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AEU News MAGAZINE OF THE VICTORIAN BRANCH OF THE AEU VOL 20 | ISSUE 7 | NOVEMBER 2014

Contents

FEATURES6 Stoppingworkandstartingchange

For the first time in over 10 years, Victorian preschool teachers and educators have taken industrial action to secure fair pay and improved working conditions.

8 EnoughropeAEU members put the big questions to key politicians about their commitment to public education.

10 AEUoutinforceWith the state election looming, our members and staff are galvanised in the fight to Put Education 1st.

12 FallingthroughthecracksThe second instalment of the AEU’s two-part investigation into infrastructure funding in schools uncovers what’s at stake when school maintenance falls by the wayside.

19 Theknock-oneffectExperience teaching in underprivileged London schools put the fire in Bridget O’Dwyer’s belly to make a difference at home.

20 Offtherecord:schoolsundertheCoalitionAfter four years in power, what difference has the Victorian Coalition Government made to public schools?

REGULARS3 PRESIDENT’S REPORT

4 LETTERS

5 EDUCATION NEWS

22 INSIDE THE AEU

27 MEMBER SUPPORT

28 CLASSIFIEDS

30 CULTURE

AEU Victorian Branch

Branch presidentMeredith Peace

Branch secretaryGillian Robertson

AEU VIC head office 112 Trenerry Crescent, Abbotsford, 3067 PO Box 363, Abbotsford, 3067 tel (03) 9417 2822, 1800 013 379 fax 1300 658 078 www.aeuvic.asn.au melbourne@aeuvic.asn.au

Country offices Ballarat (03) 5331 1155 Benalla (03) 5762 2714 Bendigo (03) 5442 2666 Gippsland (03) 5134 8844 Geelong (03) 5222 6633

AEU News

Editorial enquiriesRachel Power tel (03) 9418 4958 fax (03) 9415 8975 email rachel.power@aeuvic.asn.au

Advertising enquiries Lyn Baird tel (03) 9418 4879 fax (03) 9415 8975 email lyn.baird@aeuvic.asn.au

Acting editor Rachel Power

Editorial assistant Helen Prytherch

Designers Lyn Baird, Kim Fleming, Peter Lambropoulos, Susan Miller

JournalistsRachel Power, Suzanne Taylor, Katie Langmore, Amy Purton-Long

EnvironmentISO 14001

GET THE NEWS ONLINECancel your print copy and receive your AEU News online; email mymembership@aeuvic.asn.au

PrintPost Approved: 1000/07915 ISSN: 1442—1321. Printed in Australia by Printgraphics on 100gsm Revive Pure 100% Recycled Silk.

Free to AEU members. Subscription rate: $60 per annum. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the AEU News are those of the authors/members and are not necessarily the official policy of the AEU (Victorian Branch). Contents © AEU Victorian Branch. Contributed articles, photographs and illustrations are © their respective authors. No reproduction without permission.

P. 19

Cover:  The Napthine & Dixon 2014 

election circusArtwork by  

Susan Miller

P. 20P. 12

P. 6

2 AEU NEWS VOL 20 | ISSUE 7 | NOVEMBER 2014

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THE VALUE OF A PERSONAL APPOINTMENTClients referred to Retirement Victoria recently mentioned how worthwhile a personal appointment had been compared to their attendance at a seminar run by a large financial institution. The seminar was general in nature with an overwhelming stream of information delivered by way of a power point presentation. It was slick and glossy but could not focus on personal needs and circumstances. By contrast, at the end of a one-hour appointment we had designed a tailored financial model that addressed super, social security and related taxation issues. The diagram on the whiteboard provided a visual model of a strategy that would satisfy our clients’ retirement needs. It was a positive, productive outcome followed up later with a detailed financial plan. Seminars have their place, we have run them successfully for years, but a personal appointment with an experienced RV adviser is a great way to prepare for retirement.

THE DEATH of Gough Whitlam on October 21 gave many of us pause to reflect — not just on a visionary leader, but also on the values he stood for. Compassion. Inclusion. Equitable access to high-quality education and healthcare for all, among many other things.

Our current governments at both the federal and state level look so much meaner, more myopic and less inclusive by contrast.

I take Gough’s death as a timely reminder of how far the political debate has drifted away from what matters most. But also a reminder of what we’re capable of achieving when we stand together, recognise our values and set the bar high for the kind of country we want to live in.

This will only happen through strong grassroots action and through electing leaders who share these values and are prepared to fight for them.

This collective spirit was no more evident than on October 22 when more than a thousand early childhood members and their supporters marched to Parliament House to demand fairer pay and conditions, to enable them to deliver the quality of education our children deserve.

The approaching state election represents a real opportunity for us to transform the future of Victoria. Get involved in our campaigns, whether by signing online petitions through to lobbying your local candidates. And remember — one of the most powerful things you can do is to talk to others about what it means to put education first.

Remind them that the Napthine Liberal Government has cut $300 million per year over four years from TAFE, causing over 3000 job losses, hundreds of courses cut, and skyrocketing fees and student debt.

This is a government that can find $18 billion to build a road, but can’t find the money to properly support our kindergartens, schools and TAFEs.

Let people know that this is a govern-ment that will receive over $450 million in Gonski funding from the Federal Government in 2014–15, but has so far failed to pass the majority of that money on to schools. The Napthine Government’s agenda and ideology is there for all to see.

In stark contrast, the Labor party has committed to delivering a $1.3 billion education and skills package, including $560 million for rebuilding and upgrading government schools and kindergartens. It has also pledged needs-based funding for disadvantaged students, including a $150 million Camp, Sports and Excursions Fund, $13.5 million for breakfast clubs in 500 disadvantaged schools and a $16 million part-nership with State Schools Relief to provide uniforms, free eye tests and glasses.

Labor has pledged $125 million to establish 10 “Tech Schools” across the state for Year 7–12 students from multiple schools to access hands-on learning. To begin rebuilding the decimated TAFE sector, the party will implement a much-needed $320 million TAFE Rescue Fund to reopen closed

campuses, support institutes at risk of financial ruin and upgrade buildings.

Of all the parties, the Greens have consist-ently proven their commitment to public education, including support for needs-based schools funding, reinvestment in TAFE and pay parity for early childhood educators.

The November 29 election represents an opportunity for all of us to stand up for the values of social equity, inclusion and quality education for all. We know what a difference this will make for our students and we know that their futures depend on it.

On a final note, it’s with great sadness that I inform you of the resignation of AEU federal president Angelo Gavrielatos. Over the past seven years, Angelo’s integrity, work ethic and tenacious commitment to social justice have driven many key reforms — perhaps the most significant of all being Gonski.

In his next chapter, Angelo is set to coordinate Education International’s Global Response to Education Corporations, aimed at halting and reversing the commercialisation and privatisation of education. We salute his distinguished contribution to the AEU and his ongoing commitment to equitable, high-quality public education for all. •

 

Meredith Peace

JOIN ME ON TWITTER! Follow  @meredithpeace and  @aeuvictoria

President’s report

3www.aeuvic.asn.au

LettersLetters from members are welcome.

Saddened by statisticsREADING THE article “The Thing We Don’t Talk About” (AEU News, Issue 6, September 2014), I was saddened to learn the statis-tics around domestic violence. I refer to the 40% increase in domestic violence in Victoria in the past four years, and that domestic violence has been found to be the leading cause of death, disability and illness in women aged between 15 and 44. However, I was pleased to hear about the support the AEU offered to the teacher suffering domestic violence and the subsequent improvement in her circum-stances. I hope that the AEU’s campaign to include the Family Violence Clause in the EBA is successful. I am clearly not fully aware of the extent of the work being done by the AEU. Thank you.Jill Hill, Miners Rest PS

Working as oneIT IS great to see recent union initiatives in regards to CRTs. The “1 in 5 teachers are CRTs” campaign has brought home the realities: 20% of our profession is working as a CRT, whether by choice or because they are yet to get a contract or ongoing employment.

It’s an isolating role, going from school to school, class to class. A CRT does not get the same opportunities to interact with other teachers and have the vital professional conver-sations that others take for granted.

CRTs are required to fulfill their VIT requirements like everyone else, and once they are fully registered they are required to teach 20 days and have 20 hours of PD. How do you get your PD hours? An easy question for some to answer: the school provides it or funds external PD. CRTs are required to find and fund their own professional development.

The “1 in 5 poster” has started the inclusion of CRTs within school communities. As my professional colleague, you can help me too. Ask me and other CRTs to PD that is being run at your school, engage me in professional conversations, invite me to union sub-branch meetings, and include CRT conditions in your long-term planning.

We are one profes-sion; we all have the same qualifications and the same determination to do right by our students. We need to be one union as well. Krystyna Edwards, CRT

Reject Islamophobia — say no to the “strike force”AS A Muslim teacher and AEU member, I was shocked to read the article in The Sunday Age on October 12, “Teachers urged to report concerns on radicalised students”. What shocked me is our union’s response. Meredith Peace, our Victorian president, said that the changes “made sense” but called for more adequate resources to ensure

department staff could carry out their new roles!

In this article, there was a mention of police wanting to prevent radicalisation in schools with teachers and principals urged to monitor students for signs of anti-social attitudes. A strike team of Education Department officers will be appointed to inform police.

This occurred in the wake of the fatal shooting of the 18-year-old terror suspect in Springvale. According to one un-named source, the paper was told: “What about the more prevalent serious issue of recreational drug abuse by school children that results in all sorts of terrible outcomes, suicides and permanent brain damage? Where are the Education Department flying squads?”

We should reject Islamophobia outright. Let’s stay united as unionists against all forms of racism or discrimination, alongside the AEU’s good record of supporting social justice issues, refugee rights, Aboriginal rights and marriage equality. Reem Yunis, Lakeview SC

SEND LETTERS TOaeunews@aeuvic.asn.au. Letters should be no more than 200 words and include name, workplace and contact details. Letters may be edited for space and clarity. Next deadline: 19 November 2014.

REP OF THE MONTHCaitriona Tynan Waringa Park Special School

CAITRIONA HAS fond memories of going to union meetings with her grandfather in Ireland. “Union blood has always been in my family!” she smiles.

Caitriona has boosted AEU membership at her school through an open door policy at Waringa Park meetings. “Just recently we gained two new members that way,” she says. “They got the chance to see how the issues we’re working on could actually have a really positive impact on their students and their own workloads.”

The meetings feature door prizes like movie tickets and massage vouchers, which have been a hit with staff.

According to Caitriona, the key to a successful meeting lies in being democratic and solutions-focused. “That means that when I take issues to consultation, I’m not just ranting, I’m providing ideas on better ways we can work.”

Next term Caitriona is inviting all staff to a hot breakfast. “We’ll set up the space so that they have to walk past and check out our iPads — with the AEU website and direct links to signup — before they can access their food!” she says. •NOMINATE YOUR REPEmail aeunews@aeuvic.asn.au telling us who you’re nominating and why. Each month’s rep receives a limited edition AEU leather briefcase.

Vale GoughFORMER PRIME minister Gough Whitlam, who passed away on October 21 at the age of 98, was a man who understood that education was the key to equity and opportunity. Under the Whitlam Government, spending on state government schools increased dramatically and university fees were abolished. His government also introduced needs-based school funding, indexing of pensions, established Medibank, abolished conscription, boosted funding for the arts, and worked towards Aboriginal land rights and equal pay for women. Vale Gough.

4 AEU NEWS VOL 20 | ISSUE 7 | NOVEMBER 2014

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Education newsTHE AUTONOMY AGREEMENTPyne has targeted Victoria as the first guinea pig in his autonomy experiment.Rachel Power, AEU News

FEDERAL EDUCATION minister Christopher Pyne has made his “unrestrained enthu-siasm” for greater school autonomy clear since the Abbott Government was elected in 2013. Working in a growing tradition of adopting failed policies from overseas, the Commonwealth is set to roll out its agenda of independent public schools across the country — with Victoria set to be its first guinea pig.

Since the 1990s, Victorian schools have had a high level of autonomy when it comes to decision-making about funding and workforce planning, as well as flexibility regarding curriculum and assessment. So, given the State’s “advanced starting point” — and its “commitment to enhance its already autono-mous system” — Victoria is set to enter a Federal–State partnership that “will support all 1,535 Victorian government schools to realise the benefits of autonomy”.

The plan includes a shift to local govern-ance; increased accountability to parents and the community; one-line budgets; local management of facilities and infrastructure; and increased delegation over staffing for principals.

Principals will be offered MBA-style training to turn them in to business leaders who can run schools like lean machines, and training for all those parents itching to run their kids’ schools.

No matter that Victorian principals have been declaring unprecedented stress levels due to overwhelming workloads amid reduced regional support from the Education Department. Or that schools in disadvantaged areas struggle to get parents involved in the classroom, let alone take on an “enhanced role … in principal selection, acquiring property and assets, and investment”.

