SUPPLEMENT TO THE AEU NEWS • JUNE 2015

A E U h e a d o f f i c e 112 Tr e n e r r y C r e s c e n t , A b b o t s f o r d 3 0 6 7 Te l : 0 3 9 417 2 8 2 2 Fa x : 13 0 0 6 5 8 0 7 8 We b : w w w. a e u v i c . a s n . a u

PRIMARY SECTORNEWSLETTER

While the campaigning efforts of AEU members has helped deliver a state budget that brings us a step closer towards Victoria’s goal of becoming the ‘Education State’, the key objective of achieving greater access and equity is being jeopardised by Tony Abbott’s and Christopher Pyne’s refusal to commit to Gonski.

BUDGETING FOR SUCCESS but not without Gonski

Meredith Peace AEU branch president

THE first Andrews Government budget has committed nearly $3.9 billion extra for public education provision, including capital allocations, over the next four

years. They have committed to allocating the missing Gonski money for 2015, and will provide schools with full Gonski funding 2016 and 2017. The Minister for Education, James Merlino, says his Government is committed to meeting its Gonski obligations in full and have commissioned former Premier Steve Bracks to undertake a review of the SRP with a report due towards the end of this year. Whilst these steps are welcome it is nonetheless disappointing that the full Victorian contribution for 2018 and 2019 is not allocated, at this stage, in the forward estimates of the budget.

A highlight of the 2015/16 budget is the very significant $610 million commit-ment to new public education infrastructure. This funding is more than twice the average annual commitment to capital funding under the previous Liberal government.

At the budget briefing for stakeholders, it was encouraging to hear Education Minister James Merlino state that the government would work with the AEU to design a long-term reform agenda to properly support public education provision and the important work that you do.

The federal budgetThe federal budget offered more of the same from Liberal Treasurer Joe Hockey with his budget further confirming his government’s broken promise by not deliv-ering years 5 and 6 of the needs based Gonski reforms. Adding insult to injury is the failure to deliver funding for a vitally-needed ‘disability loading’ for students with a disability.

Once again, our most disadvantaged students are being hit the hardest. Not funding Gonski will mean a cut of approximately $3.8 billion from schools in 2018 and 2019 around the nation and at least $1 billion from Victorian schools.

To make matters worse the Abbott government have confirmed their intention to effectively cut spending on health and education to the tune of $80 billion over ten years starting in 2018.

AEU members around the country are gearing up for the next Federal election where we will need to make sure that broken promises around Gonski are foremost in the minds of voters, as well as the need for the Gonski funding to be delivered in the long term.

Our students deserve no less than access to resources which will ensure they can have the quality education to which they are entitled, and as ES, teachers, assistant principals and principals we rightfully expect governments fund our schools properly.

And if the politicians will not provide the necessary support then it is incumbent on use to continue to campaign, build community support, and ultimately political pressure through the ballot box.

We’ll be calling on all members to participate in our campaigns. For now, register your support at: www.igiveagonski.com.au. �

STATE BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS$180m package of initiatives, including:

• $13.7m:Breakfastclubs• $148.5m:Camps,SportsandExcursionsfund–paiddirectlytothe

school • $15.65m:Affordableschooluniformsprogram(withStateSchools

Relief)• $2m:Musicinschools–paidtoallgovernmentschoolsby2018,

including grants for instruments• $1.6m:High-achievingtertiarystudentswillmentorsecondary

students from disadvantaged backgrounds • $1.04m:SafeSchoolsCoalitionVictoria(SSCV)toexpandintoevery

Victorian government secondary school• $0.4m:FreeeyetestsandglassestoPreptoGrade3studentsin250

disadvantaged schools.

$610m capital investment, including:• $345m:buildingupgrades• $42m:asbestosremoval(partof a$100mcommitmenttoremove

asbestos and provide new demountables)• $40m:Landpurchaseforschoolsingrowth

corridors• $25m:Maintenanceandinfrastructure• $8m:Planningof 10newtechschools.• $100m:capitalcomponentof TAFE

Rescue Fund.

www.aeuvic.asn.au 32 Primary newsletter | June 2015

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APPOINTMENTS (03) 9820 8088Retirement Victoria is the AEU’s preferred provider of financial and retirement planning services to members.

