journal april 2014 web

Q U E E N S L A N D T E A C H E R S ’

17 April 2014 Volume 119 number 3

Time to ease your workload

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Q U E E N S L A N D T E A C H E R S ’

www.qtu.asn.au

Editorial policy Articles and letters should be sent to ‘The General Secretary, Queensland Teachers’ Journal Editor, PO Box 1750, Milton BC, 4064’, faxed to (07) 3512 9050 or emailed to [email protected]. Letters should be no more than 200 words in length. Articles should be a maximum length of 500 words. All submissions should be signed and those wishing to remain anonymous should indicate their name is not for publication. Articles, letters to the editor and advertising in this journal do not necessarily represent the views of the Union. The next edition will be published on 23 May 2014. The deadline for all editorial and advertising material is 28 April 2014. For advertising enquiries, email [email protected] or call (07) 3512 9000.

8 GT=GR latest

9 Award stripping threat

12 School leader contracts

14 The voice of the profession

17 TAFE as guinea pig

19 Our strength is you

20 "Red tape" chaos

21 Pros and cons of part-time

23 Temporary to permanent MOA

features

regulars 4 News

5 Editorial

7 From the President

15 If I only had a blog

24 QTAD

25 New teachers

26 Retired teachers

27 Legal

28 At leisure

29 Lighter side

31 Classifieds

35 QTU contacts

35 Anniversaries, reunions and events

10

Cover image: Working together, teachers can reduce their workload burden. See page 11.

This QR code will take you directly to the www.qtu.asn.au website. In order to scan QR codes, your mobile device must have a QR code reader app installed.

Canadian teachers also under attack

ISSN 0033-6238

11 Tackling workload

16The new TAFE...

Vol 119 No 3 | Queensland Teachers' Journal 3

17 April 2014

http://www.qtu.asn.au

Gonski campaign continuesGonski Review panellist Ken Boston insists funding inequity, not teacher quality, is responsible for variations in school performance.

Addressing the AEU Annual Federal Conference in Melbourne, Mr Boston said: "The teachers in our most disadvantaged schools are at least as good as those in our most advantaged schools: the issue is not their competence, skill or commitment. The issue is that their number, resources and support are unequal to the task.

"There is no correlation between teacher quality and school performance in Australia. There are some ineffective teachers as there are incompetent doctors, but they can be found in schools both effective and ineffective, and there are procedures for dealing with them. But there is real variation in the quality of education from school to

school, and it is that which Gonski seeks to address."

Vans take message to Canberra

Meanwhile, four “Gonski vans” covered 22,500 km in five weeks as they travelled across the country in support of the Gonski model. They visited 174 towns and cities and were part of more than 200 Gonski events in the towns they visited, and community support was overwhelming.

Journey’s end for the four vans, plus three similarly decorated Gonski cars, was Canberra on 18 March. After a school breakfast event at Richardson Primary School, the vans converged on Parliament.

A number of supportive federal politicians were there to greet them and to speak of their support for the full six years of funding, for the real Gonski.

Indigenous leader Tom Calma also attended the event, and said that the future of the country’s Indigenous children depends on real Gonski funding.

Julie BrownVICE-PRESIDENT

Julie Brown (second left), Shayne Neumann, Terri Butler and Graham Perrett with one of the Gonski vans

As well as celebrating the achievements of women around the world, this year’s International Women’s Day was another chance to draw attention to the work that still needs to be done.

International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated internationally on 8 March, and each year the Queensland Government adopts a theme. In 2014, the official theme was “Opportunity is knocking”.

Opportunity is certainly knocking. We just need to knock harder, louder and prouder. We need to be a voice for women who don’t have a voice. It is essential

that in acknowledging the role we play as teachers, we support and provide access to information to the girls we teach about IWD. It not only provides an opportunity to discuss the historical importance of the suffragettes and the women’s movement, the very real struggles of women in third world and war ravaged nations, but also provides a moment to reflect on the status of women in our state and country.

Internationally – Why of the more than one billion people on the planet living in poverty are the majority women?