Similar moves towards the privatisation of public schools in Britain and the US have sacrificed educational equity without any improvement in student outcomes.

Closer to home, a new study has revealed that the achievement gap has already widened further since the Gonski Report was released. The research, by policy analysts and former principals Chris Bonnor and Bernie Shepherd, shows that the disparity between the highest and lowest performing students has grown. Australia’s socio-educational gradient (the social factors impacting on student achievement) also increased from 32% in 2010 to 37% in 2013.

Despite all evidence to the contrary, the State and Federal Coalition Governments continue to reject the Gonski Report’s recom-mended needs-based funding model. Instead, Pyne’s preference is to “reward rather than penalise private investment” by parents.

As suspected, the Abbott Government’s so-called “unity ticket” with Labor on Gonski has been exposed as a mere election ploy. In 2014, the Victorian Government has managed to “disappear” a whopping $150 million of the $180m promised to our schools, with no ramifi-cations. Now, rather than fund schools to meet student needs, Pyne is offering a mere $15.8m to assist schools in “transitioning to greater independence”.

In case we needed any more convincing of the Napthine Government’s autonomy agenda, it increased funding to Victorian public schools by a mere 2% between 2009 and 2012 — as opposed to a rise of 11.4% to Catholic schools.

What is being sold as greater involve-ment by parents and the local community is a thin disguise for a State Government looking to back out of its basic responsibility for the provision, resourcing and governance of our schools.

It’s one thing to enable principals to locally manage the needs of their schools in the name of “flexibility” and “trust”. It’s quite another to leave schools to fend for themselves without the funding and support that would enable principals and teachers to apply their profes-sional judgment and educational expertise to meet the real needs of their students. •

5www.aeuvic.asn.au

STOPPING WORK AND STARTING CHANGEFor the first time in over 10 years, Victorian preschool teachers and educators have taken industrial action to secure fair pay and improved working conditions.

Katie Langmore AEU News

AEU’S EARLY childhood members flooded the Athenaeum Theatre and the streets of Melbourne on October 22, sending a clear message to employers and the State Government that preschool teachers are prepared to fight for better working conditions and greater investment in the sector.

A 24-hour stopwork was held after negotiations broke down between the AEU and major early childhood employer organisations ELAA and the MAV. Over 1000 members attended the stopwork meeting at the Athenaeum before joining supporters to march to Parliament House, where chanting and speeches demanded the attention of Spring Street.

The AEU’s deputy vice president for early childhood, Martel Menz (pictured above, middle), rallied the crowd. “Advocating for the profession is the same as advocating for our children,” she said. “We have fought and won these campaigns and we will absolutely do it again.”

AEU News spoke to members about why they were there:

“I’m here today to get pay parity for teachers and fight for the future of our kids!” Helina Morgan, Inverloch and District Preschool

“We’re here to support the future of our preschools and support the sector! Our workload has increased so much and we need to make a stand.” Jenny Burr (left), Lipscombe Park Kinder“Kindergartens are so precious and the govern-ment just doesn’t seem to be invested in our children’s future. We look after everyone else, but sometimes we need to make our voices heard too.” Michelle Lester (right), Lipscombe Park Kinder

“This is about recognition and support, not just for us but for our children, families and community. We’re being held to best practice at all costs to deliver our great services, but we’re not being given the time, the pay or the support.

I’m also really concerned about the mass exodus of quality staff and what that will mean for the kids. More than pay parity or anything else, this is about the children.” Kay Bryan, Tarralla Kindergarten

“Early childhood educators do an amazing job, they’re very generous people. Working with young children is one of the most important things you can do. It’s something that has always been undervalued, particularly now — so it’s time to stand up and say ‘enough’s enough’.” Doug Fargher, Westgarth Kindergarten

6 AEU NEWS VOL 20 | ISSUE 7 | NOVEMBER 2014

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SNAPSHOT REVEALS STATE OF SCHOOLSLess support, longer hours, more stress — an AEU survey shines light on the struggles faced by educators.

Amy Purton-Long AEU News

THE AEU Victoria’s State of Our Schools 2014 survey of 533 government school principals has revealed that over seven out of 10 school leaders feel they have insufficient resources to effectively deliver school programs — the highest number since the survey began in 2002.

There has also been a spike in workload since last year, with principals now working over 59 hours in an average week, and eight out of 10 listing this as their primary concern as a school leader. Add to this that over 75% of schools feel they have an inadequate global budget and you’ve got a snapshot of the public education system in Victoria.

Compounding the levels of stress is an increase in class sizes, with over half of respondents confirming that their school had at least one class of 26–29 students per

teacher. The primary sector has seen a rise in extremely large classes, with 7.9% of schools having a class of 30 or more students, compared to only 4.2% last year.

All this comes against the backdrop of reduced support from the DEECD. Between 2010 and 2013, the Department reduced the number of Victorian regions from nine to four, resulting in a support vacuum that is keenly felt by principals. When asked how the new office structure has affected them, 90% of school leaders surveyed said regional support had “deteriorated” or “deteriorated a lot”.

Infrastructure and maintenance is another pressing concern for principals, with over 85% saying their schools need equipment upgrades, particularly in the areas of ICT hardware/software, and heating and cooling.

When basic needs such as air conditioning

are on the wish-list of over half the schools in Victoria, it’s easy to see why so many princi-pals feel they can’t provide adequate program delivery. As one respondent said: “Our 1950s infrastructure prevents the implementation of 21st-century pedagogy.” •The AEU would like to thank all the principals who gave their time to participate in this year’s SOS survey.

Concern expressed by principals about the lack of regional office support tripled from 15.4% in 2012 to 53.8% in 2014.Source: State of our Schools 2014 study, AEU Victoria

7www.aeuvic.asn.au

Enough RopeWhen AEU Victoria put a call-out on social media for members to fire education-related questions

at the major parties, the response was overwhelming. Here are the answers to your questions:

CLASS SIZES

Charlotte Douglas

Are you willing to give teachers support in the form of a real cap on class sizes?

Martin Dixon MPThe Napthine Government is support-

ing the teaching profession through a new performance development framework and by focusing on what counts: the teacher in the classroom, who has the biggest impact on student outcomes. The class size information reported in Budget Paper 3 has not moved in the last year.

James Merlino MPLabor does not want to see class sizes

rise — that’s what happens when you have a government that fails to properly fund educa-tion. The Napthine Government has spent four years cutting education funding. As part of our $1.3 billion education and skills package, our aim is to ensure that all public schools are adequately staffed.

Sue Pennicuik MLCThe Greens support smaller class sizes

throughout the public education system to achieve manageable workloads for all teachers and staff and the best educational outcomes for all students.

SPECIAL NEEDS

Christine

Public schools are carrying the burden of special needs and behaviourally challenged students. What will you do to support ALL students and teachers doing it tough in public schools?

Martin Dixon MPThis Government is absolutely commit-

ted to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged students and schools. We’ve continued the funding of $170 million to low-SES schools since the National Partnership ended; we have provided $42.5 million to the state’s most dis-advantaged schools; and in this budget alone we have allocated an extra $305 million for students with a disability. Our first budget saw the largest investment in special and autistic schools in over a decade and we’re investing $710 million in disability programs in schools.

James Merlino MPLabor understands that the the majority

of students with special needs are supported by the government system. The Gonski money allocated to Victoria was intended to be used for needs-based funding but it has gone missing. If I become education minister, I will immediately instigate a forensic investigation to find out what happened to it. We’ll be transpar-ent with schools about the Gonski money they receive. Whereas the Napthine Government abolished the Education Maintenance Allow-ance, Labor will pledge around $180 million to support disadvantaged students through a range of programs, including providing free uniforms, breakfast programs and eye tests.

Sue Pennicuik MLCThe Greens strongly support additional

funding to assist schools with students who have special needs, including the restoration of programs such as literacy and numeracy, Reading Recovery and the EMA. Additional funding for improved transition between preschool and primary, and primary and sec-ondary schools, should be a priority.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Katrina MacDonald

What are your thoughts on the devolution of responsibility to school lead-ers for managing state infrastructure?

Martin Dixon MPThis Government supports local

decision-making. With the support of the Department, the Government is allowing schools to manage their own projects if they wish to do so.

James Merlino MPLabor understands that regional office

staff cutbacks, made under the Coalition Government, have had a dramatic impact on principals’ levels of responsibility and work-load. We believe that regional offices have a bigger role to play in supporting schools and principals.

Sue Pennicuik MLCSurveys show that increasing devolution

and less departmental and regional office sup-port is leading to greater workloads and stress, especially for principals. Too much devolution makes it easy to blame individual schools rather than inadequate government funding

and support. It can also increase negative competition between schools, entrench disad-vantage, and clear the way for privatisation of key aspects of our public schools.

CONTRACTS

Rochelle Primary School LOTE teacher

Will you increase funding so that school leaders can offer ongoing positions to their staff, instead of contract after contract?

Martin Dixon MPThe Student Resource Package, which

funds government schools, will increase by 4.6% next year. The Coalition is giving greater flexibility and control to principals to manage their workforces. As of June 2014, 81.2%, more than 4 out of 5 teachers, were employed in government schools on an ongoing basis.

James Merlino MPLabor acknowledges that there are

too many teachers on contracts in Victorian schools, and we will be looking at ways to address this issue if elected.

Sue Pennicuik MLCThe Greens have consistently called

for an end to the high casualisation of school and TAFE teaching positions and for the use of fixed contracts to be limited to genuinely short-term positions.

RELIEF TEACHERS

Stacey B. Connections Kindergarten Inclusion Support Services, Melbourne

Due to lack of funding at our primary school, the class is split across other classes when a teacher is absent. That means more pressure on teachers with no benefit to the children. What will you do to increase fund-ing for relief teachers?

Martin Dixon MPFunding for relief teachers has

increased as has funding for teaching across the board. Total leave expenditure has grown by 6.3% in the last year, which clearly indicates that there has not been a decrease in the use of CRTs to replace teachers on leave or a rise in class-splitting arrangements.

8 AEU NEWS VOL 20 | ISSUE 7 | NOVEMBER 2014

James Merlino MPCuts by the Napthine Government over

the last four years have meant schools have had to be creative in reducing costs, and class-splitting is one way to do it. However, Labor doesn’t support this practice as it is not in the best interests of our kids’ education.

Sue Pennicuik MLCThe State Government should fund all

sectors of the public education system at a level that enables relief teachers to be avail-able where and when they are needed.

SPECIAL RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION

Ross Clennet

Under current provisions, Special Religious Instruction takes up the equivalent of six weeks of precious curriculum time per child across their primary education. Do you support the current model of SRI?

Martin Dixon MPYes and it has bipartisan support. There

is now flexibility for schools to conduct SRI fortnightly or monthly if that suits local circum-stances better, such as in the case of a small rural school.

James Merlino MPWhen Labor introduced the new Educa-

tion and Training Reform Act in 2006, we again committed to the principle of secular educa-tion. The Act gives schools the option to offer “special religious instruction”. This instruc-tion is not compulsory and requires informed parental consent.

Sue Pennicuik MLCThe Greens policy is that public educa-

tion should be free, secular, well-funded and high quality. We do not support SRI in public schools or the funding of particular religious organisations to deliver it.

CHAPLAINS

T. Watkins

Do you feel that a chaplain can offer fair and unbiased support to a wide range of students from different backgrounds, cultures, faiths, genders, sexualities, etc?

Martin Dixon MPChaplains can be from any faith. All

states and territories have signed up to the chaplaincy program.

James Merlino MPLabor supports the continuation of the

school chaplaincy program but believes that non-religious welfare workers should continue to be funded under the program. If elected, we will take the fight to the Federal Govern-ment to continue to provide funding to those schools who decide to employ a non-religious welfare worker.

Sue Pennicuik MLCNo. The Greens oppose plans to put

religious chaplains in schools and have called for state and territory governments not to sign up to reinstate the school chaplaincy program and instead for funding to be redirected to qualified school welfare and family support professionals in public schools.

TAFE

Grahame Carey Treasurer, AEU sub-branch Shepparton

I’m a regional TAFE teacher and I’ve seen significant cuts to TAFE over the years, especially in regional Victoria. How will you improve opportunities for country TAFE students?

Martin Dixon MPUnder the Coalition Government, $1.2

billion per year is invested in Victoria’s TAFE and training system, 50% more than provided in Labor’s last budget. Furthermore, since 2010, government training subsidies have increased from $487 million to just over $600 million. The Coalition is also providing direct assistance to TAFEs through a $200 million TAFE Structural Adjustment Fund to help TAFEs adapt to the competitive training market. We have also doubled the regional subsidy loading to sup-port regional students undertaking training.

