Authorised by Mary Franklyn, General Secretary, The State School Teachers’ Union of W.A., 1 West Street, West Perth WA. Printed by Vanguard Press, 26 John Street, Northbridge WA. May 2025.
Cover: Just over a year on, we look back on the amazing efforts of our members across WA on 23 April 2024.
SSTUWA member survey invitation
Teachers, leaders, school psychs & EOs: We need to hear from you about the state of our schools in 2025.
This survey provides crucial evidence and information to enable the SSTUWA to make the strongest possible case for improvements in your day-to-day working conditions.
Survey closes: 4pm, Friday 30 May
Estimated completion time: 15 minutes
sstuwa.org.au/StateOfSchools25
Complete the survey to go into the draw for one of five $100 gift cards!
schools to test generative AI in reducing lesson planning time so teachers can spend more time in the classroom and less time on admin tasks.
Designed with safeguards in place to prevent the sharing of personally identifiable information, pilot schools are using the AI platform to develop and edit lesson plans using School Curriculum and Standards Authority curriculum materials.
Data is restricted to the DoE Microsoft domain and is not open to the web, ensuring data privacy and security. Everything that is being developed is with a focus on workload reduction.
Multi-factor authentication
From the end of Term 2, school staff accessing Microsoft products from outside the DoE network need to use multi-factor authentication (MFA) to verify their identity.
This will increase the department’s security. You won’t need to verify your identity using MFA when you are at school and connected to the school network.
10-minute sleep mode
Members have been highlighting that
minutes. This is nothing new and has been in place for a few years now.
With most of our daily work, whether teachers or school leaders, now reliant on IT, this is becoming an ever-increasing source of frustration and annoyance, particularly when classroom lessons are incorporating technology.
This has led to many schools downloading creative apps and software such as Caffeine to prevent this from happening.
Whilst more convenient, the purpose and main reason behind the 10-minute sleep mode time is for security. This auto-locking after a period of inactivity mechanism or if the computer is left unattended, helps protect sensitive or confidential information by reducing the risks from insider threats or opportunistic access. So, if you walk away from your computer, after 10 minutes, a password is once again required. All staff need to remember that they are held accountable for any activity that takes place using their credentials.
We are working with the DoE to ascertain
Social media ban
The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 amends the Online Safety Act 2021 and requires age-restricted social media platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under 16 years from having accounts on their platforms.
Social media platforms operating in Australia have 12 months to develop and roll out systems to enforce the age restrictions, which are expected to be in place by the end of 2025.
Work is underway to determine how this will be managed in our schools, with details and directions being driven from the federal government.
A communication process will be developed around the middle of this year to inform and assist schools to prepare for any changes that will be needed.
With the rise of data breaches, it is a timely reminder to protect yourself and the data you have access too. What steps will you take and what current practices
Graduate teacher induction program
By Ellie Aldred Growth Team officer
As an early career teacher, you are entitled to a variety of support, including a start-up allowance, additional noncontact time, curriculum materials support and a travel contingency allowance.
These entitlements have been secured through years of advocacy and dedication from active SSTUWA members working to support graduate teachers.
Another key achievement of this ongoing advocacy is the Graduate Teacher Induction Program (GTIP), which provides essential support for new educators.
The program comprises of professional learning and an in-class coaching program (ICCP).
Professional learning
Over your first 30 months of teaching with the Department of Education, you are required to participate in four modules that have been specifically designed to support graduate teachers through their transition from study to employment. The modules offer a great opportunity to sharpen and refine your skills, network with other early careers teachers and advance in your career. Each module has a focused theme:
• Modules one and two: professional standards for effective classroom practice.
• Module three: assessment.
• Module four: de-escalation and positive handling.
The modules must be completed sequentially, with the exception of module four, which can be accessed anytime within the first 30 months of teaching.
Each module requires two days of attendance. Funding for relief payment to cover your classes is forwarded to your school, as a targeted initiative on commencement of your contract for modules one and two, and upon
completion of the module for modules three and four.
Be sure to speak to your principal to negotiate your release time or PTOIL (additional payment) if you completed the module in your own time.