Nationally – Why in 2014 do we have only one woman in our national cabinet? Ironically, in 1902 Australia was the first

nation to give women the right to vote and be elected to parliament.

At state level – Why has the state government removed funding from services that provide assistance to some of the most vulnerable women in our state? Funding has been cut to the Queensland Working Women’s Service, Sisters Inside and Vulcana Women’s Circus.

At DETE level – Why does DETE no longer have a program specifically to support and encourage women leaders?

Penny SpaldingASSISTANT SECRETARY - WOMEN’S AND SOCIAL WELFARE ISSUES

International Women’s Day

News

4 Queensland Teachers' Journal | Vol 119 No 3

Summit reveals teachers face same issues around the globe

The Fourth International Summit on the Teaching Profession offered a useful insight into the problems currently faced by Queensland teachers and their commonality across the world.

More than 30 countries were represented at the summit, which was held in Wellington, New Zealand, in March. A collaboration between the OECD, Education International (the world umbrella body for teacher unions) and OECD member governments, the theme was Equity, Excellence and Inclusiveness in Education - how to provide both equity and excellence in increasingly devolved school systems.

WorkloadThis is one of the two most important issues for QTU members, as identified in the QTU member survey.

Dr Mary Bairstow of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers in the UK shared the results of a recent independent survey of working hours, which showed primary teachers working an average of 60 hours per week, secondary teachers 58 hours, and school leaders 63 hours.

She told the assembled governments: “The more you devolve, the more you want your hand on the tiller”. The result is more work and too much time spent writing things down (including unnecessary planning). Things that will make a difference to student outcomes are relegated to a lower priority, if not excluded. Forty per cent of new teachers leave within five years.

The General Secretary of the Education Institute of Scotland (EIS), the main Scottish teacher union, also reported workload pressures. He explained that employment agreements contained entitlements to continuing professional development -

something all parties agreed was vital to student outcomes - but they could not be accessed because of workload pressures.

The EIS and its government are also looking at what we would call red tape reduction, to free up time for the foundations for good student outcomes; a quality teaching workforce; a good curriculum; professional autonomy; continuing professional development and career opportunities; and the resources necessary to do the job for the students in each school.

The Scottish Minister for Education gave an insight into the obstacles when he said that a senior civil servant had told him: “Simplification is a very complex business, Minister.”

The reality is that the capacity of government and bureaucracy to generate red tape far outstrips their capacity, and perhaps will, to reduce it.

AccountabilityOne of the key contributors to workload is so-called accountability mechanisms. In reality, many are no more than a political cover.

Denis van Roekel, the President of the National Education Association in the USA, sought to recast the meaning of accountability as not just the accountability of schools and teachers to the system, but also the accountability of the system to schools and teachers for adequate resources, properly allocated to take care of need, delivered in a timely manner and in a

way that allows teachers to concentrate on their professional work rather than filling in forms and entering data. Accountability is not a one-way street.

One of the questions asked of the summit was how to provide quality teachers to disadvantaged schools. The General Secretary of the EIS drew spontaneous applause when he said: “There are already quality teachers in disadvantaged schools; the question is how governments support their work.”

There were a number of other recurrent themes in the summit on which we can reflect:

• the importance of giving teachers time to work collegially, as in places like Singapore and Shanghai

• the critical importance of trust in the profession

• the importance of collaboration between governments and the teaching profession, not only in the implementation but also in the development of policy and programs.

Union Reps ConferenceMore than180 Union Reps gathered in Brisbane on the first Monday of the autumn school holidays for the QTU’s annual Union Reps Conference. The proceedings will be made available to the more than 2000 Union Reps around the state through the QTU website. Thanks to all Union Reps for the voluntary work they undertake on behalf of members in their schools and workplaces, particularly those who gave up the first day of their holidays to participate.

Graham MoloneyGENERAL SECRETARY


Editorial

Reclaim the profession

Stand proud with your union

In 2014, the Queensland Teachers’ Union celebrates its 125th anniversary.