James Merlino MPFunding TAFE will be Labor’s first

budget priority. Regional Victorians deserve the opportunity to gain the skills they need to secure employment. We will invest $125 million to establish 10 Tech Schools across the state. For regional areas in particular, this is about addressing unemployment and building strong partnerships between schools, TAFEs,

universities and businesses. We will also priori-tise the implementation a $320 million TAFE Rescue Fund to re-open closed campuses, and bail out institutes at risk of financial ruin. This is just a first step in getting TAFE back on track.

Sue Pennicuik MLCCommunities in which the local TAFE

has been a key institution — particularly in regional Victoria — have been profoundly affected by the impacts of market contest-ability and savage funding cuts to TAFE. The Greens would restore TAFE as the primary provider of VET and ensure ongoing govern-ment funding for capital works, equipment and student services. We recognise the critical role that TAFE plays in catering for disadvantaged students and offering affordable access to VET.

PRIVATE TRAINING INSTITUTIONS

Rachel Wilson Teacher, NMIT Preston

I’m a TAFE teacher and I’m really concerned about the training provided by some private institutions. How will you ensure quality control?

Martin Dixon MPThe “Victorian Training Guarantee

Compliance Framework” includes strong mon-itoring and enforcement activities to reduce risk and improve compliance among RTOs delivering government-subsidised training. The government is able to take strong steps to correct behaviour and impose sanctions where breaches are found.

James Merlino MPLabor is committed to extensive

and rigorous auditing of training providers. Unscrupulous operators will be closed down. Labor will also conduct a VET Funding Review to develop a more sustainable funding model for public and private providers that ensures quality education provision.

Sue Pennicuik MLCIn order to address the urgent issue

of poor quality training and threats to the reputation of VET, the Greens would ensure that minimum teaching qualifications for all VET providers are enforced and that minimum supervised hours of delivery and appropri-ate practical experience are delivered in all courses that receive government subsidies.

The Hon Martin Dixon MP Minister for Education

James Merlino MP Shadow Minister for Education

Sue Pennicuik MLC Victorian Greens Education Spokesperson

9www.aeuvic.asn.au

AEU out in forceWith the state election looming, union members and staff are galvanised in the fight for

public education. SUZANNE TAYLOR reports.

THERE’S NOTHING like an election to fire up campaigns and impress upon the general public the impor-

tance of casting a vote for education when they enter the ballot box.

Earlier this year we banded with other unions at two Jobs for Geelong rallies.

We represented the Put Education 1st and TAFE4ALL campaigns, highlighting the unde-niable link between access to high-quality public education and employment outcomes.

We fuelled up the three Gonski vans to cover every inch of the state, from the desert plains of Mildura to the Snowy River country of Orbost.

We connected with hundreds more people across regional Victoria through our recent TAFE community forums and had countless conversations at markets in Warragul, Frankston, and Talbot, at Elmore Field Days and at the Wangaratta Jazz Festival.

We’ve visited over 70 schools this year as part of our Put Education 1st campaign, and organised 65 “Out the Gate” events — talking to parents at primary school pick-up times to spread the word. In just one week, we signed

up over 1000 new people to the campaign, which now has more than 11,000 signatures.

We’ve had our sights set on marginal electorates, which have the potential to swing votes in support of public education. We have doorknocked and letterboxed tirelessly throughout Bellarine, Bentleigh, Frankston, Carrum and Mordialloc.

AEU members and staff protested at the opening of Premier Napthine’s Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre in Frankston, to remind his government what we think of its funding priorities.

We’ve taken to social media with gusto, with over 100 Victorian politicians and candidates signing the TAFE4ALL pledge and posting their “signing photo” on the campaign Facebook page.

On our Put Education 1st website, people can now send a message directly to their local member in just a few clicks.

The launch of our Protect Our Preschools site coincided with the announcement of the early childhood stopwork action, and has been driving online conversations and campaign buzz.

Members have been undergoing intensive training in campaign skills, and taking this spark into their own communities. The enthu-siasm and dedication of our members has been crucial to creating momentum and building a critical mass.

One of the best examples of the power in numbers was at a recent AEU conference, when hundreds of our members tweeted their objections to the practice of grade-splitting, using the #gradesplitting hashtag. Within half a day, they’d built such a buzz that mainstream media ran the grade-splitting story across print and radio.

It’s not too late to get involved as we ramp up over the next few weeks to shape the future of public education in Victoria. •Support our campaigns and get involved: protectourpreschools.com.au tafe4all.org.au puteducation1st.com.au

10 AEU NEWS VOL 20 | ISSUE 7 | NOVEMBER 2014

This page, clockwise from top left:Victoria University TAFE, Sunshine Campus; Put Education 1st truck; protest at Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre, Frankston; protest at Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre, Frankston; Gonski supporters at Brookside College; Tim Richardson signs TAFE4All pledge; young AEU supporter at Warragul Farmer’s Market; AEU mascot Roger the Bear letterboxing.Facing page: protest at Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre, Frankston

11www.aeuvic.asn.au

Falling through the cracks

LET’S begin with a couple of key facts. Schools in this state receive less than a third of the

funding they require to maintain their buildings. In fact, a whopping $420 million is needed to bring schools up to standard for maintenance alone. That’s according to a 2013 Victorian Auditor-General’s Report on school maintenance and infrastructure needs.

Given that government schools comprise one of the largest state-owned asset portfolios, accounting for almost 13% of the state’s total asset base, it is astonishing that the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) has been able to get away with what the Auditor-General’s report describes as a “long legacy of under-investment in the maintenance of school buildings”. Any government department is accountable to taxpayers for ensuring the longevity of state-owned resources. Minor maintenance needs that go unmet have the potential to escalate into much larger and costlier problems. Failing to properly maintain infrastructure is bad financial management.

“Maryanna”, a principal at a Melbourne high school (who wished to remain anonymous due to concerns that speaking out could jeopardise future funding applications), has struggled to find funds to deal with an array of pressing maintenance issues. “We have ageing infrastructure, rusting flat metal sheet verandas, downpipes that are so blocked that they just bubble up when it rains, like a fountain from the ground,” she explains.

Then there are the issues that directly impact on the students’ learning. The school suffers from regular power outages which Maryanna attributes to a temperamental, ageing power board. “Often we don’t have any heating or cooling in the school because the electricity goes out or else it’s the boiler,” she says. “The staff and students suffer when there are no lights and no heating.”

Under the current model of devolved school governance, school principals are held responsible for the maintenance of their schools and are expected to fund this from their overall budgets.

Right top to bottom: One 

school frequently loses power due 

to an ageing power board and an ill-maintained 

boiler

Some of the many maintenance issues facing 

schools around the state

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As school buildings and infrastructure around Victoria fall into an

increasing state of disrepair, principals are being held responsible

for upkeep, despite dwindling funds and increased workloads.

In the second instalment of the AEU’s two-part investigation into

facilities funding in schools, SUZANNE TAYLOR uncovers what’s at

stake when school maintenance falls by the wayside.

12 AEU NEWS VOL 20 | ISSUE 7 | NOVEMBER 2014

The Department apportions additional funding each year to some schools, ostensibly based on the results of a 2011–2012 mainte-nance audit it conducted of all buildings in Victorian government schools.

The audit assessed 27,000 buildings across 1,536 schools and prioritised funding based on a ranking of needs. But many principals are mystified by the ranking system.

Maryanna was astonished to discover that her school was “not rated low enough” to receive maintenance funding, despite the dysfunctional heating and cooling systems.

At East Bentleigh Primary School, the auditor agreed that the pavements in the school were uneven and posed a real risk to students with disabilities — but despite this admission, no money was forthcoming.

At Kingston Heath Primary School, principal Wendy Stirling showed the auditor a brick wall in a store room that had a major crack in it. “They agreed that it was a definite risk,” she says, “but then they gave us no money to fix it!”

Anne Nelson from Spensley St Primary School was also surprised at the condition report findings. “We thought we’d be well below the threshold but we were actually way above it,” she says. “Obviously I acknowledge a lot of schools are worse off than us, and I’m prepared for others to go before us — but clearly there’s not enough money.”

Until such time as $420 million is found to address the maintenance backlog, princi-pals are going to great lengths to raise money, outside their budgets, to address their schools’ needs.

John Mace, assistant principal of Chelsea Heights Primary School, relies primarily on

parents to take care of maintenance work at the school. “We couldn’t afford a dedicated maintenance worker, so we suggest to parents that they can either make a $50 annual donation or else come along to a working bee,” he says.

John adds that organising these working bees is a “monumental” amount of work in itself. “We’ve had 77 people turn up. They all need OHS induction, fluoro jackets, there are seven folders of OHS documentation to go through — it’s massive.”

At Chelsea Primary School, principal Michelle Liddle has had to be

enterprising to get her school’s needs met. She set up a program called “Workplace Giving” with the local bank so that parents can salary-sacrifice donations into a school infrastructure and maintenance account.

She has also organised professional tradesmen to run pro bono workshops at the school to teach parents how to prepare a surface for painting or concreting and how to do simple maintenance jobs.“We have a lovely community,” she says, “and we do a lot with a little.”

Michelle and her school council are currently considering online crowd-funding as a way to raise money for much-needed fencing.

It’s a direction that not all principals are comfortable with. Time spent organising community fundraisers and working bees is time spent away from the core business of education. “I get upset, emotional, because I chose to get out of the classroom and take on a leadership role so I could make a positive impact on a larger scale,” says John Mace. “But the amount of time taken up with OHS and maintenance — it’s untenable.”

According to John, the lack of funding is creating a situation bordering on exploita-tion. The previous evening saw him working at the school until 10pm with a volunteer tradesman — a dad from the school who had just worked a 12-hour day. “The Government

is preying on the goodwill of teachers, OHS officers and parents to work hours like this, to get the jobs done,” he says.

But it’s not just about the money. Unmanaged maintenance issues can end up posing serious OHS risks. One of the most ubiquitous maintenance issues in schools across the state — and potentially the most deadly — is asbestos.

About two-thirds of Victoria’s 1,531 public schools contain asbestos materials in some buildings. Around 1000 classrooms are affected. The Government’s haphazard response to the building maintenance issues faced by public schools across the state is epitomised by its failure to manage asbestos.

An analysis of asbestos audits conducted in schools between 2000 and 2010 reveal that many of them were identified as having “Priority 1” problems (where asbestos could pose a “substantial risk” unless immediately removed, sealed or labelled). However, it was clear from the files, obtained by asbestos researcher and former Labor policy advisor Andrew Herington through Freedom of Information, that none of the category 1–3 asbestos risks had been followed up. “There had been no checking process,” Herington says. “In schools that were audited more than once, the same risks were still there.”

This is highlighted by the case of Timboon P–12 College. The school had been audited, asbestos risks identified, but no action had been taken. It wasn’t until a major incident prompted a Worksafe visit, followed by a temporary closure, that the Government was forced to take action.

This was not an isolated, one-off incident. It was one of three serious asbestos exposure incidents that landed the Department of Education in hot water with Worksafe in

“Often we don’t have any heating or cooling in the school because the electricity goes out or else it’s the boiler. The staff and students suffer when there are no lights and no heating.”

Key findings of the 2013 Victorian Auditor General’s Report

• A quarter of all schools are outdated and not suitable to deliver a modern curriculum

• 7.5% of buildings — 2,042 in total — are at the point of imminent failure, or have already failed

• 3,074 buildings are below the standard DEECD requires for all school buildings

• $420 million in investment is required to bring these buildings up to an accept-able standard.

Source: Audit Summary, “Implementation of

School Infrastructure Program”, February 2013

13www.aeuvic.asn.au

November 2013. DEECD tried to pin responsibility for asbestos management onto the individual principals, but Worksafe was unequivocal in its message: the Department of Education owns the buildings and the Department is responsible for them. To avoid prosecution, DEECD agreed to an Enforceable Undertaking, akin to a plea bargain. It agreed to conduct new asbestos audits, pilot a labelling system, and train staff in 400 schools. “That’s just under half the schools affected by this problem,” says Herington. “There needs to be a proper labelling system across all schools.”

Despite the three serious asbestos exposure incidents that took place on his watch,

Education Minister Martin Dixon — who declined to be interviewed for this article — has repeatedly said that schools containing asbestos in situ are safe. In correspondence with Andrew Herington, a DEECD spokes-person declared: “As undisturbed asbestos is very safe, it would be inappropriate to … aim to achieve asbestos-free status”.

Herington says that’s simply not true. “Schools suffer a lot of heavy wear, and damage to asbestos sheeting and to rooves is happening all the time. It can come loose in bad weather and when workmen come in, if there’s no labelling system, then there’s a risk that they will inadvertently expose people to asbestos.”

He believes that the risk of exposure will increase unless urgent changes are made. “Certainly there are a lot of people who were exposed to asbestos in previous decades who will develop related illnesses over the coming decade. Whilst we can’t do anything to rectify mistakes of the past, we can act on what we

know now: that there’s a remaining risk, it’s eminently fixable and it could be done over the next five years.”