Your travel contingency allowance can also be accessed to support you in travelling to the modules. This is managed directly by your school.
To find dates of modules running in your area, log onto IKON and click the Professional Learning Information System (PLIS) quick link. Search “graduate teaching module” to find a list of modules that are scheduled to occur in both metro and regional areas.
In-class coaching program
In addition to the modules, graduate teachers can access confidential, nonjudgemental support through the ICCP. The program provides early career teachers with substantial impact on professional growth, an opportunity to self-reflect on practice and an increased confidence and autonomy in classroom decision-making.
Coaches are from a dedicated team who can support graduates through professional conversations, classroom visits, goal setting, support through the data collection and analysis required for the transition to full registration, reflection and the job application process.
The program also gives participants access to additional online professional learning to support transitions to full registration.
For more details on the GTIP, including how to apply, search “GTIP” on IKON. For more details about your graduate entitlements, visit the Know Your Rights section at sstuwa.org.au/kyr and review the New Educator Rights and Entitlements sheet. If you still have questions, contact Member Assist at 9210 6060 or 1800 106 683.
Facing the Facts about attraction and retention in the regions
By Lindsay Hale School leader consultant
In 2024, the SSTUWA came together and won some significant improvements for regional teachers, school psychologists and school leaders:
• Staff placement trials for teachers and school leaders.
• District allowances.
• Ongoing DHS above formula funding for the life of the General Agreement.
• Travel concessions and air-con subsidies for eligible staff.
• Right of return for school leaders and directors.
• Pro-rata long service leave eligibility following seven years.
• Internal relief payments for principals and deputies.
But the battle to improve attraction and retention in the regions is far from over.
It is now time we saw public school staffing processes, incentives, supports and working environments completely overhauled. The flaws that have emerged in the Independent Public School initiative have created inequity and achieved little more to support educators or meet the needs of students in regional WA.
A public commitment to face-to-face instruction is crucial. Since the pandemic, many regional students have struggled to access in-person teaching, affecting both primary and secondary education.
Ensuring equitable instructional standards for regional students is essential. Ensuring course delivery is equally important for regional students and their parents whilst also providing greater strategic direction to those who work in and lead our schools.
Staffing schools requires increased involvement from central and regional offices. Reviewing staff placement procedures, focusing on redeployment protocols and selection processes, will ensure fair placement for all public school staff.
Offering permanency to all regional teaching appointments and reforming staff placement processes will guarantee a return pathway for teachers and school leaders from regional to metropolitan schools.
Expanding attraction and retention incentives and committing to ongoing funding is vital. Assistance for educators to reduce HECS debts, along with a $2,000 teaching resources grant per teacher, would provide much-needed support. Additionally, providing each and every teacher, school psychologist and school leader with a tablet or laptop as a “tool of the trade” is essential.
Centrally funded internal relief for teachers in the Remote Teaching Service and our most impacted regional schools, development and delivery of curriculum resources, along with professional learning opportunities in face-to-face settings at the local level are necessary. Re-establishing localised regionallevel support and ensuring high-quality regional worksites, including increased funding for school maintenance, are also critical.
To attract and retain essential educators such as teachers, school psychologists and school leaders in regional and remote areas, housing conditions must be confronted. The post-war boom of the 1950s saw the establishment of government housing for public employees, which successfully drew workers to regional areas for decades. However, policy changes in 2006 regarding Government Regional Officer Housing (GROH) have led to a significant reduction in housing stock.
Consequently, many employees are now forced to live in substandard temporary accommodation for extended periods, creating a substantial disincentive for public sector workers to serve in the regions. Solving this would contribute to addressing the overall housing shortage in WA.
The SSTUWA advocates for several critical
changes to address these issues. Firstly, we propose the creation of a central coordination authority dedicated to public sector housing, ensuring equitable principles are applied across all agencies.
Additionally, an independent review of the Tenant Rent Setting Framework Policy is needed. This review should consider factors such as Perth median rental prices, the age and quality of the house, its distance from major centres and implement capped rent increases.