Retirement Victoria Pty Ltd (ABN 11 132 109 114) is a corporate authorised representative of Millennium3 Financial Services Pty Ltd AFSL 244252

2015/16 P&D guidelines:a brief historyA year and a half of extensive consultation and lobbying has paid off! Marino D’Ortenzio, AEU deputy vice president secondary

IN April of this year, the State Labor Government released

revised Performance and Development guidelines. They were a dramatic improvement on the original guidelines mooted 18

months earlier by the former Liberal Government. The Liberal version had staff failing reviews

under their ‘guiding range’ or ‘quota’ method, even if they were performing at expected levels. The assessment of the work of teachers and principal class employees was reduced to a number and undue emphasis was placed on numerical student outcomes. Trust within and between school staff was likely to be undermined, professional judgement ignored, and the development of staff to be relegated to a distant second place behind performance appraisal. The guidelines would likely have been a stepping stone for the introduction of performance pay.

Our swift responseThe AEU and its members responded swiftly to the Liberal Government’s P&D guidelines. The government was taken to court and was required to consult with the profession. Further undertak-ings were made that removed the guiding range. The AEU then engaged in the consultation process to seek feedback from members. Hundreds of submissions were made, mirroring the concerns already raised by the AEU in consultation with the Department.

Further changes were made to the proposals and they were then rolled out by the Department afterthe2014-2015cyclehadalreadybegun.However, these guidelines still contained a differen-tial assessment calculation that could be used to rate staff, student outcomes as a separate Domain,

percentage weightings, excessive numbers of goals and still insufficient focus on development.

In the lead-up to the State Election last November, the AEU lobbied and successfully persuaded the then Shadow Minister that the guidelines were counterproductive and reflected a deep distrust of the professional judgements of principals and staff. The ALP made pre-election commitments to the AEU that it would revise the guidelines and address the concerns raised.

Updatedguidelinesfor2014/2015cyclethatresponded to AEU members’ concerns were released in February of this year, following a new round of consultations. This was followed by fur ther consultation regarding the guidelines for the 2015/16 cycle. The result of that work is evident in the new guidelines which now have a significant and central focus on staff development, reinforce that agreement is required between reviewer and reviewee on goals and evidence, remove the percentage weightings and numerical assessments and give a real opportunity for individuals and staff as a collective to take carriage of their P&D plans and use them for the legitimate and proper purpose of developing and improving the practice of staff.

We need to continue to work with the govern-ment to ensure increased resources, including enhanced training, are available to support the performance and development process, as well as to better embed it in the day to day work of members in schools.

Sincere thanks to all AEU members who partici-pated in the P&D actions and consultation over the past 18 months. Your dedication has helped to bring about a vastly improved, workable set of guidelines. �

SHORT-TERM VICTORY FOR AEU’S PROTECT OUR PRESCHOOLS CAMPAIGN

Briley Duncan, AEU deputy vice president primary

Members of the primary sector have provided

staunch support to their EarlyChildhoodcounterparts,whohavebeen lobbying for the Federal Government to guarantee 15 hours of weekly preschool education for all four-year-olds. On May 3, the AEU welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement that it would subsidise 15 hours of universal preschool education for a further two years.

TheProductivityCommissionfound15hours of preschool supports educational, socialandeconomicoutcomes.Childrenwhoattend preschool start prep with a larger vocabulary, stronger basic skills and good habits and attitudes for learning.

Under the existing National Partnerships Agreement, 10 hours are funded by the Victorian Government and five hours by the Commonwealth.Aspartof theAEU’searlychildhood campaign, Protect Our Preschools, memberssignedandsentinmorethan4,800postcards to the AEU Victoria branch head office over a three-week period. The plan was to deliver the postcards in person to Federal EducationMinisterChristopherPyne’soffice— but the minister narrowly avoided being showered in postcards by making the funding announcement two days before the planned campaign event.

