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. 85 No. 03 (29 Mar 2004)
Images
28
View Catalogue

Contents

EDUCATION JOURNAL OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES TEACHERS FEDERATION 1
State Budget to coincide with salaries deadline 1
Federal Government cuts real funding for public schools 1 , 3
Nelson turns his back on public education 1
TAFE teachers strike over fees and funding 1 , 4
CAMPAIGNS Salaries bans remain in place 2
Interim increases still sought for two groups 2
IRC orders conciliation for Corrective Services 2
Teacher email accounts opposed 2
Officers 2
Executive 2
Howard’s Government for private schools 3
Institute will proceed 3
School gate protest for Dr Nelson 3
Nelson and Refshauge blame each other 4
DET re-writes suspension and expulsion policy 4
Information for parents about salaries and May 20 4
NEWS Education policy guided by Federal purse strings 5
From the coast to the country 5
Attracting male teachers needs more than a change of Act 5
Work underway to implement Eltis recommendations 5
Move to close private school discrimination loophole 6
What can you do? 6
Call to expand teacher mentor program 6
Promoting privates is not on 6
DET offers no additional funding on TL log of claims 6
Aboriginal Conference to focus on quality teaching 7
Creche initiative brings extra students and employment 7
Keeping up the campaign for refugees 7
Plight of asylum seekers outlined 7
Advertising 7
DET’s professional learning finalised 8
Heading to high country in song 8
Folk Festival giveaway 8
Advertising 8
New procedures for child protection 8
Advertising 8
Maritime lessons in history launched 9
Early childhood inquiry underway 9
Advertising 9
in BRIEF 10
Advertising 10
Public education’s value to post-modern, multicultural, microchip society 11
Drought impacts on enrolments 11
The President Writes The enduring loyalty to public education 12
LETTERS to the Editor Striking effect 12
School bulletins on funding 13
Is it over? 13
Misplaced concerns 13
Additional pressure 13
Department for Private Schools 13
Don’t dare complain 13
Uneven funding field 15
Who are the terrorists? 15
Revise attitude 15
More generalisations 15
Basic conditions to end conflict 15
Advertising 13 , 14
ADMINISTRATION Council vacancies for remainder of 2004 15
Advertising 16
RETIRED Telling Tony Abbott about the elderly contribution to Australia’s economy Retired Teachers Association 16
Advertising 16
VIEWS Get troops out and Howard Government out 17
Our past is in our present at the Redfern riot 17
Flotillas of hope 17
Advertising 18
REVIEWS The dreaded C word good vibrations 19
Computer Corner Making garage music on an Apple 19
Advertising 19 , 20
Theatre Hitting a spiritual note 21
Darlinghurst Theatre offer 21
Down to the business of life (and death) Miles Away 21
Federation Library 21
Cork Screw Black shiraz is a blinder’ 22
Advertising 22
Monsters... real or not real? FILM 23
Travel quiz part 2 (the hard stuff) Up, Up and Away 23
Chalk talk Mr Yen’s 24
Advertising 24 , 25 , 26
DT SMITH 26
THOSE WHO CAN’T 26
Advertising 27
INSIDE 28
Faces of the future teachers 28
Dynamic program for Women’s Conference 28
No title 28

Text

EDUCATION  

JOURNAL OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES TEACHERS FEDERATION  

PP255003 00104  

Vo 1. 0.3  

March 29. 2004  

State Budget to coincide with salaries deadline  

by Maree O’Halloran  

The State Government has delayed  

the State Budget until June 22, just  

days before expiration of the interim  

salaries award for school and TAFE  

teachers.  

The Budget was originally  

scheduled for May.  

final decision from the Industrial  

Relations Commission (IRC) about  

teacher salaries is due before June  

30 and the Federation has called for  

it in advance of the Budget to allow  

proper arrangements to be made for  

transparent funding. The delay in the  

State Budget makes it more likely that  

final decision will be brought down  

before the State Budget. However, it  

does not change the likelihood that  

industrial action may be required to  

secure full funding.  

In the wake of the IRC’s interim  

decision and judgment on salaries  

on December 19,2003, Federation  

has called for:  

□ the State Government to meet  

Federation’s justified claim of 25  

per cent over two years  

□ full funding from Treasury  

for teacher salary and allowance  

increases to protect the public edu-  

cation budget.  

The State Government continues  

to ignore Federation letters and  

representations for full funding.  

The Treasurer is also deliberately  

propagating the fear of “deficit”  

budget in an attempt to influence  

any final decision by the IRC and  

to depress teacher and commu-  

nity expectations regarding salary  

increases for teachers.  

Further, the State Government  

continues to manipulate in the  

media the state of NSW’s finances  

in order to dampen teachers’ expec-  

tations of the substantial salary  

increase they deserve.  

The 2003 State Budget cut fund-  

ing to public schools and TAFE  

colleges in real terms while boosting  

private school funding. This was  

policy decision, not an economic  

imperative. There are number of  

areas where government could make  

savings to divert to public educa-  

tion. For example:  

□ the school student transport  

scheme (approximately $3OO mil-  

lion of $450 million is spent to  

transport students past local public  

schools)  

□ recurrent funding to private  

schools ($585 million)  

□ uncapped interest rate subsi-  

dies to private schools (recently  

exposed as $3B million per annum,  

and growing)  

□ payroll exemptions to private  

schools of $75 million  

□ responsible use of increased rev-  

enue  

□ the non-means tested back to the  

school allowance.  