Over that time, the QTU and its members have achieved a wide range of improvements to teachers’ and principals’ working conditions including:

• equal pay and a right to unbroken service for women

• paid maternity leave

• significant salary improvements

• non-contact time

• smaller class sizes

• maximisation of permanent employment

• a generous and secure superannuation scheme.

Labour Day is the time to publicly celebrate such achievements, as well as those of the broader union movement. It also is the time to stand in solidarity against attempts to strip those hard-won conditions away.

The LNP state government tried it first during EB7 in 2012, when it tied a negligible

pay increase to the stripping away of protections from more than 20 conditions. It’s trying it now through its “award modernisation” process, which is another attempt to take away protections around a raft of working conditions. This affects not only QTU members, but many other public sector workers in Queensland, who will also be marching on Labour Day.

In 2014, it’s time for us to reclaim our profession and remind everyone that teaching conditions = learning conditions, and they’re worth too much to lose.

The Brisbane march and family fun day (RNA showgrounds) will be on Sunday 4 May, and in recognition of its 125th anniversary, the QTU will be leading the march. Details of this and other Labour Day events around Queensland are available at http://www.qtu.asn.au/labourday

Bring your friends and family for a day to remember, and why not celebrate your Union’s 125th anniversary by unearthing your old QTU hats and T-shirts (although new shirts will be available).

News


QTU Code of EthicsTeachers have an important responsibility in guiding their students’ educational and social development.

Therefore, teachers should possess the following attributes:

• social and emotional maturity

• integrity

• breadth and depth of learning

• an understanding of human experience.

The Queensland Teachers’ Union trusts that all members will exemplify this code of ethics in the exercise of their professional duties.

The code • The primary professional responsibility

of teachers is the welfare of all students within their care.

• Teachers shall endeavour to promote such relationships between school and home as will contribute to the welfare and comprehensive development of each student.

• Teachers shall strive to achieve standards of professional conduct and to display attitudes towards their colleagues which will create mutual respect.

• Teachers shall assert their professional, industrial and civil rights and support their colleagues in the defence of these rights.

• Teachers shall strive to fulfil their responsibilities in a manner which will enhance the prestige of their profession.

QTU Policy 2013-15, Booklet H - Professional Development, Page 4.

Reclaiming our professionIn January 2012, Queensland teachers experienced a watershed moment in our professional history: the introduction of the Australian Curriculum and the Queensland support materials “Curriculum into the Classroom” (C2C).

In the social and political context, this generated unprecedented levels of professional instability and angst, leading to a loss of professional self-esteem and rapidly expanding stress. Subsequent employer actions related to the fixation on test outcomes (especially NAPLAN) as distinct from student outcomes, have served to further undermine the professional self-confidence of teachers and the community’s confidence in the profession.

As I travel the state interacting with QTU members, this issue has come into sharp focus. In response, as a champion of professional independence, employment security and workload management, our Union must again lead the profession through this minefield.

Professional independence means different things to different people. For doctors, it is the right to determine treatment for a patient based on the absolute priority of the good of the individual. This is embodied in the Hippocratic Oath: “I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone”. For lawyers, it dictates that their actions are always in the best interests of the client and the community.

For teachers and principals, it is about the absolute focus on outcomes of individual students, but also the broader mission of education for the public good (see the QTU Code of Ethics on page 6).

Common to these ethical paradigms is the belief that the responsibility for interpreting the myriad rules, codes, policies and procedures lies with the individual professional, as only they can decide their appropriate application. That is the kind of autonomy that professional educators value.

For some time now, teachers have faced significant assaults on their professionalism and on the absolute primacy of the good of students which stands as the core purpose of education.

These assaults have been manifest in the public utterances of politicians of all political persuasions that the fate of the education system stands or fails on the quality of teachers and that the current system, and by implication every teacher and principal who works within it, is failing our students. It is manifest in programs directed at dictating to teaching professionals how they should teach, assess and report, based on a politically motivated view of the world largely devoid of ethical considerations.

