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. 88 No. 02 (26 Feb 2007)
Images
28
View Catalogue

Contents

EDUCATION JOURNAL OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES TEACHERS FEDERATION 1
Look after our public schools and TAFE colleges 1
Federation’s priority demands in the state election 1
April 22 rally to defend the rights of teachers and other workers 1
NSW election supplement next edition 1
PM feels the heat in Port Macquarie 1
DET beginning teacher conditions lag behind Catholic schools 2
There, but not here 2
'$150 million needed’ for beginning teachers 2
Officers 2
Executive 2
Special education must be an election priority 3
Tebbutt ignores central schools’ needs 3
A-E ban remains 3
Register now for Women’s Conference 3
Bishop launches performance pay push 4
Advertising 4
New Country Organisers 4
SHAME File 4
Federal education agenda made clear in Minister’s speech 5
Union bashing 5
Howard and Bishop launch two-pronged attack on teachers 5
Two marches for workers’ rights 6
Nuclear views sought from Coalition MPs 6
Cautionary tales on performance Pay 6
Young NSW workers offered some protections 6
Sign up your school for enrol to vote week 7
Smell of sausages attracts unregistered voters 7
What can you do? 7
Advertising 7 , 8
Dispute over Stewart House AP position 8
Private school 8
Conference a must for every beginning teacher 9
Dates 9
A wonderful opportunity 9
The remaining deadlines for 2007 are 9
Advertising 9
Trade threat to public education 10
AEU concerned 10
Rally for women’s rights 10
Advertising 10
in BRIEF 11
Annual Conference elections – your chance to participate 11
Advertising 11
The President Writes Australian teachers succeeding; governments lagging 12
LETTERS to the Editor 12
Fund education, not violence 12
Enough 12
Putting private interests first 13
Lowering expectations 13
OH&S issue 13
Shopping 13
Go bowling 13
Advertising 13
Elections at March Council 14 , 18
Conferences for Beginning Teachers 14
Advertising 14 , 15 , 16
Election of Annual Conference delegates 17
Vacancies on Council 2007-2008 17
Our Fed Reps 18
Betrayal 18
ID is not science 18
Retired Teachers Association Second Friday of each month, 1.15pm. Teachers House, Mary Street, Surry Hills Sydney. 19
Defence personnel not brutes 19
Advertising 20
Doctors’ role demeaned by new IR and workers compensation laws 21
What you can do if your treatment is being interfered with: 21
Middle Eastern music at the National 21
cork screw Is everything coming up rosé? 22
Correction 22
bhe buckingham cure Snake attack on the farm 22
theatre My love of theatre – crystal clear 23
Advertising 23
GOOD vibrations Preparing for the road 24
Federation Library 24
Advertising 24
FILM When less is definitely more 25
Becoming Jane movie tickets 25
computer corner Database helps teachers keep on track 25
Advertising 26
DT SMITH 26
School thrives out from under closure-cloud 27
Teacher services under one roof 27
Advertising 27
INSIDE 28
Wheels on the bus take the message around 28
Advertising 28

Text

EDUCATION  

JOURNAL OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES TEACHERS FEDERATION  

Agreement No. PP255003 00104  

Vol. 88 0.2  

February 26. 2007  

Look after our public schools and TAFE colleges  

by Maree O’Halloran  

Federation is urging all political par-  

ties to promise significant increases  

in funding for public education.  

Education has emerged as key  

issue in the lead up to the March state  

election. The State Labor Government  

still needs to demonstrate its support  

to public education by making funding  

announcements over the next few weeks.  

To date Labor’s only announcements  

have been an increase to the capital  

works funding for public schools and  

small pilot program about community  

service for students.  

The State Coalition has announced  

good policies in the following areas:  

maintenance, ESL provision, school  

counsellors and pre-schools. However,  

the funding source for the Coalition’s  

policies is questionable. Opposition  

leader Peter Debnam has said that  

20,000 public service positions will  

be cut over four years. Such job losses  

are unacceptable and will inevitably  

affect service delivery.  

The Greens have strong policy  

platform in support of public edu-  

cation and continue to argue that  

government funding to the wealthiest  

private schools be cut. There are  

also number of progressive inde-  

pendents who have provided strong  

support for public education.  

At NSW Labor’s election launch on  

February 18, Premier Morris lemma  

announced an additional $2BO mil-  

lion over four years for capital works  

in public schools. Any additional  

funding for public schools is obvi-  

ously welcome. The problem for Mr  

lemma is that the amount promised  

is too little and for projects which  

should be the business of government  

as matter of course.  

The chronic underfunding of  

public education by federal and state  

governments over so many years now  

means that significantly increased  

investment is required to ensure that  

our children and students are learn-  

ing in schools and TAFE colleges  

equipped for the 21st century.  

While the Premier’s capital works  

announcement was small, it was  

welcome that education was given  

priority at the launch. The Premier  

chose water and education as the  

“big ticket” issues.  

The NSW Labor Government has  

been notorious for re-announcing  

policies both under Premier lemma,  

and Premier Carr before him. The  

State Government continues proudly  

to proclaim “record spending” in edu-  

cation. Teachers in public education  

have had enough of such rhetoric. We  

need governments to look after our  

schools and TAFE colleges. Teachers  

and parents are doing their share.  

Governments are not.  

The Federal Coalition Government  

continues to make political mile-  

age because the State Government  

has not dealt with the maintenance  

and infrastructure needs of public  

schools. Prime Minister John Howard  

announced on February 19 (the day  

after the Premier’s launch) that the  

Federal Government would release  

an additional $lBl million to the  

Investing in our Schools Program  

($ 127 million to public schools). The  

relatively small announcement by  

Premier lemma the day before opened  

the way for John Howard to make this  

intervention to trump State Labor.  