Herington wants all schools to be asbestos-free by 2020, a stance supported by the AEU in its short and sharp 2014 Budget Submission statement on the subject: “The Government must put into operation a plan to remove asbestos in all school buildings.”

In a positive and bold move, Shadow Education Minister James Merlino told AEU Victoria on September 29 that, “If elected, Victorian Labor would prioritise the removal of asbestos from our schools.”

Merlino was critical of the Napthine Government’s “depleted building program” over the past four years, and its propensity for “patching up buildings that really should be bulldozed”.

The AEU has called for DEECD to take responsibility for asbestos removal, rather than it falling to individual principals. It is also lobbying for the establishment of a central public online database, to hold all asbestos and maintenance audit results, as currently exists in New South Wales.

Herington is calling on the government to link capital priorities to schools that rated “fair” or worse in the 2012 audit and invest in long-term upgrades, not just short-term fixes. He argues that the system of labelling asbestos

in situ should be mandated across every single school and that this should be accompanied by more training on asbestos management — until such time as it can be removed altogether.

If serious incidents of asbestos exposure in schools are not enough to change this government’s business-as-usual approach, it’s hard to know how much worse things need to get before maintenance investment is taken seriously. •As part of Asbestos Awareness Week (November 24–28, 2014) the AEU will be holding an after-work seminar on November 25 focusing on asbestos in education buildings. For details, visit www.aeuvic.asn.au/asbestos or contact AEU’s OHS organiser Janet Marshall at janet.marshall@aeuvic.asn.au or on (03) 9417 2822.

Asbestos in Australian schools AUSTRALIA HAS the highest per capita rate of asbestos disease in the world and almost 34,000 people have died because of the deadly dust since 1980.

Under the Bracks/Brumby Labor governments, there was a State budget of $5 million a year to cover asbestos removal in schools. That figure was cut back under the Baillieu government to $2 million.

Between 2006 and 2008, 2,775 audits for asbestos and other hazardous material were undertaken in schools, but during 2011 and 2012 under Premier Baillieu, only 47 new asbestos audits were completed.

One of the most ubiquitous maintenance issues across the state — and the most deadly — is asbestos.

More than half the schools set to receive infrastructure funding from the Coalition Government are in marginal seats.Source: Victorian State Budget, 2014

14 AEU NEWS VOL 20 | ISSUE 7 | NOVEMBER 2014

WHAT is a teacher? It seems like a simple question, but in our modern, regulated workplaces the

word “teacher” takes on a specific and legal meaning.

The definition of a “teacher” in the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (ETRA) is “a person who, in a school, undertakes duties that include the delivery of an educational program or the assessment of student participation in an educational program”.

The definition provided by the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) and used in teacher registration, states that the essential duty of a teacher is to impart knowledge to students. That encompasses the academic: “Knowing the theoretical basis for teaching, maintaining their professional knowledge”; the personal: “Being responsible for their own conduct, having an interest in extracur-ricular activities”; and the practical: “Assessing students regularly, diagnosing an individual student’s ability and providing an appropriate course of instruction, maintaining discipline in class and out”.

The definition also extends to cover good practice: “Giving meaningful lessons using a range of techniques and materials.”

The ETRA requires anybody performing the duties of a teacher in Victoria to be registered. The only exception is when a non-teacher obtains Permission to Teach (PTT) registration.

Although the principal must ensure their teachers on staff are registered, ultimately registration is the teacher’s responsibility.

Education SupportThe role of many ES is to support students in skills and knowledge development. They can work with students to complete curriculum designed and assessed by the teacher. They can give feedback and identify if a student is on the right track, and they can use their knowledge to reinforce ideas presented by the teacher.

It is important to remember that ES staff are there to support teachers and students in learning, not to replace them. Programs should be examined closely to ensure ES staff are not initiating, designing or delivering curriculum, and that their work is overseen by a registered teacher who holds responsibility for the instructional program.

Walking the line — consultation countsSome schools have altered their structure so that jobs previously performed by qualified teachers are now being advertised as ES roles. Does this employment model cross the line?

That depends on whether the employee is performing the duties of a teacher — a question that must be answered by analysing the specific job description.

The staffing requirements of the school must be discussed through the consulta-tive committee to clarify whether the duties required of an employee are linked to appropriate conditions, responsibility and remuneration.

A person performing the duties of a teacher without qualification and registration is breaking the law and can be prosecuted in the Magistrate’s Court. It is entirely inap-propriate to employ a person as an ES staff member when they are performing the duties of a teacher. •Details about types of registration and the full PTT policy can be found on the VIT website: www.vit.vic.edu.au.

ES staff can access more information about the parameters of their roles by contacting the AEU on (03) 9417 2822.

Advertising for qualified teachers

THE EDUCATION and Training Reform Act 2006 acknowledges that sometimes a qualified teacher cannot be found to fill a teaching role. In these situations, schools can advertise for a person skilled in the relevant subject area who may not have a teaching qualification, but they must be able to demonstrate that they have adver-tised for a qualified teacher first.

If a selection process is run but no appointment is made, this does not neces-sarily discharge the requirement to seek a qualified teacher.

In the event that Permission To Teach (PTT) is used, it is only valid for three years. A further application can only be accepted if the PTT applicant has taken steps towards gaining a teaching qualification.

That’s not my job!There’s a legally binding distinction between the responsibilities of teachers versus

Education Support staff. MARINO D’ORTENZIO explains why you need to know the

parameters of your role.

More than 45% of Education Support staff and 19% of teachers are employed on a contract or casual basis. Source: AEU 2014

15www.aeuvic.asn.au

Time to invest in human capitalThroughout the year, AEU News has explored each of the five action points

underpinning our Put Education 1st campaign. In the final story of the series,

SUZANNE TAYLOR explores the urgent need for greater staff support.

Our Action PlanThis is the fifth in a series of features on the AEU’s Put Education 1st action plan for schools.

THE campaign’s fifth dot point is an easy sell to educators but a harder sell to the general public. It’s not as

tangible as a shiny new classroom or smaller classes. It’s not as emotive an issue as battling for more integration aides for students with special needs, or for a curriculum that caters for the full spectrum of learners.

But although it’s harder to make a direct link between increased investment in professional development (PD) for staff and improved student outcomes, common sense dictates that it’s just as important as new buildings and better staff/student ratios. When school staff have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge, broaden their understanding of new technologies, strengthen their profes-sional networks and re-energise away from the classroom, students reap the benefits directly.

A great deal of performance and devel-opment rhetoric seems to focus on the goal of improving teacher quality by ramping up performance evaluation rather than increasing access to relevant, high-quality PD.

David Adamson, principal of Essendon Keilor College, says that failing to invest in staff PD has an impact on the quality and innovation of teaching programs, as well as on staff morale. “We’re asking staff to be innova-tive, but we’re not able to provide them with the training or support they need to do that.”

The most salient issue in this area can be traced, predictably, to a lack of funding. Before the era of global budgets and school autonomy, the government allocated PD funding to schools on the basis of staff population. Under

the current system, there is no specific PD allocation. Principals are expected to ration-alise PD from their global budgets, alongside a tangle of competing priorities, including OHS, maintenance, staff salaries and infrastructure. The Napthine Government spends $1,881 less per student each year than the national average.

David Adamson argues that bridging this shortfall could make a big impact on the professional development he could provide for his staff. “I’ve hardly got money to run the school as it is, so to release teachers to go to PD is almost impossible,” he says. “We have around 1000 kids in the school, so that’d be an extra $2 million that I could put towards staff coaching, expert-run PD, reducing the workload of staff who mentor other teachers … it would boost things enormously.”

Even if principals can scrape together the funds to regularly send staff on PD, they then must find a way to cover the absent teacher. One of the Napthine Government’s solutions to avoiding the costs of CRTs, outlined in its 2012 New Directions for School Leadership and the Teaching Profession, was to implement compul-sory PD during school holidays.

Cash-strapped principals have come up with other solutions, sometimes resorting to “grade-splitting”, whereby instead of being taught by a CRT, students are redistributed across other classes, often into different year levels. It means greater workloads for school staff, larger classes, and disruption to all students involved.

Diane Bassett, principal of Hume Valley

Special School, says funding cuts have impacted on her school’s skill base. “Until recently, the Department offered special education scholarships which were wonderful because it meant that teachers could have two years of specialised training while they worked,” she says.

The funding for that program was cut under the current Coalition Government. “Now that those scholarships are so limited, our school is paying for staff to complete the course out of our own budget,” says Bassett.

She feels it’s particularly unfair given the skills shortage in the field of special education and the fact that their own highly qualified staff often run free training for mainstream schools. “We are a resource beyond our own school, so it’s frustrating that we now have to pay for this ourselves.”

The current funding system also means that educators in regional areas are at

an automatic disadvantage. When profes-sional development is brought to regional areas from capital cities it generally carries additional costs to cover the trainers’ accom-modation and travel fees — costs not incurred by metropolitan schools. The alternative is for regional principals to pay for staff to travel to the nearest city for PD and be accommodated there, on top of the costs of the course itself and a replacement CRT.

Peter Clifton, principal of Magpie Primary School in Ballarat, feels frustrated that he can’t support more staff to attend PD. “Schools like mine shouldn’t be hit with more expensive

16 AEU NEWS VOL 20 | ISSUE 7 | NOVEMBER 2014

1 CLASS SIZES 2 CURRICULUM 3 STUDENT SUPPORT 4 FACILITIES 5 STAFF

SUPPORT

PD just because we’re not located in inner-city Melbourne,” he says.

Casual relief teachers are also more vulner-able to missing out on PD because schools are unlikely to pay for them to do a course. Not only do CRTs not get paid to do PD, they usually have to pay for it themselves.

CRT Tamara Green says she is “overlooked a lot” for PD run by schools. “I’m invited to come to the free training at school — which I do off my own bat, without getting paid — but the schools don’t tend to offer me the paid training they’d provide to their own staff.”

Ironically, while many educators find PD hard to access for all the above-mentioned

reasons, the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) requires educators on full registration to clock up 20 hours of PD per year. People on family leave who choose to retain their regis-tration, along with CRTs, are still expected to complete their 20 hours per annum. But given how hard it is for many people to access formal PD, the VIT allows personal reading of relevant literature and websites to count towards the 20 hours, as long as it’s docu-mented and referenced against the standards.

A great deal of the current system is propped up by goodwill. In regional areas in particular, much of the PD that teachers attend are courses run by other teachers in their own time, for free.

“My staff regularly go to skills-based training run by generous staff in other schools,” says Peter Clifton, “but I’ve stopped asking my staff to attend because it’s a lot of extra work to do in their own time.”

The mentorship system is also based on voluntary labour, which David Adamson thinks is unjust. “It’d be great to be able to pay to release people to do that mentoring, because the mentors are usually our most experienced teachers and they’ve got many other responsibilities as well.”

The Put Education 1st campaign also acknowledges the need for better support

for principals in the context of ever-increasing workloads. AEU Victoria’s State of Our Schools 2014 survey revealed that principals’ hours have been increasing, while the amount of regional support has declined. Principals worked an average 59.3 hours per week this

year, the highest rate since 2003. “Lack of regional office support” was among the main concerns listed by principals.

The DEECD regional offices oversee critical incident management, OHS, compli-ance and various other support services. Whereas the provision of PD for school leaders was once provided directly by the regional office, this has largely devolved to sector-specific networks. Between 2010 and 2013, under the Liberal Baillieu govern-ment, the Education Department shed 1,001 Victorian public service jobs, many from DEECD regional offices. Nine regional offices were amalgamated into four.

The State of Our Schools survey asked principals about the recent regional office restructure and the vast majority of respond-ents (90%) replied that the level of support

had “deteriorated” or “deteriorated a lot” as a result.

As part of the restructure, the Senior Advisors, whose role was to provide direct support and advice to principals, are now spread across many more schools and geographical regions than previously.

“The number of Senior Advisors needs to be quadrupled,” says Peter Clifton. “Each advisor is now dealing with 60 or 70 schools. They used to take care of about 20.”

He has felt the regional cutbacks keenly. “My Senior Advisor is in Ballarat but she also looks after schools in Geelong and Footscray.”

Clifton believes that the current system is creating a short-term, reactive paradigm. “If I had a crisis, my Senior Advisor would be on my doorstep within half an hour, but if I wanted to discuss where I want to take the school in the next two to three years, there’d be no time for that.”

Diane Bassett, from Hume Valley Special School, has also been hit by the cuts to regional support. “The role of the Senior

Advisor as an educational leader seems to have diminished,” she says. “Now they just give you an overview of what’s happening in terms of Department policy and initiatives.”

She says that the cutbacks have directly increased her own workload. “Finding someone with the required expertise or someone local enough to provide support immediately is difficult, so you often end up being on the phone for a very long time.”