The SSTUWA calls for a reduction in all GROH charges and the option for employees living in GROH to salary package their mortgages during their tenure. To enhance safety and security, all GROH properties should be equipped with internal motion detectors, external cameras connected to looped hard drives, audio and visual alarms and security screens.
An independent review of GROH maintenance, safety and security standards is also essential, along with adequate funding to ensure a targeted improvement program. Adopting a preventative maintenance routine, rather than a reactive approach, will help maintain high standards and provide a more stable living environment for educators – and reduce costs.
By implementing these measures, we can create a more attractive and supportive environment for educators in regional and remote areas, improve engagement and outcomes for students, give families confidence, strengthen communities and ultimately benefit the whole state.
Facing the facts about attraction and retention in the regions means committing to these comprehensive changes to ensure a brighter future for regional education in WA.
How school funding works in Australia
By Laura Perry
During any federal election campaign, we can expect to hear candidates talk passionately about school funding. This is one of the most contentious areas of education policy – and one many families and voters care deeply about.
You may hear some parties talking about how they are “fully funding” schools and other commentary about schools being under or overfunded.
How does school funding work in Australia?
Where does the money come from?
All schools in Australia receive both public and private funding. Public funding is taxpayer funding and it comes from both state and federal governments.
Private funding comes from parents and households, as well as churches and other associations, which are mostly charitable. These charitable organisations receive tax breaks.
How does government funding work?
All schools in Australia receive funding from federal and state governments.
The amount they receive is based on the “schooling resource standard”. This standard – which dates back to the 2011 school funding review by David Gonski –establishes a baseline amount schools should receive based on the number of pupils they enrol.
Extra loadings are then provided for schools and students with special needs, for example students with disabilities, from low socioeconomic backgrounds or in remote areas.
The estimated baseline schooling resource standard for 2025 is A$17,565 per secondary student and $13,977 per primary student.
The latest federal school funding policy, the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement sets out how public schools will receive 25 per cent of the schooling resource standard from the federal government and the rest from their respective state government.
Up to 80 per cent of a non-government school’s schooling resource standard funding can be provided by the federal government. But the actual amount is adjusted by something called a school’s “capacity to contribute”.
This measures a non-government school community’s capacity to contribute to the ongoing costs of running their school. In practice, it sees lower-fee nongovernment schools receive more public funding than higher-fee non-government schools.
State governments also provide public funding to non-government schools. This is because school funding agreements
require state governments to contribute some level of funding to non-government schools.
How are schools funded by other sources?
All schools in Australia receive private funding from parents and households.
Public schools receive private funding in the form of fees and contributions from parents. These fees and contributions can vary from a few hundred dollars at some public primary schools to thousands of dollars at some public secondary schools.
This funding is used to support building and facilities, excursions, as well as subsidise curriculum subjects, especially in secondary schools.
Non-government schools receive private funding in the form of fees. These are often many thousands of dollars per student. In NSW and Victoria in 2024, recent research on independent schools
(not including Catholic schools) indicates average fees for Year 12 are at least $15,674.
Non-government schools in particular receive substantial funding from philanthropic and charitable organisations.
According to analysis by advocacy group Save Our Schools, 50 non-government schools received $461 million dollars in donations between 2017 and 2021.
What is meant by underfunded and overfunded?
In media and policy debates about schools we frequently hear talk of public schools being “underfunded” or still not “fully funded”. We also hear about some independent schools being “overfunded”.
This relates to whether they are receiving what they are entitled to under the schooling resource standard.
To date approximately two per cent of public schools receive the amount they are entitled to based on the schooling resource standard. This is largely because state and territory governments, other than the ACT, have not contributed their full share.
This means the vast majority of public schools are “underfunded”.
The most recent national school funding agreement has set out a timeline to make sure all schools are eventually fully funded. In some cases, this may not be until the 2030s.
On the other hand, many nongovernment schools are “overfunded” because they are receiving more than the amount specified by the schooling resource standard.
Non-government schools that charge fees in excess of the schooling resource standard will be “overfunded”. Even moderate-fee schools may be “overfunded” because of the public funding they receive on top of the private funding paid by parents.
As noted earlier, school funding agreements require federal and state governments to contribute to the schooling resource standard of all non-government schools. Even highfee non-government schools receive substantial amounts of public funding.
