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. 82 No. 13 (10 Dec 2001)
Images
24
View Catalogue

Contents

EDUCATION JOURNAL OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES TEACHERS FEDERATION 1
Carr warned on workers comp 1
New ministers for education 1
End of an era 1
NEWS State Budget offers last chance 2
Fires leave question over security 2
Vale Harry Hunter 2
Correction 2
Officers 2
Executive 2
Equal time off sought for primary teachers 3
Advertising 3
RFF turns 18 3
Dispute over strike and vacation pay 3
Tamworth by-election forum held 3
Plan your input into new syllabuses 4
Integration at any cost? 4
The hidden face of Mr Yen 5
Advertising 5
The year in review 6
New appointments cause concern 7
Transfer determination updated 7
Advertising 7
The President Writes New beginnings 8
LETTERS to the Editor Think education, not politics 8
Thank you 9
Masochism 9
The problem: salary rates 9
In the pink 9
Decline and fall 9
Advertising 9
ADMINISTRATION Tree Levy 2002 10
Elections to be held at February Council 10
Members write about Israel and Palestine Looking for balance 10
Think again 10
Treading on toes 10
Resolution outrage 11
Double standards 11 , 12
Questioning democracy 12
Discrediting the profession 12
Casual vacancies for General Secretary, Welfare Officer 11
2002 Election to fill casual vacancies for Administrative Officers – General Secretary and Welfare Officer 11
Advertising 12 , 13
2002 Trade Union Training Semester 1 14 , 15
Advertising 14 , 15
Affiliations for 2002 15
Notice of new affiliation 15
RETIRED VIEWS Retired Teachers Association 16
Teacher Housing a quality service 16 , 18
Advertising 17
REVIEWS Cheap WINE Wines to tipple this Christmas 18
Win a mixed dozen 18
Advertising 18
Theatre Celebrations of public education 19
Up, Up and Away Christmas, eh? 19
FILM A celluloid feast for the holidays 20
Computer Corner Flirting with frogs 20
Website Breaking links with Burma 20
Not the end of the World Mr Yen’s World 21
GOIN' UP THE COUNTRY Don’t you remember? 21
Advertising 22 , 23
DT SMITH 23
Abecedarian* 23
THOSE WHO CAN’T 23
INSIDE 24
Music and poetry for peace and tolerance 24
Advertising 24
Think National 24

Text

EDUCATION  

JOURNAL OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES TEACHERS FEDERATION  

Agreement No. PP255003 00104  

Vo 1. 82 No. 13 December 10, 2001  

Carr warned on workers comp  

by John Hennessy  

The price of alienating the workers: union disgruntlement was  

major factor in the ousting of two previous Labor governments  

in NSW. John Renshaw led the ALP to defeat in 1965 and Barrie  

Unsworth did the same in 1988. Will Bob Carr follow them?  

ditions in NSW when it sought to  

modify entitlements to workers com-  

pensation.  

Unionists, doctors, lawyers and  

all those people who supported  

fair workers compensation system  

were united in their opposition to the  

proposed system.  

The first stage of that opposition  

culminated with the now famous  

picket line around Parliament House.  

Labor members, in some cases  

assisted by police, broke the picket  

and the Premier displayed unparal-  

leled arrogance as he paraded along  

the verandahs of Parliament House.  

The first steps were taken to under-  

mine workers’ conditions.  

Throughout the campaign that  

followed, the unions were guided by  

the principle “that no injured worker  

should be worse off”. team of nego-  

tiators who spoke to wide audi-  

ence of workers via Sky Channel  

have spent the best part of the year  

campaigning to hold the Govern-  

ment to this commitment. While the  

unions are not satisfied, they have  

achieved significant improvements  

to the Government’s original pack-  

age.  

Teachers have conducted “grass  

roots” campaign and it has made  

the politicians aware of the depth of  

NSW Premier Bob Carr has been  

warned that teachers and other work-  

ers will not forget what he and his  

government have done to workers  

compensation entitlements.  

The Workers Compensation Fur-  

ther Amendment Bill 2001 has passed  

in both houses of the NSW Parlia-  

ment with the support of the Liberal  

Opposition.  

Federation will call on the NSW  

Labor Council to convene meetings  

of affiliated unions to plan appropri-  

ate action should any worker be seri-  

ously disadvantaged and members  

are advised to be prepared to take  

further industrial action to defend  

their rights.  

The NSW Labor Council will seek  

from the Industrial Relations Com-  

mission special test case to increase  

the maximum payments for workers  

compensation from the current level  

of $250,000 to $500,000.  

Members are advised that at every  

available opportunity, they should  

remind State politicians that come  

the next election they will remember  

what the politicians have done. Say  

to them, “I work and vote.”  

Just over year ago, the Can-  

Labor Government launched  

vicious attack on workers con-  

union anger at their assault on their  

rights. With your support, unions  

have:  

□ increased the maximum level of  

lump sum compensation payments  

from $175,000 to $250,000  

□ reduced the threshold to sue  

negligent employer from 25 per cent  

to 15 percent  

□ ensured that you will have legal  

representation and right of appeal if  

you have workplace accident  

□ made the medical guidelines  

against which your injury will be  

assessed fairer and  

□ repealed laws to allow the gov-  

ernment to privatise Work Cover.  