Peter Clifton from Magpie Primary School is clear about how he wants the current system of staff support to change. “Firstly, fund PD for every staff member so that there’s an alloca-tion per individual. Secondly, the Department should cross-subsidise exemplary PD providers to take them to regional areas. And thirdly, quadruple the number of Senior Advisors at the regional level or else go back to smaller regions.”

David Adamson of Essendon Keilor College adds that he would like to see mentors and teacher-trainers compensated for the addi-tional time those roles entail.

Diane Bassett would like to see additional curriculum-free days written into the school calendar, so that staff can attend PD without needing to fund CRTs or disrupt students’ learning.

In the context of shrinking budgets, and principals finding themselves in the impossible position of having to decide between repairing collapsing infrastructure versus hiring integra-tion aides, it’s easy to see how investing in staff PD ends up further down the list of priori-ties. But the system shouldn’t force principals into rationalising out vital staff development. And principals themselves shouldn’t be feeling isolated and unsupported due to hundreds of jobs being axed in regional offices.

The education system urgently needs to appreciate and invest in its greatest asset of all — its people. A new classroom might grab headlines, but ultimately classrooms don’t teach children, educators do. And right now, they’re missing out. •AEU Victoria provides funding for the costs of a CRT to cover every educator who enrols in one of our courses. For more information, please contact AEU Training Officer, Rowena Matcott on: 9417 2822 or email rowena.matcott@aeuvic.asn.au.

The education system urgently needs to appreciate and invest in its greatest asset of all — its people.

17www.aeuvic.asn.au

IN Japan, teachers are expected to conduct parent–teacher interviews in the homes of their students. If a pupil is struggling

academically or socially, that will generally call for a home visit too. And if a teen is caught committing a crime like shoplifting, the business owner will usually call the school instead of the police.

These were some of the anecdotes shared by Nobuaki Suzuki, president of the Shizuoka Teachers’ Union (STU), during a recent visit to AEU.

Mr Suzuki was one of 20 STU members and officials to visit Australia as part of an educational exchange program with AEU Victoria that has welcomed 500 Japanese delegates since it began in 2000.

AEU members in the Bendigo area hosted the international visitors in their homes and classrooms during August. In September, the roles were reversed when 19 AEU Victoria members and two officials travelled to Japan. During the exchange, participants shared teaching strategies and compared notes on the industrial issues facing them in their respective countries.

“Teachers in Japan are so busy and unfor-tunately don’t have enough opportunities to broaden their horizons outside of school,” Mr Suzuki said. “So this program is very important, to review the basics of teaching … and share our views and opinions openly and frankly.”

Despite the political, historical and cultural differences between the two countries, key industrial issues are strikingly similar. Mr Suzuki divides these into two main areas: education reform shaped more by political ideology than evidence-based research, together with severe workload issues.

“The first issue that we are very concerned about is neo-conservative education reform,” said Mr Suzuki.

Since the conservative Liberal Democrat Party returned to power in Japan three years ago, it has ramped up national standardised testing and increased the assessment and performance management of teachers. The STU is concerned that the narrow focus on quantitative testing will lead to increased inter-school competition based on “simplistic” and inaccurate assessments.

“It’s our view that we cannot judge students’ academic achievements only by looking at test scores,” Mr Suzuki said.

This relates to issues around the funda-mental aims of education. “We need to develop young people who can live in a society, not just work in a company,” he said.

STU’s second key campaign relates to workload. A recent OECD study ranking teacher workload across 34 nations revealed that Japanese teachers work longer than anybody else — an average of 53.9 hours per week, compared to Australia’s average of 42.7.

According to Mr Suzuki, there are cultural reasons for this. In Japan, teachers are consid-ered to be accountable for a child’s entire development — spiritual, academic, social and physical. “Traditionally [teachers] feel that we are responsible for students even outside the school.”

He believes that families and communities need to adjust their expectations of teachers and take on more responsibility. “We now need to pay more attention to teachers’ mental

and physical conditions, as some of them are suffering due to excessive workload and extreme stress,” he said.

In recent years Japan has seen a steep increase in the number of teachers taking out insurance claims relating to psychiatric and/or physical ill-health.

In a country where it is illegal to strike or hold large-scale public protests, how does the Shizuoka Teachers’ Union go about campaigning? “In similar ways to the AEU!” smiled Mr Suzuki.

He explained that their focus was on galvanising grassroots support through public awareness campaigns particularly aimed at parents.

The union also lobbies the Board of Education within the Shizuoka prefecture to reduce teachers’ workload, and provides advice and support for individual members, including assistance with leave applications and accessing medical treatment.

Mr Suzuki reflected that it has long been “part of Japanese nationality” to hold teachers in high regard, adding that they were once afforded the same respect as medical doctors by virtue of their academic qualifications.

Now, he says, teachers are respected more for “their long working hours and effort” than for their qualifications, experience and skills.

This is Mr Suzuki’s sixth visit to Melbourne, and he sees the exchange as an “inspirational” opportunity to rejuvenate and reenergise the visiting teachers.

“I am delighted to see that those teachers who have participated in the program have been playing an active and important role in their schools,” he said. •To register interest in the 2015 AEU delegation to Japan, please email lee-anne.poynton@aeuvic.asn.au.

During a recent cultural exchange, Japanese teachers and union officials

compared notes with AEU members on the issues facing educators in their

respective countries. The similarities were striking, SUZANNE TAYLOR reports.

A Japanese Story

A recent OECD study revealed that Japanese teachers work longer than anybody else — an average of 53.9 hours per week.

18 AEU NEWS VOL 20 | ISSUE 7 | NOVEMBER 2014

PROFILE

The knock-on effectExperience teaching in underprivileged London schools put the

fire in Bridget O’Dwyer’s belly to make a difference at home.

She tells MEIKI APTED how she’s galvanising support for public

education in the lead-up to November 29.

BRIDGET O’Dwyer was six months away from completing her horticulture qualifications when she bumped into

a friend who had recently become a teacher. “She was talking to me about the kids and the funny things they’d say to her,” she says. “That connection was something I wanted in my life.”

Bridget embarked on an Arts/Education degree which she used to travel the world, teaching for over four years in the UK. Twelve years later, Bridget still relishes the funny chats that she has with her students. But she’s realised that to really make a difference, she needs to take the conversation out into the community.

In the lead-up to the state election on November 29, Bridget has ramped up her involvement in AEU activities. She persuaded her entire sub-branch to attend her school’s “Out the Gate” event, where they collected over 90 signatures in support of the Put Education 1st campaign.

She recently took to the streets with other AEU members, along with healthcare workers and firefighters, to spend a Saturday morning door-knocking in the marginal seat of Mordialloc. Armed with “a pledge, a map, a leaflet and a smile,” Bridget found approaching people easier than she had expected. “Once they heard the words, ‘Hi, I’m a local teacher’,

people were really receptive. It kind of softens the blow.”

Despite the welcome, Bridget found she often needed to explain the relevance of the campaign to the broader community. “People would say, ‘Oh, I don’t have kids’ and they’d just disassociate from education.” Bridget would respond by explaining that the education of young people today shapes the workforce and the leaders of the future.

Teaching in some of the UK’s most under-privileged schools gave Bridget a first-hand insight into the consequences of inadequate support. “There were students who couldn’t read or write and they’d learned to deflect attention from that with terrible behaviour,” she recalls. “It had a real knock-on effect.”

Back home, Bridget has been appalled by the $600 million funding cuts the Coalition Government has made to public schools. “We have some fantastic literacy intervention programs but there are kids getting two days a week when they need five, and others still on the waiting list,” Bridget says.

“It’s so short-sighted. These kids are the ones who will be making the decisions for us when they grow up.” •Contact AEU schools campaigner Kate Aitken to get involved in the Put Education 1st campaign: kate.aitken@aeuvic.asn.au.

SHOW & TELLThe most important things I take into the classroom every day are… energy, news-worthy topics to discuss and back-up ideas for when all else fails!

The best advice I ever received was… if a resource has taken ages to make, laminate it.

My favourite teachers at school were… patient, creative and funny.

If I met Education Minister Martin Dixon I’d tell him… “Show us the money!” Gonski funding and federal and state government dedication to improving public education is vital.

In another life I’d be… a full-time classroom decorator. At Southmoor Primary School I’m currently painting our garbage bins to look like giant monsters, so that the kids can feed their rubbish to them.

I get involved in AEU activist campaigns because… who else is going to effect change besides educators?

I’ll know I’m ready to retire when… I lose my sense of humour. Or win the lotto!

A teaching moment I’ll never forget is… in England when the students ate the worksheets I’d given them. They chewed them up, spat them out and threw them at the ceiling. I had a very wet, pulpy mess to leave for the original teacher at the end of the day!

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STUDY

Off the Record:Schools under the CoalitionAfter four years in power, what difference has the Victorian

Coalition Government made to public schools? JOHN GRAHAM

scratches the surface.IN NOVEMBER 2010, after 11 years of Labor rule, Victoria voted in a Liberal/National Coalition Government. The election result was very close (a one

seat majority) and, on the whole, unexpected. The new Baillieu-led regime initially

looked and acted like an accidental govern-ment. Its election policy platform had been a disconnected set of oppositional complaints served up alongside some half-baked initia-tives. In stark contrast to the way the Kennett Coalition Government picked up the baton in 1992, this was no hungry Opposition ready to implement its long-awaited plan.

When it came to school education, there were vague promises of achieving higher standards, increasing levels of discipline, making principals more autonomous and boosting funding for private schools. None of these assurances were clearly spelt out.

There was one specific commitment — to make Victorian teachers the best paid in the country — which the Government then spent

the ensuing two years trying to wriggle out of.All the new government really had was

a default philosophy that linked the idea of “quality” to “the market”. The goal was to shrink the public sector and expand the flourishing private sector. In May 2011, the government began to implement that philosophy through a State Budget cut of $481 million to public schools and an increase of $239.5 million in recurrent funding over five years to non-government schools.

The cuts weakened public education as a whole, impacting disproportionately on the most vulnerable students. VCAL co-ordinators, literacy and numeracy coaches in low SES schools, Koorie education tutors and Reading Recovery tutors bore the brunt of the cutbacks.

2011 In November 2011, in a formal lecture at

Melbourne University, Education Minister Martin Dixon came out of hiberna-tion to announce his

government’s new vision for Victorian schooling. He called it the “third wave”, underpinned by three “non-negotiable” principles: choice, local decision-making and school community integration.

He stated that he would support whatever choices and “sacrifices” (code word for private school fees) were made by parents. To free up the market, the non-government school sector would be fostered while government schools would become more autonomous.

2010 There was one specific commitment — to make Victorian teachers the best paid in the country — which the Government then spent the ensuing two years trying to wriggle out of.

20 AEU NEWS VOL 20 | ISSUE 7 | NOVEMBER 2014

2012 In 2012, the Dixon vision was set out in two policy

papers. Towards Victoria as a Learning Community was a grab-bag of initiatives aimed at putting some flesh on the

Minister’s belief in school autonomy. There was nothing really new (or offensive) in it. The second paper, New Directions for School Leadership and the Teaching Profession, was straight out of the Kennett era when the government lived by confrontation. It came from the ideologues in the Liberal Party’s backroom and was an attempt to take on the profession and rein it in.

It proposed sacking 5% of teachers, squeezing an additional 2% of productivity out of school staff, bringing in managers from industry to be principals, introducing perfor-mance pay, requiring compulsory attendance at professional development during school holidays, watering down teacher registra-tion requirements, and removing any teacher representation on principal selection panels and on the VIT governing council.

There were also claims that Victorian public schools had received an undeserved funding bonanza, even though they were, in fact, the worst funded in the country! The policy paper suggested that funding had been wasted on lowering class sizes and that this had not led to improving our international test rankings.

The Coalition Government hoped its radical wishlist would result in elevating Victorian students into “the global top tier” in international testing. It contended that its proposals were all “evidence-based” and linked to “research”.

In fact, the New Directions proposals were similar to education policies being followed by countries below Australia in the interna-tional league tables (including USA, England and Bulgaria). They were not based on strate-gies adopted by the “global top tier” countries.

Upon close analysis, much of the paper’s “evidence” crumbles into fabrication and ideology. Even its narrow set of references often contradict the actual policy proposals.

If the evidence used to justify government policy is manifestly inaccurate, then the policies themselves lack any credibility.

In 2013, the funding cutbacks rose to over $600

million and the year started off with the Coalition Government’s disman-tling of regional support

infrastructure. The AEU’s State of Our Schools survey

of principals revealed that concern with the lack of regional office support tripled from 15.4% in 2012 to 45.8% in 2013. The regional cutbacks also meant a steep increase in principals’ administrative workload.

In the final form of the New Directions paper — From New Directions to Action — published at the end of 2013, the Government described this hands-off approach as “profes-sional trust”.

2014 The year 2014 followed the AEU’s successful

action in the courts to remove the Coalition Government’s attempts to have 30–40% of teachers

and principals fail their performance evaluations.