For example, my 2024 research suggests high-fee non-government schools (those charging $25,000 per year or more) receive approximately $5,000 per pupil in public funding.
Are some non-government schools at risk of losing funds?
Most non-government schools will continue to receive increases in public funding due to indexation.
But there are headlines about “private school funding cuts”.
This is because some non-government schools will see less public funding if the federal government has been paying more than 80 per cent of the schooling
resource standard (due to outdated funding methods). Schools have until 2029 to transition to the current funding system.
This will only impact a small proportion of non-government schools. For example, in January, The Sydney Morning Herald reported 30 schools were projected to lose funding.
Laura Perry is professor of Education Policy and Comparative Education at Murdoch University. The opinions expressed in this article are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect any official policies or positions of the AEU or SSTUWA. This article was first published on The Conversation website and has been reproduced here with permission.
Now
(continued from page 21)
confident that additional investment in schooling will yield positive outcomes.
In addition, a whole series of national and multi-state studies, which were synthesised in the two meta-analyses show increased investment in operational spending or capital investment matters. The literature also shows that, on average, increases in educational spending improve outcomes for students.
A path-breaking national study in 2016 examined the impact on student outcomes from educational investments made through court-mandated school finance reforms.
The study examined students for a full 12 years of public education and also included outcomes into adulthood. It recognised that the full impact of educational investments is cumulative and may take time to emerge.
The study found that students exposed to a 10 per cent increase in per-student spending for their entire time in K-12 public schools completed 0.31 more years of education, earned seven per cent higher wages and experienced a
3.2 percentage point reduction in the incidence of adult poverty. The study also found that the effects are especially pronounced for children from low-income families.
Several other studies have reached similar conclusions using similar research designs with different datasets and time periods.
The review indicates that many statebased studies also provide compelling evidence of the positive effects of school finance reforms.
Both recurrent and capital expenditure matter
The review of studies found that both recurrent and capital expenditure matter for student outcomes. It notes that the largest share of operating spending in public schooling goes toward the competitiveness of teacher and other school staff salaries and the quantities of school staff that can be hired. Competitive salaries are needed to maintain or improve the quality of the teacher workforce.
Expenditure on school facilities also improves student outcomes both
directly and indirectly. For example, improvements to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems offer a relatively large return on student achievement. Expenditure on better facilities also supports teacher recruitment and retention by offering high-quality, productive workspaces.
The Jackson and Mackevicius metaanalysis found that effects of capital spending are roughly similar to those of recurrent spending when amortised over the life of a typical capital project.
Money matters especially for disadvantage students
The Jackson and Mackevicius metaanalysis also found that the positive impact of educational spending is greater when new funds are targeted to students from low income families. A consistent finding across multi-state studies and state-specific studies is that effects are larger for students from lower income families. It yields greater returns on expenditure than spending where prior investment has been high and student need relatively lower. The difference in return on investment may be as high as 20-fold. The review notes: “These findings validate the importance of promoting
funding progressiveness in state school finance systems, with the goal of equal educational opportunity for all.”
Specific investments that matter
Teacher salaries
Much of additional expenditure on schools goes to increasing teacher salaries and employing more teachers. The study reviews the empirical literature on whether and to what extent teacher compensation matters for improving school quality and student outcomes. It also considers the impact of performance pay on student outcomes.
An overwhelming conclusion of studies is that the level of teacher compensation relative to other labour market opportunities matters for recruitment and retention in the teaching profession. It directly improves student outcomes through a higher-quality and more stable instructional workforce.
Performance-based incentive programs were extensively adopted in the United States over a long period of time. They tied teacher pay directly to productivity, including performance bonuses based on student test results. These programs have been extensively reviewed with mixed results. Recently published studies of individual and group financial incentives continue to find mixed to nil effects.
Class size reduction
The review found extensive research evidence that students in smaller classes achieve better outcomes, both academic and otherwise: “…the preponderance of existing evidence suggests that the additional resources expended on classsize reductions do result in positive effects.”
Further, the research studies indicate that class-size reduction can be an effective strategy for closing racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps.