The State Government, despite its  

arguments about the Common-  

wealth grants shortfall and the  

potential for “deficit” budget, has  

the capacity to pay teachers 25 per  

cent salary increase over two years.  

It chooses not to do so because other  

policy areas are deemed by govern-  

ment to be of higher priority.  

On December 2,2003 members  

voted at Sky Channel meeting to  

be prepared for 48-hour stoppage  

on February 11 and 12. Follow-  

ing the interim decision, Execu-  

tive postponed the stoppage. It is  

likely the 48-hour stoppage will be  

required to secure full funding of  

the salaries decision.  

May Council will consider the  

date and timing of Sky Channel  

stoppage to reinforce to the Govern-  

ment the message about the 48-hour  

strike.  

Maree O’Halloran  

is the Presi-  

dent.  

Federal Government cuts real funding  

for public schools  

by Sally Edsall  

Federal funding allocations for  

public and private schools,  

announced by Prime Minister John  

Howard on March 11, amount to  

real cut in funding to public  

schools.  

Public schools will receive less  

than the indexed amount they  

should be entitled to based on cost  

increases.  

The cut is achieved by the  

Federal Government discounting  

the amount public schools should  

receive through indexation, based  

on forecast that the increase in  

enrolments in public schools will  

be relatively smaller than increases  

in enrolments at private schools.  

Federal Education Minister Dr  

Brendan Nelson said in his press  

release (March 11): “The increase  

in enrolments in non-government  

schools is expected to be signifi-  

cantly higher than the increase in  

government school enrolments over  

the next four years.” [our empha-  

ses]  

According to the Minister’s state-  

ment there will be an actual increase  

in enrolments and instead of 28 per  

cent cost based increase, it will be  

27 per cent for public schools. This  

is reminiscent of the discredited  

Enrolment Benchmark Adjustment  

which the Howard Government  

introduced after its election in  

1996.  

According to Dr Nelson’s fig-  

ures, between 2001-04, public  

schools received 28.5 percent of  

the Federal Government’s recurrent  

funding for schools. In 2005-08 it  

will receive 26 per cent.  

Funding is based on meas-  

urement called Average Govern-  

ment School Recurrent Costs  

(AGSRC).  

This is what the Government  

says is the average cost of educating  

student in public school, but not  

what schools actually receive.  

The real deceit of the Govern-  

ment’s claims about funding is that  

they claim to be funding according  

to student need, when in fact it is  

based on this measurement. As more  

students enrol in private schools, the  

average cost of educating student  

in public schools increases, as  

larger proportion of those public  

school students are those with dis-  

abilities, located in remote areas,  

and of lower socio-economic back-  

ground. This increases average  

government school costs which  

then result in huge increases to pri-  

vate schools beyond the indexed  

increases. Private schools have  

small minority of the more expen-  

sive-to-educate students.  

While private schools are receiv-  

ing increases above the indexed  

rises in AGSRC, public schools are  

having their amounts cut because of  

their supposed less rapid increase  

in enrolments.  

Catholic schools deal  

On February 29 new funding deal  

for Catholic schools was announced  

at Casimir Catholic College in  

continued on page  

Nelson turns his back on public education  

Federal Education Minister Dr Brendan Nelson met loud protest  

from about 80 parents, principals and teachers when he visited  

Mount Annan High School on March 12. Details page 3.  

Two governments — one message  

"The fundamental message is the same: ‘Demonstrate that you  

value public education, students and teachers by significantly  

increasing funding to our system."'  

The President Writes  

Page 12  

TAFE teachers strike  

over fees and funding  

by Kerri Carr  

TAFE teachers and students rallied  

in Sydney and some regional centres  

on March 10 to oppose funding cuts  

and fee increases.  

About 700 people rallied in  

Farrer Place, adjacent to the Depart-  

ment of Education and Training  

and the government office block in  

Governor Macquarie Tower, and  

then marched on NSW Parliament  

House before rallying in Martin  

Place.  

Rallies formed part of 24-hour  

strike action.  

TAFE TA Secretary Linda Simon  

told the rally in Farrer Place that  

TAFE students and potential stu-  

dents must not be used as ammuni-  

tion in game of politics between  

state and federal governments.  

She said some students were  

facing course fee hikes of 227 per  

cent.  

▼ continued on page  

Andrew Rylewski and Fiona Johnson from the Western Sydney Free  

TAFE student group won $100 for the best student sign at the rally for  

their “ladder of opportunity”, seen here in front of NSW Parliament  

House.  

Cite

Citation options:
Work identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-685738624

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 May 17, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-685738624

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. 17 May 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-685738624>

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 17 May 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-685738624

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. 85 No. 03 (29 Mar 2004)
  | location=Sydney
  | publisher=The Federation
  | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-685738624
  | id=nla.obj-685738624
  | access-date=17 May 2025
  | via=Trove
}}

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