After four years of Coalition government, the public education system is floundering at the feet of default conservative ideologies.

The AEU has argued forcefully and repeatedly that there is absolutely no research or evidence linking the Coalition State Government’s education policies to improve-ments in teacher performance or student outcomes.

If the Napthine Government wants another four years in office, it needs to explain how it is in the best interests of Victoria to have a minimal commitment to our public schools and the staff who work in them, along with zero commitment to the long-held principle that in a democracy, equity should lie at the heart of the education system. •

2013

The AEU has argued forcefully and repeatedly that there is absolutely no research or evidence linking the Coalition Government’s education policies to improvements in teacher performance or student outcomes.

Victoria wins the Wooden Spoon!

The Coalition Government spends less on public education per student than any other state or territory.

21www.aeuvic.asn.au

22 AEU NEWS VOL 20 | ISSUE 7 | NOVEMBER 201422

Barb Jennings women’s officer

Sisters unite!THE FEDERAL Women’s Conference, held during the Term 3 holidays, was an inspiring event. The Victorian delegation included AEU leadership and WILD participants.

The conference traversed a wide range of issues affecting women as they step up to equal participation and positions of power. Panels covered pregnancy discrimi-nation, workplace gender reporting results, women’s leadership in the union and the education profession, and women’s contributions to union campaigns.

One of the most useful workshops looked at using social media to connect with potential supporters in our fight to maintain quality public education.

Delegates endorsed a conference statement affirming AEU’s support of:1. Increased participa-

tion of women in union campaigns (e.g. activist training), which includes celebrating and rewarding their contributions

2. Women’s role in the union’s decision making

3. Greater participation in

union leadership and structures by women

4. Increased women’s leadership/promotional positions in public education worksites

5. Gender equity in public education worksites, e.g. curriculum, teaching materials, policies and procedures

6. Industrial conditions for women members that are reflective and supportive of their specific needs

7. The education of its members on gender equity and discrimination matters

8. Advocacy for improved outcomes for women and girls (through data collection and analysis and research) to govern-ments, the community and other stakeholders

9. Women members and union colleagues person-ally and professionally, both locally and globally

10. Union growth activities by ensuring women (from all their diverse backgrounds) are recruited, retained and supported in their union involvement.

SAFETY MATTERS

Janet Marshall OHS organiser 

Funding cuts an OHS riskTHE VICTORIAN OHS Act 2004 requires that employers provide a safe working envi-ronment, regardless of the resources available.

There is no rider that OHS legislation and protections can be lessened because there isn’t sufficient funding to, say, maintain classroom air quality or keep class sizes to a minimum.

Less education funding doesn’t lessen our OHS protections but it does increase OHS risk. Reduced staff and increased staff/student ratios, for example, will be likely to have a direct impact on teachers’ health and wellbeing.

Not having enough funds to put in place positive behaviour programs, for example, can mean chal-lenging behaviours go unmanaged. This situation obviously puts teachers, and indeed other students, at risk.

Insufficient funding also impacts on a school’s building and maintenance programs, as well as the capacity to carry out specific measures such as asbestos eradication.

In our endeavour to deliver the best possible outcomes for our students, we stretch and stretch to fill the gaps caused by funding cuts.

While Workcover claims may not indicate an increase in injuries, and reporting systems may not show the extent of incidents and injuries, we all know that data doesn’t tell the whole story.

Classrooms, schools and training centres can be injurious and dangerously stressful places to work — and while OHS manage-ment systems are among the preventative measures, only adequate funding can alleviate these hazards.

It is critical that all work-places have a well-trained, unionised Health & Safety Representative to take up OHS issues on behalf of their designated workgroup. •CRT SCENE

Marino D’Ortenzio deputy vice president, secondary

Grade-splitting in the mediaAT THE recent AEU CRT conference, over 200 CRTs were encouraged to tweet about grade-splitting using the hashtag #nogradesplitting.

Within a day, the media had picked up on the activity and an article was published in a major daily newspaper, quoting one of our CRT members, followed by a segment on drive-time radio. It is this kind of political action that will keep our issues of

Inside the AEUWOMEN’S FOCUS

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concern foremost in the minds of politicians and the voting public on November 29.

The AEU’s Put Education 1st campaign includes a five-point plan to ensure education and the profession are well-supported into the future.

At the AEU CRT Associa-tion meeting in September, CRTs spoke about how these action points related to the work they did, with a particular reference to grade-splitting.

Grade-splitting can result in class sizes swelling to over 30 in some schools.

Just because CRTs are expected to be flexible and adaptable, grade-splitting is not a situation they should be expected to deal with (any more than a permanent teacher).

When classes are split up, it puts extra strain on teachers and ES staff, and means that students receive less one-on-one attention.

Our members’ savvy use of social media helped to generate significant public awareness of this issue.

CRT SurveyIn the next few weeks, the AEU will be asking CRTs to respond to the annual CRT survey.

In 2013 the response rate was approximately 25%. We are hoping to double that figure.

To receive the survey, we need an up-to-date email address.

Update your details at membership@aeuvic.asn.au or phone 03 9417 2822. •

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NEW EDUCATORS NETWORK

Adam Surmacz graduates organiser 

Victorian Teachers GamesON SEPTEMBER 22, more than 2000 registered partici-pants from Victorian schools descended on Bendigo for the 2014 Teachers Games. While the event is open to all workers in Victorian schools it is always a popular event with early-career teachers who relish the opportunity to recharge, meet peers and have some holiday fun.

The AEU has been a long-term supporter of this event as a way to engage with members in a relaxed and social atmosphere.

AEU mascot Roger the Bear was spotted at more than a dozen events, and the AEU crew spent time at the registrations hub and two popular BBQs. We were also supported by a team of brilliant ES staff members and enthusiastic pre-service teachers.

While the 2015 location is yet to be announced, I’d encourage all New Educators to pencil in the first week of the September break. This sporting and social sojourn is an excellent way to strengthen social bonds and let off some steam. •

VICTORIAN TEACHERS GAMES Above, L-R : Mt Ridley College at Multisports ComplexEssendon North Primary School staff with Roger the Bear

24 AEU NEWS VOL 20 | ISSUE 7 | NOVEMBER 2014

Visit 52 Bridge Road Richmond or call 8412 0200 to book an appointment today!teachershealth.com.au

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TRAINING

Jennifer Currie training officer

Looking for work?

IT’S THAT time of the year again. On top of marking, preparing end-of-year activi-ties and starting reports, many teachers and ES staff on contracts are forced to trawl through Recruitment Online in search of work for next year.

The treadmill of subse-quent contracts and having to apply for jobs year after year is a continuing stress for many members. This is something the AEU is working hard to

tackle, but in the meantime here are some quick tips for what to look out for in your next contract before signing on the dotted line:• There are only six valid

reasons for schools to offer a fixed-term position. Make sure the reason is clearly stated on your contract (see VGSA, Clause 21).

• If advertised for a whole year, teacher employment should cease on the last day of the January holidays (with pro-rata holidays for shorter contracts).

• ES in the classroom — ensure your Student Support Funding position is advertised for seven years.

Lately we’ve noticed an increase in the number of fixed-term “potential excess” positions being advertised. A school can only genuinely advertise this if they have

declining enrolments overall, or for particular subjects. We are currently monitoring schools who are misrepre-senting this, but once you have secured the position it may be worth asking when the “potential excess” situation is likely to be rectified.

A few weeks ago our MSC team received a call from a distressed teacher, Jessica*, whose primary school had just advertised an ongoing position. Jessica had worked over 12 months of a family-leave position, and was thus eligible to be translated to ongoing as soon as her school had capacity, which it obviously did.

Jessica was advised to make a copy of the advertise-ment, and was given a sample letter to complete and send to her principal. Rightfully hers, as no other staff member

was eligible, the principal realised his mistake, trans-lated Jessica immediately and re-advertised the family-leave position instead.

If you’re currently on a contract, make sure you know when you will become eligible to be translated to ongoing, as this is not something all schools keep track of. To be eligible, you must have worked continuously for over 12 months on one or more advertised fixed-term positions. Let your sub-branch rep and consultative committee reps know too, as they should be aware of any upcoming positions to be advertised.

If you have a question about your contract, give the MSC team a call on 03 9417 2822. •*Name changed to protect identity

25www.aeuvic.asn.au

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Greg Barclay vice president, TAP

IT SEEMS that only TAFE institutes in regional Victoria remain proud to retain and promote the TAFE name as an integral part of their identity, with the exception of Advance TAFE and GippsTAFE, which have sadly chosen to follow the metropolitan push to drop the TAFE name — they are now merged under the name “Federation Training”.

No matter what marketing strategies are adopted by CEOs and Boards of Directors, what they have failed to recognise is what sets TAFE apart from other registered training providers. It is what TAFE teachers do that creates the real marketing differences between a narrow skills-based training focus and a transformative educational experience. Students understand this difference and employers appreciate the outcome.

Personal stories from both students and teachers presented at TAFE4ALL community forums across the state have been truly moving because they have recalled so many examples of how people’s lives have been changed through the educational expe-rience of TAFE and the passion and commitment of teachers.

The trend to now construct the TAFE experience as a “business transaction” that pushes “units” through a process with input costs and output returns is another example of the way simplistic business models impoverish educational standards and human interactions.

TAFE educates and trains people for life and for productive work. The fight to retain and rebuild our public TAFE system in Victoria is a fight that we cannot afford to lose. Please sign up and join the campaign at tafe4all.org.au.

It’s not too late rebuild our critical public TAFE system. •Visit tafe4all.org.au and click on “Events” to find out more about the TAFE4ALL community forums.

WHAT MAKES A TAFE A TAFE?

26 AEU NEWS VOL 20 | ISSUE 7 | NOVEMBER 2014

Bush Kinder goes wildEntry into a child’s cubby-house hotel could set you back a few

gum leaves, but the benefits of Bush Kinder are priceless.

MEIKI APTED digs up the dirt.

WESTGARTH Kindergarten director Doug Fargher’s strongest memories of his schooling involve

making villages in the roots of the pine trees at lunchtime. “Most of what I learned was from nature,” he says.

Fargher has always wanted to give children similar opportunities to learn “in and from” nature, so when the National Partnership for Universal Access was signed, requiring kinder-gartens to provide three additional hours of early learning per child per week, the time for Bush Kinder was ripe. “We were encouraged to think outside the box,” Fargher says. “So we did.”

The Westgarth Bush Kinder Pilot Project began in the Darebin Parklands in 2011, supported by a community of parents “abso-lutely engaged in natural outdoor education, emergent curriculum and child-centred learning”, and assisted by Parks Victoria, VicHealth and Play Australia. The program was an immediate success, and kindergartens from Woodend to Winchelsea began searching for beach and bushland for children to roam free: climbing rocks, building cubbies, and digging up worms and other mini-beasts.

In 2015, there will be four programs operating in the Darebin Parklands alone. Senior Park Ranger Peter Wiltshere couldn’t be happier. “The kids love stripping the bark off trees,” he says. “Some of the trees don’t

have any bark left, but it’s worth it by 100 miles, just to see their faces.”

Wiltshere thinks Bush Kinder helps develop children’s confidence. “They’re calmer, more alert to their environment. Picking up basalt rocks and feeling the vesicles [pock mark holes] makes them question, ‘Why is this different to a smooth pebble?’ It’s real multi-sensory learning.”

Research confirms this. Studies into Bush Kinders and Forest Schools (which began in Northern Europe in the 1950s), have uncovered a vast array of benefits, including increased confidence, motivation and concen-tration; improved social, physical and language skills; deeper conceptual understanding; and a greater respect for the natural environ-ment. Time spent outdoors has even been recognised as a key determinant for avoiding myopia, a condition fast becoming endemic in societies where young children spend their days inside staring at screens.

Volunteer mum Kim Coulter helped establish an outdoor kinder and junior primary program at Forrest Learning Centre in the Otway Ranges, where her children are enrolled. “Kids are growing up in an elec-tronic society,” she says. “But we shouldn’t be teaching them to rely on that world.”

Coulter loves watching her children play in the bush. “It’s so peaceful. There are times when they choose to be alone, and times

when they choose to be a team. No-one’s left out.”

Coulter’s son Hamish agrees. While playing mud monsters and searching for stink beetles is pretty great, his favourite is the cubby houses. “We get some sticks and dirt and we put [them] onto a branch and onto another branch and that’s how you make a wall for your cubby,” he says. “The leaves make the wall for you.”

According to Hamish, the hotel cubby house they made is “really big”. The entry fee is a gum leaf, but at bush kinder, there’s plenty to go around. •

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MEMBER SUPPORT CENTRE 1800 013 379

John Handley and Jeff Slingsby Member Support Centre

New support centre here for youThe beginning of this term saw an internal restructure at the AEU, including the introduction of a new-look Member Support Centre to better assist members.THE NEW Member Support Centre (MSC) is respon-sible for assisting individual members with high-quality advice and support. Much of the day-to-day work of the AEU is to provide members with assistance with the huge range of things that can “go wrong”, whether it be complaints processes, legal difficulties, Workcover or grievances at the Merit Protection Board.

