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. 80 No. 08 (28 Jun 1999)
Images
28
View Catalogue

Contents

EDUCATION JOURNAL OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES TEACHERS FEDERATION 1
State Budget cuts education funding in real terms 1 , 5
Public education: the end game? 1
NEWS Reconciliation relevant for all 2
Federal Budget: AEU letter card and leaflet 2
Officers 2
Executive 2
Minister starts media war as awards deadline approaches 3
Time to move forward on pay equity 3
D-G attempts to quash HSC dissent 3
Casual pay justice sought 4
Advertising 4 , 5
Trinity Grammar loses grab for Oatley campus 6
In BRIEF 6
Our Fed Reps 6
Advertising 6
To those that have, David Kemp gives more 7
Advertising 7
The President Writes Asserting professional ownership 8
LEŢERS to the Editor Currawong should be kept for kids 8
Staffing issues 9
Fond memories 9
Lowe down 10
Flexible salary packaging and McMillan Shakespeare 10
IM rebuke 10
LETTERS Carbon Copy 9
Advertising 9 , 10
ADMINISTRATION Casual vacancies on Council 11
Social security tips and traps Chifley Financial Services 11
QUI DOCET DISCIT 11
Advertising 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16
Workload campaign deserves equal priority 17
Advertising 17 , 18
Teachers should return to calling the shots 18
Advertising 18
Keep Currawong for unionists 19
And so the pendulum swings... Concern for the rights of the majority 20
Young women, new futures 20
Same problems, different world 21
RETIRED Retired Teachers Aśoclatlon 22
Advertising 22
As we like it Shakespeare at Belvoir Theatre 23
Reality of maths meets imagination Computer Corner 23
FILM When will we ever learn? 24
books First year frenzy 24
Treading the boards Mr Yen's World 25
Website 25
Wine Taster Winners 25
cheap WINE Chardonnay ‘in’, semilion ‘out’ for a while! 25
Advertising 26 , 27
No title 27
SHOE 27
THOSE WHO CAN’T 27
INSIDE 28
Advertising 28

Text

EDUCATION  

JOURNAL OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES TEACHERS FEDERATION  

Agreement No. PP255003 00104  

Vo». No. Juno 28, ,1,8 90  

State Budget cuts education funding  

in real terms  

by Sally Edsall and  

Wendy Currie  

The State Government has cut  

education funding in real terms  

and downsized education’s share  

of Budget funds.  

In its Budget announced last  

week the Government reduced, in  

real terms, its allocation to educa-  

tion. With Treasury anticipating  

two per cent inflation rate, the rise  

of 1.78 per cent in education  

spending in this year’s budget rep-  

resents reduction in real terms of  

0.22 per cent.  

Education’s share of the budget  

has dropped for the second year  

running, from 25.7 per cent in  

1997 and 24.4 per cent in  

1998 — 1999 to 23 per cent in  

1999  

There has been no provision for  

any salary increases.  

Before the election, the  

Treasurer proudly announced an  

anticipated substantial Budget  

surplus. The Budget papers reveal  

$214 million surplus and bigger  

surpluses are expected in the  

future.  

The Government has chosen  

instead, to use its sound fiscal  

position to reduce taxation for  

business and property owners  

rather than address the educational  

and social needs of young people  

in any meaningful way.  

Staffing, enrolments and  

expenditure changes  

There will be an increase to public  

school education expenditure of  

three per cent, to be eroded by the  

two per cent inflation figure. The  

Government anticipates an  

increase of 2735 students in public  

primary schools and an increase in  

staff (equivalent full-time) of 163.  

In public secondary schools, how-  

ever, student numbers are  

expected to increase by 1089, but  

there will be reduction in full-  

time equivalent staffing of 66.  

In TAFE, matters are even  

more serious. While proudly  

announcing that there will be $9  

million over four years to guaran-  

tee full-’time places in TAFE for  

high school graduates from low  

socio-economic and rural areas,  

the Government has made further  

cut backs in the TAFE budget.  

The Government estimates enrol-  

ments will increase by 10,700  

over the next year, the equivalent  

of an additional 700 full-time stu-  

dents. However, there will be  

continuation of the loss of staff  

that has been happening for the  

last few years, with 3.6 per cent  

(630) decline in equivalent full-  

time staff (not necessarily all  

teachers). The expenditure of  

TAFE is cut by 2.8 per cent over-  

all 4.7 per cent in employee  

expenses.  