This campaigning effort by members is inspiring, however our work is not over. With funding only secure until 2017, the battle continues to ensure access to 15 hours of preschool is permanently available for every four-year-old in Victoria. �

Regional structure consultationsErin Aulich, AEU vice president secondary

ONE of the first promises that the Labor Government made to

the teaching service was a plan to review the current regional structures, with a view to rein-

vesting in the system. This came in the wake of four years of cuts and the abandonment of our schools by the former Government.

A consultation paper, ‘Strengthening DET regional services and support’, has been released with input being sought from the AEU, other stakeholders, and school employees. The review comes on the back of an election commitment given to the AEU by the then Labor opposition and is a central step in remedying the significant impact of four years of cuts to the regions and central office, along with subsequent shifting of workload onto already overworked principals and other school staff. The Education Minister himself acknowledges that, “Despite the best efforts of dedicated regional staff over recent years, resources have simply been spread too thinly.”

The AEU is well aware of the impact to our schools resulting from devastating cuts to critical support positions such as literacy and numeracy coaches, Koorie support positions, reading recovery

specialists and to staff at both regional level and central office who provided support in a range of areas including critical incidents and OHS.

The consultation paper seeks responses to 17 questions, including the strengths of the current regional support arrangements, key issues to be considered in the design of new arrangements, the role of regions in supporting networks and possible roles of regional offices and local areas.

The paper offers three possible regional struc-tures for discussion:

1. Retain four regions but provide additional support2. Expand the number of regions, including a possible return to 9 regions

2. Retain the administrative four regions but shift the Department’s primary interactions to seventeen smaller local areas.

The AEU has made it clear to the Department and Government that the most crucial things that must be delivered through any changes are for schools to have access to the support they need when they need it and that it must be provided by departmental staff with who have an ongoing understanding of the circumstances of each school and the educational process. �

Bracks SRP Funding Review Justin Mullaly AEU deputy branch president

THE AEU is encouraged by the Victorian Government’s

announcement of a review into school funding to be led by former Premier Steve Bracks.

The review will consider how government school funding is currently allocated, how the Student Resource Package is calculated, constructed and distributed, and how to make sure the system is clear and transparent. The review, to be completed by the end of this year, will make recommendations to the Minister for Education, James Merlino, on the funding needs of public schools into the future. Given the government’s stated commit-ment to Gonski, the outcome of the review is very important to ensuring that the state government’s contribution to years 5 and 6 of Victoria’s Gonski Agreement is delivered.

We know that Victorian public school students receive almost $2,000 less per year thanthenationalaverage–theequivalentof a school of 500 students missing out on 10 additional teachers. We know how important additional funds are to all schools to relieve budget pressures and ensure all students have their welfare and learning needs supported in the best way possible. Victorians deserve absolute transparency and accountability from their government when it comes to how school funding is allocated. The AEU will be focused on making sure that Victorian students receive the resources they need and deserve. �

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PHOTO: ANTHONY AGIUS

We’re moving in 2016Gillian Robertson, AEU branch secretary

LATElastyear,AEUBranchCouncilvoted to commence the move

from our current building to number 126TrenerryCrescent,Abbotsford— right next door. We are excited

about the opportunity to create bigger and better meeting and training facilities for AEU members. Although loved by members and employees for its history, our current heritage-listed building at 112 Trenerry has significant limitations and associated costs due to its age.

Duringthepastsixweeks,ourarchitects(Artillery)carried out a series of consultations with AEU councillors and employees to gather information for the refurbishment and fit-out. These sessions helped Artillery to identify the functional require-ments for each section of the union as well as the various different activities and work styles. They also provided AEU staff with the opportunity to test drive, understand, challenge and advocate for design opportunities within the new office.

Based on the feedback provided, the project team understands that natural light, a natural palette of materials, greenery and open and spacious

environments are important to AEU councillors and employees. It also highlighted the need for high-quality acoustics, non-disruptive flexible work and meeting spaces, and sustainable design.

Running concurrently with the consultation process, building specialists including engineers, surveyors and storage consultants are carrying out assessments on the condition of the building to ensure the refurbishment suits the new office layout.