The review cites a 2013 study which explored long-term outcomes of students randomly assigned to smaller class sizes versus their peers who were not. The study found that assigning students to smaller classes increases the probability of attending college by 2.7 percentage points, with effects more than twice as large among black students. For students enrolled in the poorest third of schools, the effect was 7.3 percentage points.
Class-size reduction is often characterised as a prohibitively expensive
use of additional school dollars because of the need to employ more teachers. The question of whether it is too expensive must rely on detailed comparisons of alternative uses of the same dollars, or the effects on student outcomes of those alternative uses.
The review states that the 2013 study referred to above provides the most direct cost-effectiveness comparison of class-size reduction policies with other options for which sufficient data on costs and outcome benefits were available. The study found that the cost effectiveness of class size reductions targeted at the poorest one-third of schools are similar to those of other interventions.
However, the review cautioned that the large number of studies on the effectiveness of class-size reduction relies on data from a relatively small group of sources that focused on class-size reduction in K-3 grades and conducted on a relatively small scale.
It concluded there is insufficient evidence on the relative effectiveness of class size reductions and other interventions: “… while we are quite confident that higher teacher salaries lead to increases in the quality of applicants to the teaching profession and increases in student outcomes, we do not know whether the same money spent toward salary increases would achieve better or worse outcomes if it were spent toward classsize reduction.”
The review states that there is clearly a need for a more precise cost-benefit analysis of class size reductions and other interventions.
Discussion
While the review is of studies conducted on the relationship between funding and student outcomes in K-12 schools in the United States, its key findings have immediate relevance to the state of school funding and student outcomes in Australia.
In Australia, very large proportions of students from low socio-educational advantaged (SEA) families are not achieving national standards. For example, 64 per cent of Year 9 students of parents who did not complete Year 11 and 52 per cent of students of parents in the lowest occupational group did not achieve the national reading proficiency standard in 2024. The proportions for writing are 63 per cent and 51 per cent respectively and for numeracy they are 65 per cent and 52 per cent.
A new study by Save our Schools shows that the large majority of low SEA students attend public schools. In 2023, 81 per cent of all students low SEA students attended public schools and 91 per cent of all schools with over 50 per cent of their students in the lowest SEA quartile were public schools. Nearly one-third of all students in public schools are from low SEA families.
Despite all this, public schools in Australia remain massively under-funded. In 2024, on average, public schools across Australia were funded at only 87.6 per cent of their schooling resource standard.
While the Prime Minister has announced that public schools will be fully funded in future, this will not occur until 2034 under new funding agreements with the NSW, Victorian, Western Australian and South Australian governments. [editor’s note: the Queensland government came to an agreement with the Commonwealth government in late March].
The new review of studies on the positive relationship between school funding and student achievement highlights the imperative to fully fund public schools to improve school outcomes for disadvantaged students and reduce the huge achievement gaps between rich and poor.
Trevor Cobbold is the convenor of Save our Schools Australia. The opinions expressed in this article are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect any official policies or positions of the AEU or SSTUWA. This article was first published on the Save our Schools website and has been reproduced here with permission.
Against all odds: union victory in Zimbabwe
Part two
By David Dzatsunga
While we were ruminating on how to defend the union, the Ministry began a schedule of misconduct hearings where they sent out disciplinary teams to every affected college. It was clear from the proceedings that the verdicts were pre-determined.
Technically, these were winnable cases according to the lawyers, but these were kangaroo [court] hearings characterised by intimidation and outright bullying. We were facing an existential crisis and needed to hibernate like a snake to change our skin, our strategy.
Early in 2012 the verdicts from the hearings were announced. Most of the general membership were fined various amounts. National and branch leadership were transferred from their current stations to, in most instances, stations far away, with immediate effect.
Spouses teaching at the same stations were separated. The transfers included fines deductible from meagre salaries. Children were left without parental care.
All in all, 30 of the branch leaders were moved and it was the darkest hour in the short life of COLAZ. Our lawyers rightly counselled that we had to comply with the verdicts or else face instant dismissal from the service. So, we all complied and the union started the appeals process which yielded other surprises.