The State Government blames  

the cutbacks on the Federal  

Government which has ceased to  

provide funds for the growth in  

TAFE. The State Government has  

not made any attempt to step in to  

fill this breach, citing “the need  

for greater efficiencies in an  

increasingly competitive training  

environment”.  

Funding for private  

schools  

This is one area where there has  

been some recognition by the  

State Government of the massive  

increases the Federal Government  

has provided to private schools in  

its budgets. The allocation “takes  

into account recent changes for  

funding to non-Govemment  

schools ... and the impact of the  

Commonwealth Enrolment  

Benchmark Adjustment (EBA) on  

Government schools”. Reflecting  

this, private schools, which are  

expected to have an enrolment  

increase of 9271 (2.9 per cent)  

over the next year, have had their  

funding increase limited to 0.9 per  

cent. The per capita allowance to  

private primary students will rise  

by 1.3 per cent, and to private sec-  

ondary students by 0.2 per cent.  

While this slight decrease in  

expenditure is to be welcomed, it  

only amounts to the equivalent of  

about $lO million year, or 2.4  

per cent of total assistance to pri-  

vate schools.  

The textbook allowance will,  

however, increase by 3.9 per cent.  

The continuation of these gener-  

ous textbook allowances, will  

make the job of providing for the  

new curriculum needs of the HSC  

far easier than public schools,  

where global budgets increase by  

only 0.3 per cent after inflation.  

Professional development  

The Budget statement says: “In  

1998- more than $ll4 million  

was allocated to training and  

development. similar amount  

will also be spent in 1999-2000.”  

At best this means no expansion  

of an already inadequate profes-  

sional development program, at  

worst it could represent real cut  

if the dollar amounts stay the  

same. The priority areas are the  

Higher School Certificate, the  

School Certificate, use of technol-  

ogy in the classroom (continuation  

of TILT) and literacy and drug  

education. There is no mention of  

any funding for, or priority for  

training and development for pri-  

mary teachers to meet new cur-  

riculum demands.  

Special education  

The Budget reveals the extent of  

the increase in the integration of  

students with disabilities into  

mainstream classes over the past  

three years. In primary the number  

of students has gone from 3380 in  

1996-97 to 8313 anticipated for  

1999- At the same time stu-  

dents in support classes and spe-  

cial schools have declined from  

7603 to 7096. In secondary  

schools, integrated students have  

increased from 596 to 4267. The  

number of students in support  

classes and special schools has  

risen from 6155 to 8274. No men-  

tion is made in the Budget of any  

funding to support this expansion  

of integration. Federation knows  

continued page  

Public education: the end game?  

This issue of Education closely  

scrutinises both the State and  

Federal governments with respect  

to their commitment to public  

education. The State Budget,  

which was delivered on June 22,  

demonstrates that the State  

Government has not significantly  

expanded provision to the most  

disadvantaged young people, or  

seen fit to meet the needs of the  

system in paying teachers just  

salary increase.  

With its new funding model,  

the Federal Government has put in  

place the mechanism necessary to  

ensure the full residualisation of  

the public education system. As  

Roy Martin reports (page 7), the  

Federal Government’s twin objec-  

tives of increasing inequity  

between public and private educa-  

tion, and ensuring the privatisa-  

tion of public education, are now  

clear, and they have adopted the  

process to enable it to become  

reality.  

Lindy Nolan reports (page 6)  

on success in defending public  

education facility and shows how  

action can bring about positive  

results. Further indication of the  

success of campaigning so far is  

the decision of the State  

Government in its Budget to  

reduce funding to private schools  

by an amount equivalent to that  

which the Federal Government’s  

Enrolment Benchmark  

Adjustment has delivered to NSW  

private schools.  

Members are being asked to  

lobby and become active with  

renewed vigour and intent. This  

edition of Education carries  

postcard which you are asked to  

send to the Prime Minister. The  

P&C leaflet, reproduced in full on  

the back page and page will help  

you to construct letters to politi-  

cians of all persuasions in both  

Federal and State governments.  

The future of public education  

depends on the community rally-  

ing to its defence. The time to act  

is NOW. Putting it off will mean it  

is too late.  

Sally Edsall  

is the relieving Editor.  

Cite

Citation options:
Work identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-689941550

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 4, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-689941550

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. 4 August 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-689941550>

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 4 August 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-689941550

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. 80 No. 08 (28 Jun 1999)
  | location=Sydney
  | publisher=The Federation
  | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-689941550
  | id=nla.obj-689941550
  | access-date=4 August 2025
  | via=Trove
}}

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