SUPPLEMENT TO THE AEU NEWS • MARCH 2012

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

SECONDARY SECTORNEWSLETTER

THANK YOU!

Our new campaign exposes the damage the Coalition is doing to Victorian schools.

Baillieu’s cuts and Broken promisesMary Bluett branch president

THE AEU this week launches a major campaign exposing Premier Ted Baillieu’s list of broken

promises and education cuts to the Victorian community.

Our campaign includes free and paid media, beginning with 12 billboards (pictured right) in prominent locations across Melbourne. They will stay in place throughout March. Their message is simple but clear.

This week, we also release our state budget submission which calls for a major reinvestment in public school education including:

• An honouring of the commitment to complete the school rebuilding program

• Increased funding for VCAL and VET in schools• Individualised support programs for students.

This will be followed by a major statewide television and radio campaign which will continue towards the state budget in May. This budget will be critical for

public education and we must ensure Baillieu gets the message.

Our message is clear: honour your commit-ments and invest in public schools.

In opposition, Ted Baillieu promised:• Victorian teachers would be the highest paid• He would match Labor’s commitment to rebuild

or modernise every government school by 2016

• Education would be a government priority• The Skills “Reform”, which is damaging our

public TAFEs, would be rolled back.Over the 15 months the Coalition has been in office, we have seen every one of these promises broken.

This is on top of the Baillieu Government’s $481m cut to the education budget, while increasing private school funding by $240m over the same four-year period.

The failure to honour the school rebuilding pledge alone represents a further cut of $1.5 billion. On top of that, last year’s budget also cut money for Koorie support and literacy, numeracy, and Ultranet coaches totalling $79.8m over three years. These cuts, together with the huge boost to private schools, expose the warped priorities of this government — a government that fails to grasp that investing in public schools is the key to building and strengthening the Victorian economy. ◆

THE Gonski Report on school funding is a landmark document and a major breakthrough for public schools. It has destroyed the discredited SES formula and put the needs of students at the heart of school funding.

None of this could have happened without the hard work and campaigning of AEU members. With tens of thousands of emails to politicians and more than 7000 submissions to the Gonski Review — not to mention the hundreds of you who turned out last month for our campaign bus — this achievement is your achievement. Congratulations and thank you. — Mary Bluett

More on the Gonski Report inside

2 Secondary newsletter | march 2012

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Meredith Peace deputy branch president

RESOURCES delayed are resources denied: that is the stark and simple message from the AEU to

Julia Gillard over her decision to stall on the recom-mendations of the Gonski Review.

The review dominated the AEU federal confer-ence held over February 24–26, forming the centrepiece of federal president Angelo Gavrielatos’ annual address and the subject of the major campaign resolution.

Having just spent three weeks on the AEU’s public education campaign bus, Gavrielatos called the Gonski Report “a comprehensive moral and intellectual victory” for supporters of public education.

As the conference resolution said:The report highlights the flawed nature of the current funding arrangements and calls for major changes in the way public and private schools are funded, with a much greater focus on overcoming disadvantage and honouring the obligation of governments to invest in public schooling if all Australian students are to reach their full potential.

But the Federal Government’s response on the day was much less inspiring than the report.

Rather than endorse the recommendations, at least in principle, the Prime Minister called for “a conversation” with stakeholders and states on implementing the review and refused to commit to additional funding.

Eighteen months of consultation by the Gonski

Review panel, speaking to stakeholders, visiting schools, receiving more than 7,000 submissions and commissioning a number of major research papers were not enough for Ms Gillard.

CongratulationsAEU members and public education supporters are congratulated for the tremendous effort they put in over the past 18 months, culminating in this report which supports much of what the AEU has advocated for many years.

However, as Gavrielatos warned, students get only one chance at schooling and the longer the government drags its feet, the more children will lose out.

In the words of academic Lyndsay Connors, “resources delayed are resources denied”.

It is understandable that the Commonwealth would need to consult with state and territory governments on such a major overhaul. But to consult more widely than this would appear to be another delaying tactic in a decision well past its time.

The Gonski Report proposes a new model of funding for public and private schools centred on a single “student resource standard” topped up by loadings to address student disadvantage and need, including:

• Socio-economic background• Disability• English language proficiency• Needs of Indigenous students• School size and location.

To meet these needs — and the Government’s requirement that no school lose out — Gonski said an additional $5 billion a year in funding would be needed, with the majority of it to go to public schools to reflect the fact they teach about 80% of disadvantaged students.

This is a significant victory in itself; but more importantly Gonski recommends abolishing the AGSRC (average government school recurrent costs) — the nexus between the cost of educating students in public schools and the funding of non-government schools, which has been at the heart of the privileged position enjoyed by private schools for more than a decade.

The AGSRC’s place in the funding system has meant that any increase in funding to govern-ment schools to address the needs of its students automatically results in an increase in funding to private schools.

The panel concluded: “The AGSRC does not meet some key funding principles required for funding Australian schooling into the future.” (p70)

One of the AEU’s central assertions throughout the funding debate has been that it is the legal and moral responsibility of governments to guarantee every child’s right to a quality education at their local public school.