The appeals process has two options: seeking a review from the Public Service Commission or filing an application with the Labour Court. The union used both options.
While we got favourable outcomes from the court, we discovered that it had no power to enforce its own judgements and
that we had to register the judgement by applying to the High Court. We further discovered that in the case of a monetary award, the union could not enforce it because of the State Liabilities Act which prohibits attaching government property.
We were in a corner and needed to abandon the litigations amidst serious intra-union rancor, especially from those who had been transferred. It became clear that the legal route favoured the employer and enriched our lawyers while draining the union of resources and energy.
While all this was unfolding, the union joined Education International (EI) in 2015. We immediately presented our case to the secretary general of EI, who directed us to a certain David Robinson, executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) who expressed a willingness to assist COLAZ.
We soon had a Development Cooperation Agreement with CAUT which helped capacitate the union in terms of office equipment, conference funding and networking with other higher and further education unions in EI.
Protest letters to the Zimbabwean authorities came from a lot of unions in the global north, with demands for the government to cease and desist. It helped immensely to have external voices rallying to our cause. This was the solidarity we had lacked in the beginning and it did shake the establishment.
The union also resolved at its 2017 annual conference to abandon the radical approach for a more measured advocacy and lobbying campaign meant to expose the excesses of the
Ministry while amplifying our grievances through well researched papers, media campaigns, engagements with parliament, media exposes, appeals to the Office of the President and Cabinet among other strategies.
Unions such the National Tertiary Education Union (Australia), University and College Union (UK) and Danish Masters lent their financial and moral support.
The first and widely celebrated outcome was the dismissal of the hated secretary by President Mugabe, following an expose we published in The Herald newspaper.
The article was entitled COLAZ hits back at Mbizvo: Right to Reply in which our secretary general brutally laid bare the corrupt activities of the secretary and how that made him unfit for office.
With that victory, the Ministry and the principals had no choice but to take a step back. The union had survived and was now enjoying the victory of having dethroned a mini dictator.
The breakthrough towards restoration of the status of college lecturers came with the 2017 coup that saw the removal of octogenarian President Robert Mugabe, ushering in the Second Republic in 2018.
Honorable Minister Professor Amon Murwira was appointed to the Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation and Science and Technology Ministry in 2018.
With a new parliament in place, the union hastened to again petition the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee of the Ministry, who on receiving the petition shared it with the minister for his response before the union could lead oral evidence.
international trip to see family is unnecessary.
The Fair Work Commission’s budget standards show that a single person working full time on the current minimum wage of $915.90 falls about $236 a week short of the minimum income standards for a healthy living.
ACCI has put forward a pay increase of just 2.5 percent for lower-paid and award-reliant workers, barely matching
inflation. Other employer groups have put forward claims that would see minimum wage workers cop a real pay cut of nearly $800 a year.
According to analysis by the Australia Institute, if the Fair Work Commission had agreed to ACCI’s pay claims over the past decade, minimum wage workers would be $160 a week worse off now.
This is a key reason why the ACTU is calling for a 4.5 percent increase in
minimum wages so that lower-paid workers can make progress towards a decent standard of living.
ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said: “A major employer group does not think workers deserve enough pay to live in Western Sydney. This is an outrageous insult to working people. Where do employers expect the retail workers, hospitality and care workers of Western Sydney to live?”
Clerical workers face potential wage cuts as employer attack spreads
Australian Unions are warning that employer attacks on penalty rates have spread beyond the retail sector to target workers in administration, banking and finance.
Key employer lobby groups have made submissions to the Fair Work Commission to remove penalty rates and other award protections in exchange for a one-off pay increase.
Analysis by the Australian Services Union (ASU) shows these proposals would cost individual clerical workers up to $12,000 per year in wage cuts.
If upheld, workers’ break times, shift breaks, hours of work, overtime payments and penalty rates would also be scrapped. A receptionist on $67,000, doing six hours of overtime a week, would stand to lose $300 a week, or close to $16,000 a year under this proposal. A senior administrative worker, who worked Tuesday to Saturday each week, would lose $7,000 each year.
May Day 2025
The SSTUWA joined fellow unions on Sunday 4 May for the annual May Day celebration in Fremantle.
