Bill 3 , 4
King’s greed shines through 3
American voters reject vouchers 3
Aquilina snubs Seaforth idea 4
Anniversary rally 4
Taking students with special needs on overnight excursions 5
Administration of medicine 5
Charles Perkins leaves Aboriginal legacy 5
Fund ready to make an impact 5
Indigenous cultures face similar education issues 6
Gender headlines ignore complexities 6
TAFE funds to be frozen 6
Peace tents and olive harvests 7
Advertising 7
Plight of women and girls highlighted 8
Federation resources tackle women's issues 8
School to Work program causes concern 8
THA representative appointed 8
Advertising 8 , 9
The President Writes Both sides of politics must take blame for funding 10
LETTERS to the Editor 10
Ken: our Nero! 10
At last 10
Carbon Copy Costly image plans 11
Career change scheme for Premier, Minister and D-G 11
Advertising 11
Support for teacher-librarians 11
Robbing for the rich 11
Oi! Oi! Oi! 11
Meadowbank malarky 11
ADMINISTRATION Biennial Council elections 12
Advertising 12
RETIRED FINANCE Retired Teachers Association Second Friday of each month, 1.30 pm. Teachers House, Mary Street, Surry Hills Sydney. 13
Don’t forget travel insurance 13
Swings and roundabouts 13
Advertising 14
VIEWS Medicare myths busted, truth revealed 15
The pernicious management of education 15 , 17
People who matter 15
Advertising 16
REVIEWS Up, Up and Show me the Monet 17
Computer Corner Customisation but at a cost in workload 17
books Lies and truths of East Timor 18
Advertising 18
By George, some great theatre at last! Theatre 19
cheap WINE It’s Cool at Bathurst Wine Show 2000 19
FILM First the good films, then the bad and ugly... 20
LAS VEGAS of the Bidgee Sorry I haven’t written 20
Mr Yen's world Ministry of Silly Talks 21
Website McUnionism 21
Advertising 21 , 22 , 23
DT SMITH 23
SHOE 23
THOSE WHO CAN’T 23
INSIDE 24
Busy day on road to Timor 24

Text

EDUCATION  

JOURNAL OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES TEACHERS FEDERATION  

Agreement No. PP 255 0010  

Voi, 81 0.13 November 20. 2000  

Labor set to pass States Grants Bill  

by Sally Edsall  

The Labor Party has stood in the  

way of progressive amendments  

to the controversial States Grants  

Bill when it was debated in the  

Senate.  

The Bill will deliver huge  

windfall funding increases to elite  

schools and continue to encourage  

the proliferation of small boutique  

schools and low-fee systems oper-  

ated by religious denominations.  

The Democrats and The Greens  

moved amendments which would  

have had the effects listed below.  

All were opposed by Labor in  

concert with the Howard  

Government.  

The most important amend-  

ment, moved by The Greens,  

would have brought an independ-  

ent review of funding as soon as  

possible after the commencement  

of the Act. The Democrats took  

similar position, but were pre-  

pared to wait until two years after  

the Act commences. Both The  

Greens and the Democrats sup-  

ported funding being maintained  

at existing levels, adjusted for  

inflation, so that no school would  

be disadvantaged compared to  

2000.  

Other Democrats and Greens  

amendments were to ensure:  

□ the socio-economic status  

(SES) score for school to take  

into account existing financial  

resources of the school, its capac-  

ity to raise income from private  

sources and tuition and other fees  

charged;  

□ SES scores to be based on  

actual parental income of students  

at the school;  

□ requirement that 95 percent of  

teachers employed by any author-  

ity be qualified, and reporting on  

the reasons for employing any  

unqualified teacher;  

□ reporting on any exclusion  

policies operated by the school.  

Amendments which were sup-  

ported by Labor as well as The  

Greens and Democrats included  

removal of the Enrolment  

Benchmark Adjustment (EBA)  

mechanism and removal of the  

funding increases from Category  

(the most elite) private schools,  

with that money being used to  

increase funding for special edu-  

cation students in both public and  

private schools. Establishment  

grants to be paid to private schools  

would also be extended to public  

schools.  

The Democrats and Labor  

agreed the first object of the Act  

would be to provide assistance to  

the states to provide quality, free,  

compulsory and secular public  

education. However, the  

Democrat amendment to reduce  

the disparity between resources  

available to schools serving the  

most disadvantaged and those  

serving the least disadvantaged  

was amended by Labor such that it  

recognises the importance of  

funding for non-government  

schools and that funding should be  

on the basis of need and to ensure  

their provision of education to an  

acceptable standard.  

There is two week  

Parliamentary recess after which  

the amended Bill will go back to  

the House of Representatives in  

the week beginning November 27.  

Parliament rises on December 10  

for the Christmas recess.  

Labor has indicated that if the  

amendments are not accepted in  

the House of Representatives they  

will pass the legislation as it was  

originally presented by the  

Government.  

Senator Bob Brown of The  

Greens will continue to oppose the  

legislation.  

The Democrats have not yet  

declared how they will respond if  

the Government rejects the Senate  

amendments.  

Sally Edsall  

is Research Officer.  

Sigrid seeks change in funding  

Actors Sigrid Thornton and  

William Mclnnes from the popu-  

lar TV show Sea Chang e. food  

writers Stephanie Alexander and  

Gabriel Gate and Olympic gold  

medallist Natalie Cook are just  

few of the 120 people who  

signed an open letter to Federal  

Senators protesting at the Federal  

Government’s education funding  

proposals.  

