Teachers tell Minister: "Don't bother coming"

Over 600 NSW Teachers voted in favour of banning NSW Education 
Minister Andrew Refshauge from visiting schools and TAFE 
Colleges, at the NSW Teachers Federation Annual Conference held 
in Sydney on July 4. Teachers are also considering boycotting 
outside-of-school activities in their ongoing battle with the NSW 
State Government.

The bans come after a number of conditions were attached to a pay 
rise offered by the government last week to supposedly bring 
senior public school staff salaries into line with a wage 
increase granted recently to Catholic school staff.

These conditions include placing all new principals on 
performance based, fixed term contracts from January 1, 2005, and 
the allowing of private and interstate teachers straight into 
senior positions in the NSW public school system

The union is also angry about changes that would allow school 
principals to hire and fire staff, as well as increase their 
responsibility for occupational health and safety. It would also 
put them in charge of determining teachers' leave.

President of the NSW Teachers' Federation Marie O'Halloran said 
if principals were given these new responsibilities then "schools 
will be left in their local cases to sink or swim with ever 
decreasing [amounts] of money".

The teacher's conference was also critical of the Howard 
Government's approach to public schools.

"There is no doubt the Howard Government's agenda is to destroy 
the transformative nature of public education so that class 
privileges are retained and expanded", according to conference 
documents.

The conference also made a decision to investigate a 
constitutional challenge in the High Court regarding government 
funding of private/religious schools.

One of the aims of the challenge would be to test the values of 
the Howard Government against the values embodied in the 
Australian constitution.

Some of the changes that the union will examine include:

* The huge increase in direct federal funding of private schools 
vis-a-vis public schools.

* The increase in the number of private schools funded by the 
government.

* The decision of the Full Bench of the NSW Industrial Relations 
Commission in the Teachers (Archdiocese of Sydney and Dioceses of 
Broken Bay and Parramatta) (State) Award 2004 and other awards 
(2004) NSW IR Comm 159 which was quoted at paragraph 108, page 48 
from the "Agreed Statement of Facts" between the Independent 
Education Union and the Catholic Employers. That paragraph 
states:

"108 Principals and those in leadership positions within a 
Catholic school community are required to uphold the mission of 
the Catholic Church and to build the faith community. This 
derives from the transfer of leadership from religious 
congregations to lay leadership with the church. It requires such 
leaders to have imbued themselves with the spirit and reform of 
the Church consistent with the Vatican II council. The importance 
of Principals in particular, in the renewal of the Church cannot 
be overstated. In providing education from a Catholic world view, 
the incorporation of the mission and values of the church becomes 
the primary responsibility of the Principal and those in other 
leadership positions."

That "Agreed Statement of Facts", also acknowledges that 80 per 
cent of the wages bill in Catholic schools is funded by 
government. The NSW Teachers' Federation will now be seeking 
legal advice about the potential for the High Court challenge.

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NSW Teachers Federation http://www.nswtf.org.au