The event, which included a festival and march, was a vibrant demonstration of solidarity.
May Day is celebrated annually around the world and recognises the achievements of working people and the union movement.
While the Clerical and Admin Award directly sets the pay and conditions of 70,000 workers, the employers’ bid, led by the Australian Industry Group (AIG), would undermine the pay and conditions of about 720,000 clerical workers nationwide.
Employers have filed similar applications to strip away penalty rates for workers covered by the Banking, Finance and Insurance (BFI) Award. Workers in these sectors typically receive hundreds of dollars each week in penalty rates to help them get by.
The latest attacks on penalty rates comes as the Australian Retailers Association, with the support of some of Australia’s largest retailers, including Coles, Woolworths, Bunnings, 7-Eleven, Kmart and Mecca are seeking to cut penalty rates for an estimated 200,000 retail workers.
If the application is upheld, individual retail workers stand to lose $5,000 a year in wages earned through penalty rates, allowances and overtime, or more than $1 billion in total.
The Retailers Association wants penalty rates, overtime and other entitlements removed for permanent workers, in exchange for a one-off pay rise to buy out award protections. The retail award covers 350,000 workers and indirectly sets the pay and conditions for another 690,000 workers.
Overall, more than one million Australians face wage cuts if penalty rates are removed from retail, finance and admin awards.
ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said Australian workers needed to earn penalty rates to stay ahead of price pressures. “People deserve to be paid fairly for staying back or working anti-social hours at night and weekends,” she said.
“Penalty rates help workers in retail, admin and finance – most of whom are women – to earn enough income to support themselves and their families.”
Photo credit: Ellie Aldred
Education & Training Centre
Term 3 events
Lodestones: The Ethical School Leader (TUT) Cohort One
Lodestones: The Ethical School Leader (TUT) Cohort Two Tuesday 27 May
Lodestones: The Ethical School Leader (TUT) Cohort Three Monday 9 June Conferences and forums (TUT)
For more information visit sstuwa.org.au/benefits and the benefits tab of the
Food and Wine
Campbells
Access wholesale prices with a complimentary day pass. sstuwa.org.au/campbells
Cellar d’Or
Best value winery tour in the Margaret River Region. 10% discount for members. sstuwa.org.au/cellardor
Taste Bud Tours
Swan Valley “Speed Grazing” – 20% discount. Good Food, Wine & Cider (am) or Good Food, Wine & Beer (pm). sstuwa.org.au/tastebudtours
Health and Wellbeing
St John
First aid saves lives. Discounted first aid courses and kits for members. sstuwa.org.au/stjohn
WA Opticians
20% discount on spectacle frames and lenses. Perth and East Perth. sstuwa.org.au/waopticians
Housing
Houspect
Buy, build and invest with confidence. $50 discount on prepurchase building inspections. sstuwa.org.au/houspect
Johns Building Supplies
Trade prices on paint and painters’ hardware. Builders prices on all other hardware lines. sstuwa.org.au/jbs
SkylightsWA
Specialising in skylights and roof ventilation, servicing all regions of WA. 7% discount off selected products. sstuwa.org.au/skylightswa
Wattyl
15% off Wattyl paints, stains and accessories at Wattyl Paint Centres in WA. sstuwa.org.au/wattyl
Insurance and Legal
Journey Cover insurance
For details visit: sstuwa.org.au/journeycover
SSTUWA Legal Services
Access to quality legal services for both work-related and personal matters. sstuwa.org.au/legal
Teachers Health Fund
Join the thousands of teachers who have already made the switch. sstuwa.org.au/teachershealth
Teachers Health – Travel
For Teachers Health members who are planning a trip away, Teachers Health travel insurance offers comprehensive cover at competitive rates. sstuwa.org.au/travelinsurance
Wills for members
Members can access a complimentary simple will, where appropriate. For more information or details about a complex will, visit: sstuwa.org.au/wills
Shopping
isubscribe
Up to an extra 10% off any print and digital magazine subscription; over 4,000 titles. sstuwa.org.au/isubscribe