It is high time that the teaching profession took back the locus of control and dictated to our political and bureaucratic masters the parameters of operation of the education system in the pursuit of proper goals.

A pre-condition of professional independence is employment security.

Recent Queensland experience has highlighted those actions that threaten

employment security, and with it, the potential for professional independence. Doctors have loudly voiced concerns about the potential for decisions about patient care to be overridden by economic imperatives or policy considerations in light of one-sided employment contracts. Lawyers and the judiciary have experienced unprecedented public attacks from the state’s chief lawmaker and Premier, bullying behaviour designed to subvert their professional and ethical obligations. Teachers and principals face current threats to their employment based on improving NAPLAN results and future threats from the rapid expansion of precarious contract employment, first for school leaders and new educators and then, perhaps, for all teachers. The Queensland Government’s proposed teacher and principal performance assessments and actions to strip awards and certified agreements fill out the grim picture for employment security.

Our situation is not unprecedented. The QTU’s history is peppered with incidences of similar attacks and stoic defence. It is not conceivable that this latest episode should be allowed to undermine the profession and dismantle the public education system that we have fought for. Together we will face this latest challenge.

Kevin BatesPRESIDENT


From the President

The QTU and DETE have been participating in weekly meetings in an attempt to reach some agreement around performance review, one of the proposals included in the state government’s Great Teachers = Great Results plan (GT=GR).

At the final meeting with DETE in December 2013, it was agreed that the QTU and DETE would commit to good-faith negotiations to attempt to address the issues regarding performance bonuses and teacher/principal rankings suggested by GT=GR.

The commitment from DETE was that no trial or any process would progress without the agreement of the QTU.

In these meetings it has been agreed that the initial focus will be on classroom teacher performance review processes. To date, the meetings have concentrated on agreed processes such as the Developing Performance Framework (DPF) and their relationship to the objectives of GT=GR.

The parameters that the QTU negotiators have adopted are:

• a commitment to the DPF

• amending the DPF to include a requirement for a written plan – this plan should be provided in the form of a template agreed by the parties

• accepting the inclusion of collegial engagement (lesson observations) as part of the process, provided that these observations are aligned to the goals identified in the plan

• developmental goals supported by high

quality professional learning

• alignment with the proficient level of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST)

• development of goals based on the school’s shared view of effective teaching (the QTU asserts that this alignment will mean that the goals will reflect systemic, professional and local priorities and context)

• the inclusion of identification and reflection on evidence related to each goal – without requiring the collation of a portfolio of evidence

• the process is separate and distinct from managing unsatisfactory performance

• the process is separate from the certification process for highly accomplished and lead teacher

• the process should be made up of formal and informal feedback.

The QTU has rejected notions that the process should:

• be an annual appraisal/evaluation of a teacher against the proficient level of the APST – the QTU has advised DETE that it believes it is the Queensland College of Teachers’ role to determine this at registration and through renewal of registration (CPD)

• require goals aligned to the APST

• be an appraisal system ranking teachers in the levels of proficiency, highly accomplished and lead teachers

• require a digital (or other) portfolio of evidence

• rely on student outcomes as a measure of performance

• be used to identify people for the purpose of rewards, e.g. performance bonuses.

It is important to note that there currently exists no agreement between the QTU and DETE regarding performance appraisal systems.

The directives issued last year remain in force.

• Do not nominate for or participate in any pilot or trial of a teacher and/or school leader performance review that is not agreed with the QTU.

• Do not participate in any DPF processes that differ from those used in 2013 with the exception of the use of the Australian Professional Standards of Teachers as agreed through the DETE/QTU joint statement.

Kate RuttimanDEPUTY GENERAL SECRETARY

Negotiations continue on performance review

News


http://www.qtu.asn.au/collections/newsflash/2013/26-nov-2013-dont-be-misled-reject-introduction-teacher-rankings-stealth/




http://www.qtu.asn.au/collections/newsflash/2014/23-jan-2014-performance-review-update/






Queensland's Attorney General has set in process an “award modernisation” process that is set to strip awards bare.

