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. 84 No. 02 (3 Mar 2003)
Images
24
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Contents

EDUCATION JOURNAL OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES TEACHERS FEDERATION 1
Carr sends Watkins to stall for time Comment Quotable quotes 1
Coalition launches and scraps policy 1 , 8
No action from Watkins on salaries 1 , 2
STATE ELECTION Pressure put on eastern suburbs politicians 2
Reminder on vacation strike pay repayments 2
Disturbing parallel 2
Officers 2
Executive 2
NO WAR Peace is teacher union business 3
No war on Iraq 3
The conditions for war do not exist 3 , 4
Labor Council supports the peace movement 3
NEWS Positive developments in staffing policy 4
Watkins ‘sympathetic’ to drought affected schools 4
Do not be VET emergency contact 4
Take responsibility for Aboriginal education Recognising Aboriginal land 5
Just solutions 5
Action areas 5
Tea and sympathy in Monaro and Burrinjuck 6
Large turnout, but no Minister 6
Codes the secret to transfer perfect match 6
Advertising 6
Consultation assured on e-mail plan 7
Byron stops work to stop the war 7
Young women in Laos thank Australian unions 7
in BRIEF 7
Our Fed Reps 7
Greens and Democrats answer public education questions 8
School keeps teacher after proposed stopwork 8
Child protection legislation must change 9
Delegates work towards equity for the disadvantaged 9
Equity programs retained and strengthened 9
Sticker day to highlight TAFE crisis 9
Riverina Institute opens campus in Dareton 9
The President Writes A passionate constituency 10
LETTERS to the Editor Assailed 10
Drawn and quartoed 10
Sam defended 11
Give freedom to act sensibly 11
Counsellors deserve better pay 11
(Mis) information campaign 13
Queue jumpers 13
Still angry 13
Mass meeting supporters 14
Bloody-milldedneSS 14
Peace follows struggle 14
Advertising 11
ADMINSTRATION Elections at March Council New listings 12
Additional TUT courses OH&S for Federation Representatives (Campaigns) 12
Advertising 13
Check your codes 14
Singing for the people at folk festival 14
TAFE Professional issues and funding capture national agenda 15
Advertising 15 , 16
REVIEWS VIEWS cheap WINE Wines worth writing about 17
Rural schools important to Australian society 17
Federal Government causes hardship 17
Computer Corner Contributing to websites made easier 18
Website Warmongers denounced 18
Up, Up and Away So, where are you headed? The Old Curmudgeon books a trip 18
Federation Library Resources available to assist members: 18
FILM Coming to terms with demons past 19
Theatre Great diversity on stage 19
Advance Australia Fear Australia, look out Mr Yen’s World 20
GOING UP THE COUNTRY Performancy anxiety and other matters 20
Advertising 21 , 22
DT SMITH 22
THOSE WHO CAN’T 22
Class sizes pilot ‘not serious’ League tables go against world view 23
Part-time work gets nod from Sue 23
Review of the NSW Teachers Federation's Organising and Industrial Structure Call for Submissions 23
INSIDE 24
Teachers and students march for peace 24
Teachers travel for public education’s future 24

Text

EDUCATION  

JOURNAL OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES TEACHERS FEDERATION  

PP255003 00104  

Vol. 84 0.2 March 3, 2003  

Carr sends Watkins to stall for time  

Comment  

Quotable quotes  

by Maree O’Halloran  

Education Minister John Watkins, in the spotlight with  

nothing to say at the Sydney Town Hall on February  

19, rightly angered the 2500-strong audience of public  

education supporters.  

The ALP may argue that the Public Education Fomm  

at the Town Hall was not their event, not in their timetable  

and therefore not deserving of election announcements.  

However, the excruciating spectacle of Minister sent  

to an election event with nothing to say was hardly  

edifying. It signalled contempt for the public education  

constituency and an assured smugness brought about by  

successive polls showing an easy ALP victory.  

The clear message for us, however, is that there is  

still time for the Carr Government to make significant  

announcements about public education. The Minister’s  

“if and when” class sizes policy must become real. The  

Government will match the Opposition’s announcements  

about class sizes and professional development “if and  

when” opinion polling and pressure from the public  

education constituency forces it to do so.  

The Minister’s promises not to denigrate the profes-  

sion and to negotiate immediately after the election for  

new award to be in place by the end of 2003 were  

applauded. Unfortunately, we hear in those words  

suspicious echo of the Minister’s predecessors. The  

Government could give these words the “ring of truth”  

and make an auspicious start to the next salaries round  

by paying the Vinson five per cent salary increase to  

teachers in 2003. The call to significantly increase the  

salaries of the profession was strongly made on the  

night and each politician was put under pressure during  

question time. Significantly, the Coalition ruled out  

“performance-based” pay as did the ALP.  

The Town Hall Forum forced politicians to confront  

the unsuppressed passion and the well-reasoned argu-  

ments of the public education constituency. The Vinson  

Inquiry is our platform: it is where we stake out our  

ground. From the Vinson research base and the recom-  

mendations, we are able to analyse election announce-  

ments of all parties. To date the ALP has announced four  

small and, in the main, operationally sound policies.  

None of these policies has required enhanced Treasury  

funding, that is, they have all been within the current  

budget. Boasting that no extra funds are provided is  

part of the government’s media strategy to highlight  

“fiscal responsibility”.  