The letter was published in  

The Australian on November  

S.The letter rejected the  

Government’s plan to introduce  

the new socio economic status  

funding policy as ‘inaccurate and  

inequitable”, called for abolition  

of the Enrolment Benchmark  

Adjustment and called for an  

increase in public education  

expenditure to at least 5.1 per  

cent of GDP.  

Such an increase would move  

Australia to the Organisation of  

Economic Co-operation and  

Development mean for education  

expenditure. Australia is cur-  

rently ranked 24th out of the 28  

OECD countries.  

Signatories included writers  

Steve Biddulph, Robert Dessaix,  

Helen Garner and Linda Jaivin,  

academic Verity Burgmann.  

ACTE President Sharan Burrow,  

former Victorian Premiers John  

Cain and Joan kirner. musician  

Paul Kelly, social commentator  

Lva Cox, comedians Rod  

Quantock, Denise Scott and  

Matthew Quartermaine, AEU  

President Denis Fitzgerald, jour-  

nalist Ramona Koval, ACTU  

Secretary Greg Combet, actor  

Alice Garner, artist Bernhard  

Sachs and barrister Jocelvnne  

Seutt  

Sigrid Thornton (left) has rejected the States Grants Bill. Others demand-  

ing that the Howard Government change its funding policies include (from  

top) Stephanie Alexander, William Mclnnes and Rod Quantock.  

PUBLIC EDUCATION OPEN LETTER  

"Public Education is the single most important element in the maintenance of  

democratic system. Highly sophisticated elites are the easiest and least  

original thing society sen produce. The most difficult and the most valuable  

is well educated populace" John Ralston Saul  

We. the undersigned Australians, request that the Senate considering the issues of  

public education should:  

1. Reject the Government's plan to introduce the new socioeconomic status funding  

oolicv for schools because It is inaccurate and inequitable.  

2. Revoke the Enrolment Benchmark Adjustment because it discriminates against  

public schools.  

We also urge the Serrate to call for an increase in public education expenditure to at  

least 5.1% of GDP. which is the country mean in the 2000 OECD report comparing  

education expenditure internationally (where Australia was ranked 24th out of 28  

countries).  

Prime Minister Howard and Education Minister Kemp claim that "fairness*, "equity"  

and "choice* are their guiding principles. If so, then more money should be allocated  

to the government schools that educate 70% of Australian children.  

We demand fairness in education funding, and celt on Australian governments io  

create public education system worthy of our nation.  

Stephanie Alexander Gabriel Gate Matthew Quartenratea  

Robin Anderson Helen Gaynor Metraßayner  

Assoc. Prof, Su Baker Julian Gofey annte Rayson  

Tim Bass f»ek Gross John Ruane  

Franceses Bass Tracey Harvey Bernhard Saohs  

Steve Biddulph Christine Hasty Garaih Sansom  

Ben Bodna AM Or Miches: Henry Margaret SchofeiW QAM  

Andrew Boveil Shane Higgs David Scott AO  

Brian Boyd Julian Hfli Denise Soott  

Martin Brannan Or Jenny Hocking DrJocetynneA.Scutt  

Assoc. Prof. Verity Stephanie Holt HeatiusrSWmmen  

Burgmann Jean Hunt JIB Singer  

Sharan Burrow Linda Jaivin John Savin  

Lbe Burton Or Pauline James Mark Taft  

Hon, John Cain Phi! Johnson Prof Rtcftsrci Tee#*  

An open letter to Senators signed by 120 prominent figures appeared in  

The Australian on November 8.  

Union calls for expedited private school review  

by Sally Edsall  

An independent review of the state’s private  

school sector is to be conducted, Education  

Minister John Aquilina has announced.  

The report from the review is due at the  

end of 2001. The review will be chaired by  

former Board of Studies President Warren  

Grimshaw.  

Federation Council has welcomed the  

review. The union has been arguing for some  

time that there is little if any accountability  

required of private schools. However,  

Federation Council also called upon the  

Government to expedite the review so that it  

would report by the end of term 1, 2001. That  

would allow necessary time for any legislative  

or administrative changes required to be in  

place for the beginning of the 2002 school  

year. By delaying reporting until the end of  

2001, it is likely changes would not be in  

place before 2003. The timing would also  

mean the report would not be presented before  

the next federal government election.  

Terms of reference  

The terms of reference for the review are as  

follows:  

“Develop NSW policy framework for the  

establishment, funding and regulation of non-  

government schools. In doing so considera-  

tion is to be given to:  

• the definition of ‘a school’  

• registration and accreditation criteria  

• the reasons for State funding of non-govem-  

ment schools  

• financial and educational reporting  

• State funding framework for non-govern-  

ment schools that is effective and equitable  

• the impact of Federal Government policy  

Funding framework proposals will respond to  

need, be based on principles of fairness and  

address issues of accountability.  

The reviewer will also consider whether  

cross-sectoral planning can contribute to  

more efficient use of public resources.  

The review is to be limited to matters  

within the Minister’s portfolio.  

continued page  

Cite

Citation options:
Work identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-680907169

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 11, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-680907169

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. 11 August 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-680907169>

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 11 August 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-680907169

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. 81 No. 13 (20 Nov 2000)
  | location=Sydney
  | publisher=The Federation
  | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-680907169
  | id=nla.obj-680907169
  | access-date=11 August 2025
  | via=Trove
}}

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