Teachers & Supporters of Public Education Speak Out at Iemma's Office
by Noreen Navin
NSWTF State Councillor
The Canterbury/Bankstown Teachers branch of the New South Wales Teachers Federation held a vibrant speak out at the office of Morris Iemma, State ALP member for Lakemba and NSW Premier on Thursday 15 March. An invitation was extended to Morris Iemma to attend the event but he did not respond nor attend the event.
Socialist Alliance Upper House candidate and Indigenous rap artist, Jakalene X-treme conducted a welcome to country and performed a rap highlighting the need for public education to be a serious priority of all governments and condeming the political hesitation on the part of the Iemma government to invest in the public sector . The rap was met with enthusiasm from the crowd.
Socialist Alliance member and supporter of public eduation, Paul Patten performed songs about youth living in the inner city and aptly, Janis Joplin's You Don't Know What You've Got Till It's Gone whilst Lindy Nolan, Drama teacher from Wiley Park Girls High, injected political satire into the event with a street theatre performance portraying the diminishing budget available to public education.
John Kaye, Upper House candidate and Education spokesperson for the NSW Greens invoked the memory of Henry Parkes, who was accorded the epithet 'Father of Federation' and whose legislative and secular reforms strengthened the public education system in 1880. Kaye told the speakout that Henry Parkes would be appalled today at the Federal and State governments' lack of political will to maintain and develop a viable, well funded public system.
"Henry Parkes would be worried about the ageing of the teaching workforce, the failure of both governments to invest in public schools to secure its future, the growth in funding of private education and the so-called values debate" Kaye's comments were met with applause from the audience which consisted of Iemma’s constituents who stopped to listen to opposition parites policies on public education.
John Kaye went on to elaborate on the Greens policy of each of these areas. He stated that the Greens are opposed to the increased growth in annual funding of the private school system. He condemned the $60 million state government annual pay out to the private system from the public coffers.
Whilst the Greens are committed to stop funding to the wealthiest private schools it was refreshing to hear Rob Cullen, Vice-President of the Canterbury/Bankstown branch of the union state that no private school - wealthy or not should receive funding from the public purse particularly those schools who discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation and religion. "Schools can hire and fire both students and staff based on sexuality and they are exempt from the anti-discrimination laws". Cullen also spoke about the issue of private education contributing detrimentally to the social fabric of Australia and causing divisive effects on society when society is divided along ethnic, religious and socio-economic lines.
Nola Edsall, President of the Canterbury/Bankstown Teachers branch stated in her closing address to the crowd that teachers struggling on behalf of their own working conditions were doing so not just for themselves but for those of the students they teach, particularly in the Canterbury Bankstown area, who are some of the most disadvantaged in the state. Edsall summarised some of the NSWTF demands of the state government including those pertaining to students in Morris Iemma’s electorate.
- the location of free, universally available pre-schools to be attached to public schools thereby ensuring quality, well monitored systems run by educators who understand how children learn.
- ESL provision to be increased in all schools especially in the Canterbury Bankstown area.
- Increased counsellor services
- Inreased mentor provision and additional time allocation to new and beginning teachers to gain maximum benefit from support from experienced teacher mentors.
- an urgent audit into maintenance, replacement needs and capital works in schools that are in need of upgrading – many Canterbury Bankstown schools were built int he 1950’s-60’s and are a considerable drain on localised school budgets.
Edsall denounced the current formulas utilised by the Department of Education and Training which do not provide equity to the most needy schools. Punchbowl Public School, a school with a very high rate of ESL students has had its ESL allocation cut because the number of ESL teachers has remained static for over ten years.. When a new school's allocation increases, it is at the cost of another school's allocation. This is one example of many of the high needs schools which are producing good results but with more resources could ensure equitable learning outcomes for all students
Edsall finished up her speech stating that fighting for working conditions is tantamount to fighting for learning conditions.
The assault on public eduation at Federal level and State cannot be separated from the assault on living standards, working conditions and the war drive.
Teachers Federation doesn't give stuff about HealthQuest victims
Maybe so, but the N.S.W. Teachers Federation has betrayed a number of its members by lying about HealthQuest, the N.S.W. government medical office.
Over the years the Federation has taken the line that:
*HealthQuest is a genuine medical authority
*If a member is certified mentally ill then they must be even when they have plenty of proof they are not and have been set up
*Members referred to HealthQuest by corrupt departmental officials must go there
*Once HealthQuest has certified a teacher 'unfit', even though this may be a huge and glaring lie to cover up Departmental incompetence/malfeasance/corruption, Federation washes their hands of the matter, stating 'It is now a medical matter.'
*I am not talking about workers who conveniently became members when their troubles started, I am talking about members of 15+ years' standing, several of whom were union reps in their schools.
Shame on you, NSW Teachers Federation, you are not a union, you are bunch of self-serving hypocrites and traitors.
Read the documents proving the trail of corruption here:
wbde.org
More money into schools and less money into jails
That's the problem the money is building prisons. I want the schools to hire more teachers to teach one hour per week of communications, conflict resolution and social skills as well as academic skills.
Then the money going into hospitals, prisons and the morgue won't be as necessary because the current 5 per cent of people who fall over will make it.
That money could be put back into schools so there will be more teachers and this wil save the kids from making a mistake also save the 300 a year that commit suicide.
The money going into prisons is going into a dead end.
WILL YOUR VOTE GIVE US A CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT?
There are underlying facts here, one very important one raised in an earlier comment by a committed fighter points a straight finger at Health Quest. Which is a dangerous tool of an oppressive Labor government. Anyone supporting Health Quest is small minded and they are a part of the problem. I am listening to minor parties bleating about all sorts of issues while the Labor party watches from the side lines amused at the prospect of being re elected, and the peoples total lack of political focus.
Those among us who want to dump Labor need to do exactly that wake up and = Vote Liberal first on the 24 of March. It is not a life long commitment. You need to ensure Labor and any of it’s affiliates like the Greens are put as close to the bottom as possible with exception to those seats which are held or close to held by Greens or independents but be careful not to allow preferences to flow to Labor. All the others as close to the bottom as possible. I am interested in having representative government, that means a long term plan of pissing off the Party Politicians all together out of our Parliament. We can do this by taking one step at a time. I want a Parliament full to the brim with very nervous representatives eager to do the peoples bidding on call to their electorate. I don’t know about you but waiting several months for a form letter from an elected representative of the party machine, which reads like a go away and don’t come back note. Is crap and our elected fools ignoring the concerns of their constituents while making them wait, and taking their taxes, must be kicked out of government. That wont happen while we hold hands with those self same politicians who are causing us this problem of unrepresentative government. The real power is ours, exerciseing it. Seems to be beyond the capacity of the average voter! Edward James
Reply to Edward James
Dear Edward,
Thank you for your encouragement re. HealthQuest. It is indeed a tool of an oppressive government.
No-one here would vote Liberal, but I wold encourage everyone to reject Labor.
This is the most corrupt, incompetent and disgraceful government we have ever had.
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