We should note, however, that even using the Treas-  

urer’s own ‘not to be trusted’ figures, there is at least  

$BOO million over four years available for increased  

investment in certain areas. There are certainly more  

Government announcements to be made and we need  

to ensure that public education is in the forefront of  

these.  

The Coalition Leader, John Brogden, took the oppor-  

tunity at the Forum to announce $5O million profes-  

sional development plan to commence in 2005. The  

plan, though not the timing, was adopted in full from the  

Vinson Report. While there are elements of Coalition  

Lee Rhiannon  

“The money is most  

definitely there...all  

it takes is the politi-  

cal will and com-  

mitment to public  

education.”  

John Brogden  

“Performance pay  

is no longer on the  

table for considera-  

tion in the Coali-  

tion.”  

John Watkins  

“If and when  

class size policy  

is announced...you  

will need to com-  

pare it to the guar-  

antee hinted by the  

Opposition.”  

policy that we would applaud, it is all clouded by their damaging  

“league tables” proposal. This proposal was passionately opposed by  

the entire Town Hall audience. Professor Vinson publicly called upon  

the Coalition leader to withdraw the damaging proposal.  

The Greens’ Lee Rhiannon, was the speaker overwhelmingly  

supported on the night. She analysed the flaws in both ALP and  

Coalition policy and mounted case for significantly increased  

investment in public education. Her plan to hold the Coalition to  

their promises by moving the Vinson recommendations in the Upper  

House was loudly applauded. The Town Hall seemed to turn green  

before our eyes.  

The Forum demonstrated to the politicians, the media and the  

public that we are united behind the Vinson plan. The physical  

demonstration of our support was cmcial to our mounting campaign.  

The current position of each political party has been exposed. We  

must now capitalise on the time left before the state election.  

Maree O’Halloran is the President.  

Supporters of public education filled the Sydney Town Hall.  

Coalition launches  

and scraps policy  

by Kerri Carr  

The Coalition has used the Public Education Forum at  

the Sydney Town Hall to announce proposed spending of  

an additional $5O million on professional development  

and the scrapping of its performance pay proposal.  

Teachers, parents and public education supporters  

filled the town hall on February 19 to hear politicians  

speak in the lead-up to the state election.  

Coalition leader John Brogden said funding for the  

professional development program would start at the  

beginning of 2005.  

He said for each full-time teaching position in  

Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong there would be  

$BOO for professional development, and for all other  

schools $l2OO for each full-time teaching position.  

“It will be indexed to CPI, so it can never be dimin-  

ished or reduced,” Mr Brogden said.  

Mr Brogden also declared: “Performance pay is  

no longer on the table for consideration in the Coali-  

tion.”  

When Mr Watkins came to the lectern there were  

calls of, “Where’s Bob [Carr]?”  

He was further met with hostile interjections when  

he said he would be unable to provide details of all  

the ALP’s policies.  

In fact, he did not announce any new policies at the  

event, rather summarising policies previously announced  

and declaring “there are more to come”.  

Mr Watkins said the Public Education Council was  

“assisting in the task of prioritising areas of reform”.  

“And Tony [Vinson] has addressed the Public Educa-  

tion Council [PEC]. Tony’s landmark study and the  

PEC advice and the plans have and will announce  

during this campaign will together come to form  

clear 10 year plan to strengthen all that is good about  

public education.”  

He did say: “The Premier said this morning that  

there will be more to say [about class sizes] as the  

election campaign goes on.”  

The audience was unhappy with this response. Mr  

Watkins continued: “If and when class size policy  

is announced, and full details about funding, you will  

need to compare it to the guarantee hinted by the  

Opposition.”  

“They said $212 million would come from cuts to  

government departments that means cuts to public  

sector employment.  

“The other $3OO million comes from future govern-  

ment surpluses.”  

Mr Brogden confessed to the audience: “We don’t  

agree on everything and don’t pretend that we do.”  

He mentioned selective schools and performance  

tables (see page 23).  

continued on page  

No action from Watkins on salaries  

by Dennis Long  

The Federation has written to Education  

Minister John Watkins expressing disappoint-  

ment over his failure to respond to five-point  

plan to avoid repetition of the 1999 salaries  

dispute. The plan was outlined to the minister  

in letter dated December 9.  

The Federation wrote again on February  

17 seeking positive response to the proposal,  

saying that “such response would ensure  

that the bitter disputation which characterised  

the last salaries round was not repeated”.  

The five-point plan proposed:  

□ that the five per cent catch-up recom-  

mended by the Vinson Inquiry be paid to  

teachers in addition to the five per cent  

due in January 2003;  

□ the Government and the Department commit  

not to propose cuts to working conditions,  

increase workload or undermine the profes-  

sion in the next salaries round;  

□ the first percentage increase for the next  

award be from January 1,2004 regardless  

of whether negotiations are completed;  

□ restructuring of the current award to rectify  

inequities in primary executive structure  

and release; incremental progression for  

temporary teachers; by aggregating casual,  

temporary and permanent service for incre-  

mental progression; and ensuring sufficient  

funds to rectify anomalies in the operation  

of the TAFE head teacher classification;  

continued on page  

Cite

Citation options:
Work identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-682775620

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 26, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-682775620

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. 26 July 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-682775620>

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 26 July 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-682775620

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. 84 No. 02 (3 Mar 2003)
  | location=Sydney
  | publisher=The Federation
  | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-682775620
  | id=nla.obj-682775620
  | access-date=26 July 2025
  | via=Trove
}}

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