Our aim is that when you call or email the MSC, the officer who is your initial contact will be the person who supports you all the way through the issue to its conclusion. We want to minimise the need to refer members to others for assis-tance and aim to make the whole process as efficient, timely and reassuring as possible.

Of course, even if your inquiry is straightforward, the MSC officers will be able to provide you with practical and accurate advice and resolve your issue efficiently.

The creation of the MSC will free up organisers to do the important work of recruiting, training and

campaigning — whereas, in the past, much of their time was taken up with individual member concerns.

Focusing on issues facing individual members will also enable the MSC to collate data and monitor trends as issues develop. This will allow us to respond quickly to emerging issues that affect AEU membership as a whole.

’Tis the season to be planningPredictably, Term 4 is the season of planning and changes for individual members and sub-branches alike.

School sector sub-branches should have in place their consultative arrangements, including the composition of the committee, elected represent-atives, meeting arrangements, agendas and a mechanism to feed back information to members.

Consultative commit-tees should be working towards the production of two required written documents: the “workforce plan” and the “long-term planning document”. The former is a

document that sets out the projected staffing needs for next year, predicted enrol-ments, mix of ongoing and contract staff, and predicted staff absences. The latter document sets out the school’s program and staff workload. For more details, see the Schools Agreement Clause 12(5)(a).

Individual members are also facing issues and decisions about their working life for 2015. Member Support Centre staff have been busily assisting and advising members on a range of related matters.

One of the common problems at this time of the year is issues relating to Family Leave.

Family leave absentees are required to inform their school no later than October 1 about their intentions for the following year. Many people in this position are exploring the option of returning part time.

Contract employment is also a hot topic at this time of the year. No-one, including the AEU, likes the precari-ousness experienced by our contract employees. Everyone on contract should know the reason why their position is a contract position.

If you are filling a Family Leave position, it’s important to know the nature of the position you are filling.

Unfortunately, some

schools are facing excess. Of those, some are dealing with this for the first time while others are at a point where our members may be facing redundancy. While some individuals welcome this outcome, others are placed in an unenviable situation.

Which brings us back to where we started: if those consultative arrangements are not properly in place, then transparency and equity will be harder to achieve.•

Introducing the MSC

Funding for government schools was cut in 2013–14 by $110m in real terms (adjusted for inflation and enrolment growth).

Source: DEECD Annual Report, 2014

28 AEU NEWS VOL 20 | ISSUE 7 | NOVEMBER 2014

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Contact Kate: kateherbert@netspace.net.au; (03) 9486 2222 /0413 191 431

Photos: www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=47444&id=100000035704463&l=5555541261

AIREYS INLET SATIS BEACH HOUSEStylish and comfortable 3 bdrm house for six on the beach side of Great Ocean Road. Paddle our canoe on the inlet, walk to the lighthouse, cliffs and beaches.

Ph: (03) 5380 8228 or email melrose@gjr.net.au www.satisbeachhouse.com

AIREYS INLET HOLIDAY RENTALHoliday rental, 3 bdrms, 2 living, large decks, 1 acre garden, bbq, woodfire.

Ph: (03) 4208 0668 0416 234 808.

HOLIDAY HOUSE PAMBULA BEACH, NSW SOUTH COASTStylishly renovated mid-century beach house. Enjoy the retro experience on the beautiful Sapphire Coast. Prime location with ocean views, short 2 minute walk to beach and river mouth. Three bedroom, sleeps 6.

Ph: 0437 840 785 www.stayz.com.au/50714

HOLIDAY HOUSE PHILLIP ISLAND, VENTNORTwo bdrm sleeps 6, available weekends and holidays.

Ph: Jane (03) 9387 9397 or 0431 471 611 or Louise (03) 9343 6030 or 0413 040 237

WILSONS PROMONTORYPromclose Cottage. www.promclose.com Ph: 0488 592 725

WYE RIVER SCHOOL CAMPLooking for an idyllic school excursion location by the sea?

Surfing, fishing, wildlife, beach and forest walks in the beautiful Otway Ranges.

We have it all here at Wye River on the iconic Great Ocean Road. ‘Mitchell House’ is dormitory style accommodation with two large bunk rooms which hold 14 beds each and another bedroom which has two double bunks — for the teachers. A total capacity of 32 people.

It is accredited for use by schools. There is a fully equipped commercial kitchen and a large living area. Check it out on the Stayz website at http://www.stayz.com.au/accommoda-tion/vic/great-ocean-road/wye-river/151857

Book through Stayz or call Gary and Monica Lewis on 03 5289 0440 or 0457 040 429 for further information.

TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL

AUSSIE PROFESSIONAL TOURS: TEACHER TOURS 2015.Help us celebrate 10 years in travel excellence for teachers.

School visits. Tax claimable.

VIETNAM Easter and September holidays, 14 days, $3490 per person, twin share.

CAMBODIA/LAOS June holidays 10 days, $3480 per person, twin share.

CHINA September holidays 14 days. Including Yangtse Cruise. $4450 per person, twin share.

Ph: Terry Tremellen 0431 359 283 terrytremellen@hotmail.com

DISCOVER TURKEYDiscover Turkey offers exceptional journeys and expert destination knowledge, hand-picked hotels and tailored itineraries.

Teacher Tours to Turkey in 2015

Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus, Gallipoli, including School Visit

E-mail: info@discoverturkey.info Website: www.discoverturkey.info

driveEUROPEPeugeot Citroen Renault 2014 European specials

out NOWOur 39th year of service to the European traveller. Email: gha25440@bigpond.net.au (02) 9437 4900

Classifieds

bathrooms, construction & maintenance

*bathrooms *en suites *new or old *complete service

& all home maintenance.Work in Eltham/Diamond Valley, Manningham and Banyule areas.

Quality work for the right price with over 25 years industry

experience

CALL SIMON

M: 0414 294 824 PH: 9439 9223

Email: simonedgley@optusnet.com.au

FRANCE — LANGUEDOCTwo renovated stone houses in tranquil village near Carcassone, sleep four or eight, from $600 a week. See website at www.frenchrentalhouses. bigpondhosting.com Ph: (02) 4757 1019; 0414 968 397; email marjen1946@hotmail.com

FRANCE — PROVENCERestored 17th century house in medieval fortified village of Entrevaux. Spectacular location, close to Côte d’Azur and Italy. Ph: (03) 5258 2798 or (02) 9948 2980. www.provencehousestay.com

FRANCE — SOUTH WESTRenovated 17th century 2 bdrm apart in elegant Figeac, “centre-ville”, or cottage in Lauzerte, 12th century hilltop village. Low cost.

www.flickr.com/photos/clermont-figeac/ or www.flickr.com/photos/les-chouettes/ Ph: (03) 9877 7513 or email jimmcdon@tpg.com.au for brochure.

ITALY — UMBRIABeautiful sunny 2 bdrm apartment. Historic Centre Citta Di Castello €625pw 2p, €675 3-4p.

Ph: 0414 562 659 or email darylhely@gmail.com

MY EUROPE BASE, LIVE THE CONTINENTAL LIFE! Mosel River, Rhineland holiday apartments.Vibrant winemaker town convenient to Ryanair network. Suit sabbaticals, all vacations.

www.myeuropebase.com

SOUTH OF FRANCE — LANGUEDOCTwo charming newly renovated traditional stone houses with outside terraces. Sleeps 4 or 6. Market town, capital of Minervois, wine growing region, close to lake, Canal Midi, Mediterranean beaches, historic towns. From $460 per week.

Web: www.languedocgites.com Email: info@languedocgites.com

STUDY TOURS TO ASIA Zen Oriental Study Tours aim to provide outstanding profes-sional learning programs which explore the civilizations of Asia more deeply than a casual tourist itinerary.

They provide ‘authentic’ experi-ences of Asia enabling you to infuse rich content into your curriculum. The unique tours are informed by The Australian Curriculum priority, ‘Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia’.

In 2015, we explore The Faces of Nepal; Indonesia’s Outer Islands; Silk Roads to Samarkand, Roads to Mandalay and China’s Harbin Ice Festival. The tours may be tax deductible.

For full details contact lee.grafton@bigpond.com

NOTICES

HANDYMAN/MAINTENANCEAll jobs, big & small +

bathrooms/tiling. 25 yrs exp.Work in Eltham/Diamond Valley area. Phone Simon 0414 294 824.

LITTLE ROOM OF BEAUTYPerfect skin by Rose is offering 20% off all services to members. With 20 years of experience in beauty, let me look after you.

$20 off first treatment (union cards need to be presented). 20% and $20, not to be used in conjunction with any other offers.

Please contact Rose on (03) 9486 1231/0433 260 588 for any inquiries. Salon situated in Essense Hair, 415 High Street, Northcote.

Like “Little Room of Beauty” on Facebook.

(MPS) MELBOURNE PROPERTY SOLUTIONS

Vendor advocacy — selling your property?

Take away the stress and engage an independent advocate and a former teacher and AEU member. There is no cost when using Melbourne Property Solutions, as the agent you select (MPS) pays a set percentage of the fee from their total commission. Mark Thompson, Licensed Estate Agent Melbourne Property Solutions. Buyer and Vendor Advocate Services.

Ph: 0409 958 720 Email: mark@mpsadvocates.com.au Website: www.mpsadvocates.com.au

PROFESSIONAL APPLICATIONS PREPARED

Reduce Stress. Achieve results.

Selection criteria, CVs, letters CARNEGIE WORDSMITH Ph: (03) 9576 8790, 0413 070 330 Email: heather@ carnegiewordsmith.com; www.carnegiewordsmith.com

RETIRING SOON?Volunteers for Isolated Students’ Education recruits retired teachers to assist families with their Distance Education Program. Travel and accommodation provided in return for six weeks teaching. Register at www.vise.org.au or phone George Murdoch on 0421 790 334 or Ken Weeks on (03) 9876 2680.

RETIREMENT VICTORIAVisit us at www.retirevic.com.au

A RURAL HOUSE AND LAND FOR SALE.

BRADVALE 55km S/W Ballarat.

Historic weatherboard church and architect’s own two-storey home on 1/2 acre. Three bdrms, study, open plan living and dining. Two bathrooms. Two fireplaces. Satellite internet. Reverse cycle A/C,1.64kw grid connected solar. 22,500lt water tank. Bore with pump. The 9mx6m Church Hall has been used as an inspirational space for various arts/crafts through the years, but consider it a blank canvas limited only by the imagination of the purchaser.

This home is the perfect place to start an inspiring, creative, eco lifestyle. Central location to a variety of tourist destinations.

See Bradvale Church on Facebook. Email: bradvale-church@gmail.com or phone Peter on 0404 888 244.

VISAS IMMIGRATIONFor the professional advice you need, contact Ray Brown. Ph: (03) 5792 4056 or 0409 169 147. Email raybrown888@bigpond.com.

Migration Agents Registration No. 0213358

VOUNTEER TEACHERSTeachers Across Borders is looking for volunteer teachers to deliver week-long workshops in teaching and learning to Khmer teachers during Term 1, 2 & 4 holidays in three locations in Cambodia.

More information at www.teachersacrossborders.org.au

Contact: www.teachersacrossborders.org.au/contact

AEU NEWS ADVERTISING

DEADLINE ISSUE 8

19 NOVEMBER

Contact:

lyn.baird@aeuvic.asn.au

29www.aeuvic.asn.au

THE OMNIVORE’S DILEMMAMichaelPollan,PenguinBooks435pages,RRP$27.99

IT’S THE question you try to put from your mind at the fast-food drive-through: what exactly is a chicken nugget made from?

Michael Pollan answers this question and explores our troubled relationship with “dinner” in his engaging book on the industrialisation and politicisation of food.

Drawing on extensive scientific research and personal observation, Pollan methodically investigates the myriad issues surrounding American food production.

From the vast monocul-tural swathes of Iowa’s corn belt, to the idyllic pastures of an old-fashioned farm, to the forests of the hunter-gatherer, Pollan crafts a compelling argument against modern industrial food systems.

Managing to be empa-thetic without straying into sentimentality — even when face-to-face with his own steer in a dismal feedlot — Pollan makes a heavy topic accessible, impressing on the reader the dangers of inaction without plunging them into first-world guilt.

— APL

12 YEARS A SLAVEDIR:SteveMcQueenRatedMA15+,134minsIconFilmDVD

BASED ON an 1853 memoir, 12 Years a Slave is a harrowing epic that follows the abduction and enslavement of free man Solomon Northup, played sensitively by Chiwetel Ejiofor.

