From the General Secretary

From the General Secretary Great work in the Goldfields

By Mary Franklyn General Secretary

Out and about: wide open spaces

One of the most enjoyable aspects of my work is getting out and about for District Council meetings. It is something I missed enormously during the COVID-19 restrictions.

Recent meetings have reminded of the vibrancy and dedication of our District Council delegates and the incredible work they do on behalf of members.

I went on the road with Simona Zachariassen, our new Goldfields organiser, and it provided time to listen and chat with members. This trip took us to Merredin, Southern Cross, Kalgoorlie and Boulder.

The commitment of educators is evident in the staff attitude, the quality teaching and classroom work being done, and the manner in which we were welcomed into the schools.

We have such committed members out there in the Goldfields and it makes me very proud. These colleagues are doing an amazing job.

The common matters for our members in the region are:

Staff attraction and retention.

Workload.

The right of staff and students to be safe at school.

We can address these issues and make regional WA a better place to live and teach in; a better place for students’ lives.

We will continue to use our General Agreement and union voice to call for sustainable policy and practice as opposed to the “fly in fly out” and “sheep dip” options. In the case of attraction and retention, we need a transfer process that respects and recognises country teachers’ work, increased financial allowances and quality housing.

In terms of workload we need a four/ five-year-plan for sustainable practices around staffing and school policies, more teachers, increased support for leaders and a settled curriculum that people actually have time to teach.

The aim is to reduce the revolving door syndrome around staffing.

When it comes to safety we need to apply behaviour management processes consistently at all levels, follow OSH processes and work with the Minister to secure full funding for the structure needed to make our schools safer.

The work of our union reps and district delegates continues to increase. I was very proud of this team as we visited schools where members knew they had a rep to rely on – and so do I. Thank you for looking after the members and looking after us.

Sports carnivals and open nights were full on and this above the line work and results that were all for the parents and students in Merredin, Southern Cross, Kalgoorlie and Boulder is a credit to you all.

Toast at the Tower

We all enjoyed a super event at Kalgoorlie’s Tower Hotel – a time to have a tonic and a positive evening. Thanks to Heather Riseberry for leading and looking after us all.

Simona and I headed home for the long drive (with Nana Mouskouri as accompaniment) feeling a strong sense of pride in the educators of the Goldfields.

PISA report hard to digest

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 report makes grim reading for Australia.

Fifteenth in OECD spending per student, rated five times worse than the OECD average in terms of inequitable allocation of resources to disadvantaged schools and ninth worst of 77 countries for the equitable allocation of resources.

As AEU Federal President Correna Haythorpe puts it: “achieving greater equity in education in Australia was critically important to ensure that every student was equipped with the knowledge and skills needed for their future and for the future of the nation.”

“Commonwealth and state/territory bilateral funding agreements will leave public schools under-resourced by tens of billions of dollars by 2023.

“This report provides further evidence of the clear and urgent need for governments to address school funding inequality as an immediate priority for our students.

“PISA 2018 shows that Australia does not rank well on the global stage when it comes to funding equity for disadvantaged schools, with overall investment significantly behind that of many comparable nations.

“The report shows IT access for students from disadvantaged backgrounds going backwards since 2015, further evidence that digital exclusion is real and impacts deeply on student outcomes.”

Tackling this critical lack of funding and the inequities it creates must be a priority for all in education.