Underneath all the politics is the  

stark reality that the Ministerial  

Council on Education, Training and  

Youth Affairs has calculated that  

public schools need an additional  

$2.9 billion across Australia. Both  

levels of governments must contrib-  

ute to this increase.  

The Federal Coalition Government  

has an $ll billion surplus and has  

been disproportionately increasing its  

direct funding to private schools.  

The State Labor Government does  

not have surplus funds of any magni-  

tude. However, the State Government  

could change its priorities to direct  

more funds to public education. For  

example more than billion recurrent  

is spent by NSW on the following:  

1. school student transport scheme  

at least $3OO million of the $498  

million is to transport students past  

their local public school  

2. back to School Allowance —$18.3  

million  

3. interest subsidies to private schools  

$56 million  

4. funding to private schools  

$697.8 million  

Maree O’Halloran  

is the President.  

Federation’s priority demands in the state election  

□greater support for students with identified needs. We need more school  

counsellors. We also need more teachers for students from non-English  

background; improved funding for Aboriginal education programs and  

for students with disabilities or learning disorders  

□greater support for beginning teachers and for the schools and staff  

that support them  

□additional resources for students in years and to ensure successful  

high school experience. These resources could be used for smaller class  

sizes or special programs  

□significant increases for maintenance and capital works programs in  

schools  

□a significant increase in funding for TAFE  

□more public pre-school places.  

April 22 rally to defend the rights  

of teachers and other workers  

by Dennis Long  

Federation is encouraging all members to attend the  

Your Rights at Work rally in Sydney on April 22.  

The rally begins at 11am at Hyde Park and  

will be followed by march to the Sydney  

Cricket Ground where “Rockin’ for Rights”  

concert will take place.  

The rally is being organised by Unions NSW.  

April 22 is the last Sunday of the school and  

TAFE holidays.  

Posters advertising the rally have been sent to all  

Federation Representatives with multiple copies sent  

to schools in Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle.  

Federation hopes that buses will be organised  

from regional and rural centres. Where members  

cannot get to Sydney, it is hoped that regional  

rallies will be organised. Further detail about  

transport and regional rallies will be provided  

as it becomes available.  

Federation has called on members to join  

the community protest to defend the right of  

teachers at work. This call follows the most  

explicit statements so far from the Howard  

Government about performance pay and the  

local hiring and firing of teachers.  

On February 21 the Sydney Morning Herald  

reported Federal Education Minister Julie Bishop  

favoured performance based pay scheme com-  

bining student-improvement and peer-assessment  

models in teachers’ wage agreements.  

The Minister told the National Press Club on  

February 7: “Principals must be given greater  

autonomy over their schools. In particular,  

principals must have power over staffing.”  

Ms Bishop’s remarks formed part of the  

renewed attack by the Howard Government  

on the teaching profession. (See stories  

pages 4-5.)  

Teachers are urged to support the April 22  

rally in order to:  

□defend teacher tenure and transfer rights  

□defend collective salary agreements  

□defeat the Howard Government.  

Bishop launches  

performance pay push  

Federal education  

agenda made clear in  

Minister’s speech  

Howard and Bishop  

launch two-pronged attack  

on teachers  

NSW election supplement next edition  

supplement in the next edition of Education will analyse the education and industrial relations  

policies of the political parties. The analysis will be based on their written responses to questions  

from the Federation and the Public Education Alliance on priority issues Education February  

12) and on what their representatives have to say when they speak at Council on March 10.  

PM feels the heat in  

Port Macquarie  

by Wayne Webber  

Prime Minister John Howard was greeted  

by about 300 protesters when he flew in to  

Port Macquarie to “open” an Australian  

Technical College on February 9.  

Australian Technical Colleges, Howard’s  

Trojan Horse for introducing Austral-  

ian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) into  

education, have been spectacular failures  

across Australia.  

Local member Mark Vaile had arranged  

to re-badge an existing Catholic St Joseph’s  

Vocational College as an Australian Technical  

College through grant of $l6 million to build  

new facilities next to Port Macquarie Airport.  

This occasion was to be Howard’s media  

showpiece, but it became stage for locals  

to protest against his extreme industrial  

relations policies, his education policies  

which rip off public schools and TAFE, as  

well as Kyoto and David Hick’s continued  

detention without trial.  

In addition to the Concerned Grand-  

mothers Group, Amnesty International,  

the Greens, environmentalists, pensioners  

and students, members of Federation, Public  

Service Association, Construction Forestry  

Mining and Energy Union, Australian Work-  

ers Union, United Services Union, Electrical  

Trades Union and the Nurses Association  

participated in the rally.  

The rally highlighted what Coalition policies on  

industrial relations could mean for NSW teachers.  

Federation Deputy President Angelo  

Gavrielatos addressed the rally congratu-  

lating the younger participants, noting that  

it was significant event in the struggle  

to defeat the Howard Government and its  

extreme industrial relations laws.  

Media reports were full of stories about  

the protest that night and in the next edition  

of the Port Macquarie News. The protestors  

were rightly proud of their efforts which had  

succeeded in upsetting the Prime Minister’s  

planned good news story.  

The peaceful protest was organised by  

Unions Hastings and Macleay.  

Police Local Area Commander at Port Mac-  

quarie, Inspector Allan Williams asked Unions  

Hastings and Macleay President Jim Hutcheon to  

thank the protestors for their good behaviour.  

Wayne Webber  

is Country Organiser.  

Cite

Citation options:
Work identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-689883643

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-689883643

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-689883643>

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-689883643

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. 88 No. 02 (26 Feb 2007)
  | location=Sydney
  | publisher=The Federation
  | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-689883643
  | id=nla.obj-689883643
  | access-date=11 August 2025
  | via=Trove
}}

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