Jackson’s Drawing Supplies
10% discount in Jackson’s 12 shops and online. sstuwa.org.au/jacksons
Petals Flowers & Gifts
20% off flowers and gifts. World-wide delivery available. sstuwa.org.au/petals
Teacher Superstore
5-10% discount, in store and online. sstuwa.org.au/teachersuperstore
Union Shopper
Save on cost-of-living expenses with some of Australia’s biggest brands. Free access with your SSTUWA membership. sstuwa.org.au/unionshopper
Travel and Accommodation
Accor Hotels
Great savings for teachers at Accor Hotels in the Asia Pacific region. sstuwa.org.au/accorhotels
Choice Hotels
Choice Hotels welcomes SSTUWA members with exclusive rates at locations in Australia and NZ. sstuwa.org.au/choicehotels
Duxton Hotel Perth
15% off the best available rate for members. Five star accommodation in the Perth CBD. sstuwa.org.au/duxton
Experience Oz
Save 10% on over 3,000 experiences across Oz + NZ. sstuwa.org.au/experienceoz
Inn the Tuarts Guest Lodge
Forest retreat, 4-star, with indoor pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and BBQ. Adults (12 years+) only. Five minutes to Busselton. Studios and rooms. 22.5% off rack rate or best available rate. sstuwa.org.au/innthetuarts
Jarrah Grove Forest Retreat
Luxurious, self-contained accommodation in Margaret River. Discounted rates for members. sstuwa.org.au/jarrahgrove
Mandurah Houseboats
10% discount on houseboat holidays. sstuwa.org.au/houseboats
Metro Hotel Perth City
15% discount on the best available rate. Located in East Perth near the WACA and Gloucester Park. sstuwa.org.au/metroperth
Rottnest ferry tickets
Save up to $15 on Rottnest ferry tickets with WestClub. sstuwa.org.au/rottnest
Noticeboard
Retired teachers
The next meeting of the Retired Teachers’ Association of the SSTUWA will be Wednesday 4 June at 10am at the SSTUWA premises. All retired members are welcome.
Stay in touch: Join the RTA Facebook Group – search “Retired Teachers’ Association of the SSTUWA”.
State Council Conference
June 2025 State Council Conference will be held on 13-14 June. The deadline for items was 11 April.
November 2025 State Council Conference will be held on 1415 November. Items must be received by 19 September.
Schools Peace Education Program
From 10 May to 21 June, Perth is hosting a travelling exhibition called “Never Again: commemorating 80 years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki”
This free exhibition seeks to educate about peace and a future free from the threat of nuclear war.
A dedicated education program is available to schools.
World Day Against Child Labour
Held each year on 12 June, this day is a focal point of the International Labour Organisations’ push to end child labour worldwide. The day brings together governments, employers and workers organisations, civil society, as well as millions of people from around the world to highlight the plight of child labourers and what can be done to help them. For more information visit bit.ly/48RAQtO or bit.ly/49OhKG9
Venue: Various and/or online via Zoom. More info: www.l3cta.org.au or contact@l3cta.org.au
Where: Holmes à Court Gallery (10 Douglas Street, West Perth). When: Thursdays and Fridays 22 May13 June.
Session times: 10am-noon and 12:30-2:30pm.
Running time: Gallery visit and activities take 1-1.5 hours. Suitable ages: Years 7-12. Cost: Free.
Contact: Leigh Dix on 0438 994 930 or wa@mapw.org.au.
Refugee Week: 15-21 June
Refugee Week is Australia’s peak annual activity to inform the public about refugees and celebrate positive contributions made by refugees to Australian society. World Refugee Day is celebrated during this period, on 20 June. The 2025 theme for Refugee Week is Finding Freedom: Diversity in Community. Australia has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hit the reset button on how we behave towards one another and emerge a more fulfilled and connected society. For more information visit refugeeweek.org.au
Venue: SSTUWA office | Contact: (08) 9210 6000 or contact@sstuwa.org.au Videoconference facilities are available
Early Childhood Educators Committee
Time: 4pm
2025 dates TBC
LGBTIQ+ Committee
Time: 3.45pm
2025 dates TBC
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Committee Time: 4pm