An asbestos audit has also been conducted in the new premises and we are pleased to report that the new building is asbestos-free. All data gathered to date will form the foundation for developing the next phase of the project design development. Information will continue to be provided to members as the shape of the new AEU office continues to evolve. �

Our current heritage-listed building

4 Primary newsletter | June 2015

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OHS UPDATESCarolyn Clancy, AEU deputy secretary

State budgetThe handing down of the state budget saw the first phase in the Andrew Government’s election commitment to remove asbestos from all govern-

mentschoolbuildings.Thebudgetearmarked$42million as part of an extensive $100 million asbestos removal program. The commitment includes replacing 200 relocatable classrooms containing asbestos. This is greatly welcomed. It is such a positive change to see a state government taking a proactive role in the removal of asbestos.

Asbestos Management KitsThe DET Employee Safety and Wellbeing Branch, together with the Infrastructure and Sustainability Unit, have been working on an extensive review of existing documentation required for managing asbestos in government schools, with the goal of introducing a user-friendly kit.

The Asbestos Management Kit has been designed to support schools to manage asbestos. Additional support is available to schools through DTZ or Marsh OHSConsultingServices.

The kit will be located under ‘Hazard Manage-ment’ of the OHS Management System. It will also become available through the Infrastructure Policy Portal once it is completed. Extensive communica-tions are being planned and Asbestos Management training is to be offered through the Bastow Institute.

Since March 2013, 760 schools have undergone an asbestos audit. From 2016, every school will be audited every three years.

WorkSafe newsThe Andrew’s Government is undertaking a review ofWorkSafeandTACandhasappointedJamesMacKenzie to conduct the review. Mr MacKenzie was previously a director and chairman of Mirvac Group (2005-14)andwastheCEOofTACbetween1994

and 1997. The report is due by the middle of the year. A number of resignations within WorkSafe have

meant some positions are currently being filled by actingstaff.TheyincludeactingChairJohnWalterandActingCEO,ClareAmies.

Worksafe Victoria has updated ‘OHS in Schools –Apracticalguideforschoolleaders’anditcanbe downloaded here: www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/9855/OHS-in-schools-web.pdf.

The guide provides a useful OHS overview for all DET employees and Health and Safety Representa-tives. It complements the DET OHS management system: www.education.vic.gov.au/school/princi-pals/management/Pages/ohsmgtsystem.aspx.

Does your workplace have a Health and Safety Rep? Improving health and safety is a win for everyone in the workplace. Unionised workplaces are the safest, and elected Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs)areacrucialpartof thisprotection.Manyworkplaces miss out on this important protection by not electing an HSR or by confusing the role of the HSR with the OHS officer role.

Legislation empowers a HSR to represent employees within a workplace or a section of a workplace and has a major role in bringing health and safety issues to the attention of the employer. In contrast, an OHS officer represents the employer and is responsible for ensuring compliance with the OHS Act2004.HSRshavenoliabilityforhealthandsafety,whereas the OHS officer is liable, and that includes being responsible for dealing with identified risks and removing hazards.

More info on the difference between an HSR and an OHS officer is available here: www.aeuvic.asn.au/1790_ohs_adv_role_diff.pdf.

For further information about how to elect and train a HSRs in your workplace, contact AEU OHS Organiser, Janet Marshall: janet.marshall@aeuvic.asn.au. �

85 YEARS of good work:STATE SCHOOLS’ RELIEFTHIS year, State

Schools’Relief (SSR)is celebrating 85 years of assisting Victoria’s most vulnerable school children. SSR provides around 10,000 children with uniforms, underwear, shoes and glasses each year. This enables them to attend school and continue their education.

The discontinuation of funding for the Education Maintenance Allowance has resulted in a massive increase in demand for footwear and clothing. In April, demand was 60% higher than last year. The January back-to-school period witnessed a doubling of demand, with 5000 children dressed by SSR in Term 1 alone.

SSR provides everyone, regardless of background, with the opportunity to participate fully in schooling. It promotes each child’s dignity because the service is run anonymously through the school.

AEU members are encouraged to support SSR through the ‘Payroll Giving’ program, whereby employees can contribute directly to SSRviatheVictorianDEECDpayrollsystem.

For further information, contact your school’s Business Manager or SSR on 9575 7900 or www.ssr.net.au. �