The process, as outlined to unions by the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission, will commence and finish within 12 months, with the intention of bringing awards in line with the content of industrial instruments included in the Industrial Relations Act amendments last year.

The contents of modern awards and agreements, as outlined in amendments to the Industrial Relations Act 1999 in November last year, include matters that must be in an award, matters that may be in an award and matters that cannot be in an award.

Non-allowable mattersMatters that cannot be in an award include:

• “contracting provisions” that restrict or set conditions on contracting out of services

• employment security provisions

• union encouragement provisions

• policy incorporation

• training arrangements

• workload management

• delivery of services

• workforce planning.

Regardless of the process and the

arguments put forward by the QTU, the new awards will look very different from the current ones.

Single awards

On Monday 24 March, the QTU and other unions appeared at a conference at the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) regarding the proposal to fast-track award modernisation for the TAFE Award and Teachers’ Award.

Before this conference, the QTU became aware that DETE was proposing a single award for TAFE combining educational and non-educational staff and a single award for schools combining educational and non-educational staff as a part of this process, and requested that this also be discussed on 24 March.

At the conference, it became apparent that it was DETE’s view that stand-alone profession-based awards had no place in education and that consequently the Vocational Education and Training Award should include all employees of TAFE and senior colleges (not be restricted to teachers and tutors) and that the proposed State Schooling Award include all employees of education “inside the school gates”. This proposal would mean that teachers,

teacher-aides, cleaners, administration officers, business services managers, nurses etc would be part of the new award rather than having a discrete professional award for teachers.

The QTU argued against the prioritisation of the education awards in the award stripping process and also opposed the creation of a single “industry-based” award.

At the conclusion of the conference, the QIRC accepted the arguments put by the QTU and supported by the other public sector unions, and proposed the best course of action was to continue with the current program of priority awards (health, local government and rail). The education sector awards are unlikely to be dealt with until July this year.

Members should familiarise themselves with what is at risk through the award modernisation process. Further information can be found at www.qtu.asn.au

After all, teaching conditions = learning conditions and we are not prepared to sacrifice 125 years of hard-fought for and won conditions without fighting to protect them.


Award modernisation or

award stripping?Reclaim the profession

News


Last year, I participated in the final round of the now abandoned Teacher Exchange Program. My arrival in Ontario, Canada coincided with a series of unrelenting government attacks upon the education sector.

In September 2012, the Ontario Government brought the Putting Students First Act before Parliament, cutting $1.2 billion from the public education system as part of its attempts to save more than $2 billion over two years.

Within a fortnight, the government legislated a two-year collective agreement that included:

• a two-year wage freeze

• the freezing of retirement gratuities and their abolition for new teachers

• the elimination of any accumulated sick leave of up to 200 days

• changes to annual sick leave entitlements

• a 1.5 per cent wage cut in the form of three mandatory unpaid professional development days

• the freezing of the salary grid for two years, and each year delaying the ability to advance on the grid based on experience or qualifications by a half year.

The terms of the act also prohibited the Labour Relations Board and arbitration

boards from inquiring into whether this act was constitutionally valid or if it was in conflict with the Human Rights Code. It also prohibited the questioning or reviewing of the terms and conditions in any court. Furthermore, under the law, the Minister of Education (independently of the government) could end legal strike action, reserve the right to approve all collective agreements, and impose a collective agreement on teachers across the province.

Union members were given until 31 December 2012 to voluntarily sign off on their new contracts before the terms of the act would be automatically enforced. Across the province, 76,000 union members belonging to the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario launched into action. The day after the first reading of Bill 115, 15,000 members and supporters rallied outside the Ontario Parliament buildings in Toronto. Over the next five months, members withdrew from all extra-curricular activities, participated in one-day rolling strikes across the province, picketed on a weekly basis at local parliamentary offices,

organised and attended rallies and protests and voted to participate in walk outs. In Simcoe County where I worked, ETFO members wore black T-shirts with a pause button to symbolize the “pause” union members were taking on the “extras” they do each day.