The Bill, as passed through State  

Parliament, is unacceptable and it  

does not have the unions’ endorse-  

ment as it still has serious flaws, but  

it is much better than it would have  

been in the absence of an active union  

membership.  

Now that the two major parties in  

the NSW Parliament have united in  

this matter, the Bill has passed, but  

Federation and other NSW unions  

will not give up on your rights, should  

you be injured at work.  

Labor Council ad page  

New ministers for education  

by Dennis Long  

The Teachers Federation has wel-  

comed the appointment of Glades-  

ville MP John Watkins as the new  

Education and Training Minister in  

Bob Carr’s NSW Government.  

His appointment follows months  

of speculation about the future of  

the former minister, John Aquilina,  

who was shifted to the Fair Trad-  

ing and Land and Water Conserva-  

tion portfolios (see “The President  

Writes”, page 8).  

The new minister was sworn in  

on November 21 and met with the  

union’s Senior Officers on Novem-  

ber 23 and November 30 with  

third meeting scheduled for this  

week. new staffing agreement  

was discussed. The scheduled meet-  

ing is to consider the Federation  

submission on the forthcoming State  

Budget (see story page 2).  

The new minister has promised  

regular monthly meetings.  

Federation President Sue Simp-  

son wished him well and noted that  

Federation had been able “to work  

well with him on the education of  

prisoners in his previous role as  

Minister for Corrective Services”.  

However, Federation also identi-  

fied challenges for the new min-  

ister, including school closures,  

teacher shortages, class sizes, restor-  

ing public education as the “first  

choice for more parents” and the  

“legacy of hostility toward the Carr  

Government” from the 1999 salaries  

dispute.  

Ms Simpson welcomed Minister  

Watkin’s reported comments that  

he was committed to working to  

improve teacher morale.  

Premier Carr is expected to main-  

tain heavy watch over the edu-  

cation portfolio and it remains to  

be seen if John Watkins’ role is to  

herald new era of co-operation  

between teachers and the State Gov-  

ernment or to put pleasant face  

on ugly policies.  

On his appointment, he indicated  

Changing of the guardians: Brendan Nelson, Jenny Macklin  

and John Watkins take on new roles.  

clearly that the government’s con-  

troversial school closure plans for  

inner Sydney would go ahead.  

Mr Watkins taught at St Joseph’s  

and sends his children to Catholic  

schools.  

During the 1996 salaries dispute,  

he broke Government ranks by pen-  

ning letter of support for Fed-  

eration’s position. His letter was  

significant development in breaking  

badly deadlocked confrontation.  

In the federal sphere, former  

Australian Medical Association  

president and Liberal moderate,  

Dr Brendan Nelson, has replaced  

hardliner Dr David Kemp as the  

education minister. Dr Nelson goes  

into Cabinet while Dr Kemp moves  

to the environment portfolio.  

In an interesting development,  

Dr Nelson will be shadowed by new  

ALP deputy leader Jenny Mack-  

lin.  

In choosing the education port-  

folio, Ms Macklin has broken with  

the recent tradition of linking leader-  

ship with the Treasury role. Paul  

Keating, Gareth Evans and Simon  

Crean all combined the number two  

spot with the role of high-powered  

economic spokesperson.  

Dennis Long  

is the Editor.  

End of an era  

by Dennis Long  

John Hennessy has resigned after  

11 years as General Secretary of  

the Teachers Federation.  

The election to fill the casual  

vacancy will be held at February  

Council (see notice page 11) with  

the new General Secretary taking  

over shortly thereafter.  

John was the ninth General Sec-  

retary, serving nearly as long as  

Ivor Lancaster (1963-1975) but well  

short of the first two, Hendry  

(1919-1944) and Norington  

(1944-1962).  

John began teaching in the Riv-  

erina in 1962 and moved to Tweed  

Heads in 1966. In 1972, he was  

elected as one of first two Country  

Resident Organiser and provided  

service to members on the North  

Coast.  

He was elected Assistant General  

Secretary (Schools) at the triennial  

election of Administrative Officers  

in 1988 when Bob Sharkey was  

elected General Secretary and won  

the by-election for the General Sec-  

retary’s position in September 1990  

when Bob resigned.  

John worked closely with then  

President Phil Cross during the  

Metherell years and subsequently  

with Denis Fitzgerald and Sue  

Simpson. He undertook major  

overhaul of the union’s financial  

operations and oversaw the shift  

from the Sussex Street office to the  

present location in Surry Hills.  

John is undecided about his  

immediate plans but may consider  

positions related to his interest in  

superannuation after he has had  

break.  

Cite

Citation options:
Work identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-680978701

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 July 24, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-680978701

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. 24 July 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-680978701>

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 24 July 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-680978701

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. 82 No. 13 (10 Dec 2001)
  | location=Sydney
  | publisher=The Federation
  | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-680978701
  | id=nla.obj-680978701
  | access-date=24 July 2025
  | via=Trove
}}

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