The Gonski Report has recognised this, stating:It is important for the future of Australian schooling that the government sector continues to perform the role of a universal provider of high quality education which is potentially open to all. (p174)

A major victory — but the campaign continuesThe Gonski Review delivered more than many had dared to hope. Now we must maintain the pressure on Canberra to ensure it delivers.

www.aeuvic.asn.au 3

The way forwardWe must now focus our campaigning on seeing Gonski’s recommendations enacted.

Federal conference delegates unanimously supported a campaign to generate public awareness and support for the report, and to continue the political pressure on federal and state politicians, including independents, with a focus on marginal seats.

The resolution recognised the many years that public school students have been denied the necessary resources to achieve their full educa-tional potential, and the opportunity the Gonski Report provides for fundamental improvements to the way governments fund Australian schools.

It called for urgent action, starting with a timetable for Parliament to pass legislation this year to ensure that new funding arrangements, in line with the Gonski recommendations, are in place by 2014.

A new Commonwealth and state/territory funding agreement should be negotiated to end the current dysfunction and confusion.

And all governments should make a renewed commitment to public education of the highest quality to lift Australia’s overall performance and close the achievement gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students.

The resolution also supported Gonski’s key recommendations — the creation of a schooling resource standard with appropriate loadings for disadvantage, and an investment of at least an additional $3.8 billion a year in public schools.

The resolution also called for additional invest-ment in special education beyond any funding that might be identified by the work underway on a common national definition for disability.

The time for discussion has ended. In the interests of our public schools and the students we teach, we need action now. ◆

A major victory — but the campaign continues

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4 Secondary newsletter | march 2012

Erin Aulich deputy vice president, secondary

The National Curriculum was the subject of much discussion at the

federal AEU conference in Melbourne last month.

The AEU, in Victoria and federally, supports the concept but concerns remain about its implementation — in particular its piecemeal development, and the lack of support for teachers so necessary for its success.

The lack of a framework for the curriculum’s development has been a major concern. Only four subjects are being rolled out in the first year of the Australian Curriculum — English, history, maths and science. More subjects will follow in a second phase, with the rest of the curriculum making up a third wave.

This staggered timetable is seen as compromising the integrity of the curriculum, and potentially squeezing out learning areas that are not included in the first round.

Delegates at the AEU conference reported the introduction of the curriculum was also creating signifi-cant extra work for the profession.

The South Australian branch of the AEU has successfully negotiated two pupil-free days a year over the next six years solely for implementing the curriculum. In Victoria, we are also pressing the State Government for more time.

To date, states and territories have allocated far too little funding — the Federal Government has provided none — for professional development to support the curriculum’s implemen-tation.

No systematic PD is planned. It

is essential that PD is provided by those who designed and developed the curriculum if we are to ensure consistency, quality and relevance.

Conference delegates also stressed that teacher professionalism and judgement at the school level is fundamental to the effective imple-mentation of a quality curriculum.

In a resolution passed unanimously by delegates, the AEU will continue to demand that education departments around Australia provide a consistent and high standard of PD and support materials — and give teachers the necessary time to access this profes-sional development.

The resolution is consistent with the Victorian AEU policy unanimously

passed at our December joint primary and secondary council (available at www.aeuvic.asn.au/curriculum_reso).

The federal resolution also called for:

• Further development and implementation of the National Professional Standards for teachers

• Policy development in initial teacher education

• Induction and mentoring programs for graduates

• Ongoing PD for teachers, school leaders and support staff

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander views, cultures and ways of knowing to be respected and embedded in the work of federal curriculum body ACARA and teachers’ body AITSL. ◆

STATe ScHOOlS’ ReliefThe charity set up by teachers for students in need now needs your help.

STATE Schools’ Relief is a non-profit organisation that helps Victorian students who cannot access clothing and footwear for school due

to circumstances such as poverty, neglect, family violence, house fires, homelessness or natural disaster.

Founded by teachers during the Great Depression, it has supported state school students ever since.

Now it needs you and your school’s help.State Schools’ Relief faces an increasing demand on its services. In

the 2010–11 financial year, it processed 10,463 applications for help — over 2000 applications more than the previous year.

Some 84% of secondary schools turned to SSR; 40% of primary schools did the same.

State Schools’ Relief has a workplace giving program. You can pledge a regular pre-tax donation from your salary by going to www.ssr.net.au and clicking on the “Payroll Giving” button.

Your school could also donate or run a fundraiser. The Education Department covers all administrative costs, so 100% of donations go directly to students in need. ◆

Watch a video about the State Schools’ Relief appeal at

www.aeuvic.asn.au/ssr

support vacuum threatens

new curriculumTime, resources and high quality professional

development for teachers are vital if the national curriculum is to be a success.

don't lose your voice!It’s important to inform your union of any changes to your details — it can affect your rates, and with a possible ballot for industrial action this semester, it’s crucial your details are up to date. Go to www.aeuvic.asn.au/update or email melbourne@aeuvic.asn.au and make sure your details match your payslip. ◆