The film is appropriately gruelling. Director Steve McQueen confronts the subject matter of slavery in pre-Civil War America unflinchingly, using long camera takes to heighten the almost unbearable tension and refusing to cut away during pivotal scenes.

The film has no shortage of talent. Beleaguered slave Patsey is heartbreakingly rendered by new talent Lupita Nyong’o, while Michael Fassbender is chilling as a tyrannical plantation owner.

The oppressive beauty of the Louisiana swampland offers little to soothe the eye, and the immersive sound-scape of cicadas and grunting farm animals connects the viewer with the brutal content in a powerful and visceral way.

The film garnered McQueen an Academy Award for Best Picture, the first ever awarded to a black filmmaker.

— APL

THE POWER OF REST: WHY SLEEP ALONE IS NOT ENOUGHMatthewEdlund,M.D.284pages,RRP$14.99(USD)HarperOne

THE POWER OF REST is a self-help guide to restoring energy, vitality and wellbeing. Edlund teaches us how to identify our natural sleep patterns and calculate how much we actually need. He argues for quality of rest over quantity, and surpris-ingly dissuades us from spending a day in bed after an exhausting week. Instead, he distinguishes between passive and active rest. “Rest can and should be active, goal-directed and conscious, rebuilding your body and your mind as you require,” he says.

He gives practical sugges-tions for incorporating socially, mentally, physically and spirit-ually restful activities into each day. Alongside mindfulness techniques are tips on finding time for morning walks and phone calls to friends, and staying focused while reading a book. Edlund even explains how to retrain your mind to “think only of your partner” during lovemaking.

The surprising insights and useful guidance in this book should resonate strongly with over-worked educators!

— MA

Reviews & giveaways

Win teaching resources

AEU News gives members the opportunity to win resources for their school libraries from our friends at Scholastic, Penguin, Harper Collins and Omnibus Books. To enter, email giveaways@aeuvic.asn.au by 10am Tuesday November 18 with “Win Teaching Resources” in the subject line. Include your name and school or workplace. Good luck!

KISSED BY THE MOON

AlisonLesterPart poem, part lullaby, this gentle story celebrates a baby’s wonder at our beautiful world. RRP $19.99, Penguin

BAA BAA SMART SHEEP

MarkandRowanSommersetLittle Baa Baa is bored. When Quirky Turkey comes along, the opportunity to make some mischief proves too hard to resist. RRP $24.99, HarperCollins

DEREK DANGER DALE

MichaelGerardBauerWild animals are turning to a life of crime and it’s all the work of Doctor Evil MacEvilness. Can secret Agent Derek ‘Danger’ Dale outwit him? Unlikely! RRP $12.99, Omnibus Books

COUNTING BY 7s

HollyGoldbergSloanWillow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius. Her parents’ unexpected death forces her to confront the challenge of human relationships and ultimately to discover what binds a family. RRP $14.99, Scholastic

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Congratulations to our winners from Issue 6: Helen Chamberlain, Oberon South PS, Victoria Lovejoy, Beaufort SC, Ronika Raju, Seabrook PS, Patricia Thomas, Kilberry Valley PS.

30 AEU NEWS VOL 20 | ISSUE 7 | NOVEMBER 2014

IT IS perhaps no coincidence that this year’s winner of the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Award in the Assisted Learning category hails from a city in Western Iran known as “the City of Poets and Literature”.

Yet, like most other kids her age, the shy 12-year-old says she hadn’t paid much attention to poetry before studying it in her Grade 5–6 class at Footscray North Primary School.

“I like learning poetry and writing poems. I can explain things and talk about my feelings in different ways,” says Maryam, who arrived in Australia as an asylum seeker just two years ago, with little English.

Maryam’s teacher, Tom Hortop, embraces the lack of rules in poetry when teaching his students — 75% of whom speak another language at home — and his enthusiasm is clearly paying off. Another of Tom’s students, Nicholas, was “highly commended” in the Upper Primary category and the school won the Sheelah Baxter Schools’ Award (Primary).

Principal Sharon Walker says the results are a testament to the “outstanding quality of work due to the high level of teaching across the school.”

For Tom, poetry is a pleasure to teach, as it draws out the kids’ enthusiasm and openness. “Everyone can write poetry and I try to make that clear at the beginning: that there are no rules, no right and wrong,” he says. “That’s especially valuable for kids who struggle with English and might be nervous about prose.”

To increase the sense of accessibility, Tom predominantly reads the students poetry written by other kids — former students and previous Dorothea Mackellar award-winners. “We then put a pile of words on

the whiteboard and play around with them: rearrange them, delete bits, repeat some … the kids have some fun with it.”

Tom says he uses poetry as a vehicle to teach language devices. “We explore metaphors, similes, personification, adjec-tives and repetition,” he explains. But he is also aware of the therapeutic benefits that writing poetry can provide.

“Primary school-aged kids seem quite comfortable to write about the difficult things in their lives,

whether it’s their dog dying or experiences like Maryam’s. They’re also generally happy to be open with each other, although sometimes they’ll say it’s not for sharing with the class.”

Maryam wrote some 40 poems for the class and entered several in the competition, including one about her boat trip to Australia and her experiences of being in detention. “She’s very motivated and resilient,” says Tom. “Despite her shyness, she’s got very high expectations of herself.”

Her winning poem, “Me”, alludes to universal questions of identity as well as the uncertainties of her new life. “It’s about memories and the future and being here,” says Maryam, who travelled to the country town of Gunnedah in north-eastern New South Wales with her parents to receive her award.

And will her recent success send her on the literary path frequently traversed by those from her hometown? “My favourite subject is maths,” says the budding polymath. “I want to be a pilot.” •The award-winning poems from the 2014 Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards can be read at www.dorothea.com.au.

PRIMARY SCHOOL POETS RECOGNISED IN NATIONAL POETRY AWARDS

KATIE LANGMORE meets a

shy 12-year-old asylum seeker

from Iran, and the Footscray

North teacher who inspired

her to write poetry.

Culture

Me By Maryam Footscray North Primary School, Melbourne I wonder who I am?Or where I am meant to be?Or where I could be?Or how to leave?Or how to be a true person?I wonder!I wonder how I can fit in this worldOr how to be right?But no one can answer my questions.

Top: Maryam reading her  

poem, “Me” 

Right: Tom Hortop with highly 

commended student Nicholas 

Below:  Tom and Maryam 

in English class

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Miss Takes

Are we there yet?WHY DO I always have the mistaken belief that Term 4 is an easy term? I spend most of Term 3 feeling as though a sense of relief is about to follow and that I’m almost through the school year. It’s as though all memories of previous Term 4s have been wiped and all that remains is the image of supervising a small group of children making Christmas decorations whilst munching on truffles (made earlier). Delusional.

Term 4, on many levels, could be consid-ered the most stressful of all the terms. There are classes working towards exams that seem to pounce on us before anyone is ready. There are reports to write (never a process to be looked forward to), end-of-year programs looming, Year 12 Muck-Up Day that is not allowed to be called Muck-Up Day, and planning for the following school year.

It is the term that seems to happen in constant fast forward — everything feels twice as fast as any other term but with double the workload.

The other challenging factor of Term 4 is that once the warmer weather starts and Daylight Savings kicks in, students enter a summer frame of mind. They know the long holidays are just around the corner and signal it by getting restless in class, even louder than usual, and they are much more easily distracted.

“Miss, how many sprinklers are there on the oval?”

“Is it true that the water coming out of the sprinklers is straight from the school toilets?”

“Can we leave class early to run through the sprinklers?”

“Are you serious? I’m not running through toilet water. But can we still leave class early

so we can get to our lockers before everybody else?”

“Pleeeeeeease?”“Come on, Miss.”“Just this once.”“Miss, I think the bell just went.”“I swear it did, Miss.”“Can we go out there and just check?”Much of Term 4 also involves feeling as if

you are living in two headspaces — your 2014 headspace and your 2015 headspace. This can be confusing because, if you are anything like me, once you know the plan for the following year, you just want to get started on it, but then become overly sentimental about your current classes and just want to keep working with them.

The thought of change can seem enticing or filled with dread, depending on the type of day you are having.

Morning teas reign in the final term. Perhaps as an enticement to keep going, perhaps because the morning tea budget needs to be used up or perhaps because no one wants to break their commitment to healthy eating alone. Whatever the reason, the number of gatherings in the staffroom increases out of sight and those who have the period after recess free especially benefit, remaining close to the platters and continuing to consume dip and biscuits whilst photocop-ying worksheets for their next class.

The end is in sight.•

CHRISTINA ADAMS

PADDY KENDLER

Wine talking

Seeking independentsDUE LARGELY to the dominance of the powerful chain stores, there are now two increasingly distinctive wine markets.

The chains largely concentrate on high-volume commercial wines and their own labels and imports, while the independent retailers provide high-quality products from small wineries and interesting imports not stocked by the chains. Another tack is to specialise in novel styles made from exotic varieties.

Some of the new varieties include vermen-tino, gruner veltliner and nero d’avola. The white vermentino originates in Corsica, Sardinia and the Ligurian coast of Italy. It can be quite delightful and looks very promising across a range of regions.

The Austrian gruner veltliner is a gentle and subtle alternative to riesling and pinot gris. The latest release from Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills is quite exceptional.

Nero d’avola does its best work in Sicily, where it produces a medium-bodied dry red of impressive charm and character. Keep an eye out!De Bortoli Windy Peak Pinot Noir 2013 ($14)This bargain buy has long been our most reliable pinot under $20 and is especially suited to a wide range of Asian foods. Rosemount Shiraz 2013 ($14)Most likely a substantial amount of McLaren Vale material in this blend, which holds good depth and length of sweet berry fruit tempered by fine, soft tannins. Good value.d’Arenberg The Broken Fishplate Sauvignon Blanc 2013 ($20)An interesting version of the variety from the Adelaide Hills — softer, broader and somewhat richer than most, with a little oak influence for good measure. Most enjoyable. •

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TAFEUnder the Coalition Government, almost 3000 TAFE teachers have lost their jobs.

The Coalition Government has cut $300 million per year over four years to the Victorian TAFE system.

TAFE course fees have increased rapidly, with the majority of fees more than tripling since 2008.

Source: TAFE4ALL, AEU Victoria

Between 2013 and 2014, VET funding was cut by $209 million (adjusted for inflation).

Source: DEECD Annual Report, 2014

Early ChildhoodA 2013 AEU study revealed that early childhood teachers work an average of almost 13 hours of unpaid overtime every week.

Source: Early Childhood Unpaid Overtime Survey, 2013, AEU Victoria

Preschool teachers holding the same qualification as their primary school colleagues are paid up to 9% less. Source: AEU Victoria

In 2013–14, funding for early childhood education was cut by $21.3 million (adjusted for inflation only).

Source: DEECD Annual Report, 2014

GonskiAs part of the Gonski agreement, the State Government receives $450 million in 2014–2015 from the Federal Government for needs-based funding. As of October 2014, approximately $150 million of that figure remains unaccounted for.

Source: AEU Victoria

Student supportIn 2014 more than 50% of principals rated the level of student welfare support provided by the Department of Education as “poor” or “very poor”. Over 70% said that the level of support for students with disabilities was “poor” or “very poor”.

Source: State of our Schools 2014 study, AEU Victoria

Staff SupportThere were 625 fewer Victorian public service staff in the central and regional DEECD offices in 2014 than in 2011 — a 21% cut.

Source: DEECD Annual Report, 2014

Class SizesIn the last four years, the number of Victorian primary schools with at least one class of 30 or more students per teacher has nearly doubled from 4.3% to 7.9%. Source: State of our Schools 2014 study, AEU Victoria

PUBLIC SCHOOLSVictoria is the lowest spending state on public education per student. The Coalition Government spends $1,881 less than the national average and $1,777 less than NSW.

Source: Productivity Commission’s Annual Report on Government Services, 2014

In 2014, 40% of principals surveyed said that they relied on fund-raising to pay staff.

Source: State of our Schools 2014 study, AEU Victoria, p10

In 2011 the Coalition Government cut $481 million from public school funding. By 2013 cutbacks had risen to well over $600 million. Source: AEU Victoria

Funding for government schools was cut in 2013–14 by $110 million in real terms (adjusted for inflation and enrolment growth). Source: DEECD Annual Report, 2014

SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTUREAfter initially increasing funding in 2012, the Coalition has cut $126.7 million from maintenance funding; $420 million is needed to bring schools up to standard for maintenance alone.

Source: DEECD Annual Report 2012 and 2014, “Implementation of School Infrastructure Programs”, Victorian Auditor-General, February 2013

More than half the schools set to receive infrastructure funding from the Coalition Government are in marginal seats. Source: Victorian State Budget, 2014

In the 2014 Budget, the Napthine Government promised $26.1 billion to infrastructure projects — but only 2% of that figure is for schools.

Source: Victorian State Budget, 2014