Our Canadian colleagues refused to sign off on the terms of the contract, but the government enforced compliance with the legislation. It imposed new agreements and made impending walk outs and political protests illegal.

Perhaps the most offensive and devaluing part of the government’s actions was that, after they had enforced the bill and contracts were set according to their new legislation, they made a public show of repealing the bill in the interest of satisfying what they deemed to be “unhappy teachers”.

If this can happen in Canada, it can happen here. It will be our responsibility, as QTU members and guardians of our profession, to follow the lead of our Canadian colleagues and stand together to protect the future of our profession and the learning conditions of the students we teach.

Kendall SeccombeQTU MEMBER

Canadian teachers' conditions also come under attack

Pictured: Kendall during her time in Canada (left); Canadian teachers fight back over the attacks on their conditions


International

With many teachers struggling under increasingly excessive workloads, the QTU is encouraging members to suggest ways of easing the burden.

The Union conducted a review of workload at the end of 2013, asking members in schools to use an online workload diary to provide feedback on the impact of workload intensification on their wellbeing and work/life balance.

An analysis of the results makes for some alarming reading.

• 90.4 per cent of respondents indicated that they believed that the time spent on computer administration tasks had increased significantly.

• 90.9 per cent of respondents perceived that their workload had increased significantly over the past two years.

• On average, classroom teachers work 7.97 hours a day, seven days a week (55.79 hours per week).

• On average, heads of program work 8.3 hours a day, seven days a week (58.1 hours a week).

• On average, principals work 9.3 hours a day, seven days a week (65 hours per week).

One of the key drivers of this workload surge is ongoing pressure from the government, which is pushing devolution of responsibilities (school autonomy) while still

requiring schools to respond to government targets. In addition, the government’s attacks on the profession, and teacher quality in particular, have added to the perception that QTU members need to work longer hours. Its red tape reduction strategy has not helped either, removing “red tape” from legislation but pushing it down to schools instead.

Over the Easter holidays, delegates at the QTU Union Reps Conference were asked to investigate some of the statements that have been made in schools over the last term. The results will form the basis of a “fact checker” on the QTU website and provide strategies on how to respond when these statements are used, giving members the tools they need to refute those of the government’s increasing expectations that are not mandatory.

Some schools have already come up with strategies in an effort to reduce workload pressures. At one school, for example, the school leadership undertook an “audit” of the tasks being expected of both themselves and their teachers, identifying those that were mandatory, those that were expectations of the school but not mandatory (e.g. activities that are

not mandated by the department but that would support the school’s annual implementation plan, or AIP), and those tasks that would be good to do but are not mandatory. In creating this table and sharing it with teachers, the school leadership immediately relieved some of the pressure on themselves and the teaching staff, enabling the members to prioritise mandatory requirements and creating a more structured work/life balance.

During term 2, the QTU is developing a “red tape reductor”, and will be encouraging members to advise it of the red tape that they face and the strategies that might be used to overcome it. Visit www.qtu.asn.au for more details.

The more we work collectively to push back the increasing demands on schools, the sooner we will be able to “Reclaim the Profession”.


Together we can ease the workload burden

News


A Victorian school leader on life under principal contractsWhen it comes to contracts for principals, governments always insist “there’s nothing to be afraid of”. They seldom address the real question of why they want to introduce them.

As a public school principal in Victoria, I’ve been interacting with contracts for over 20 years. They were introduced by the Kennett government, supposedly to free up principals and make explicit what was expected of them.

Confident that they could trust the education system, many principals were happy to go along with it. Then the realisation hit that people were not getting renewed, often because they were asking too many challenging questions or were focusing on the needs of their community.

Principal contracts are actually about control, limiting your capacity to be a leader, shape change or ask critical questions.

The intent is not to make explicit what your job is, but to confuse and make you no more than an agent of those above you. It’s about turning you into a manager. Managers respond to change, leaders shape it, question it and see how it fits with their community.

Schedule B of our contracts contains a whole range of responsibilities, and when I signed my first contract there was support available for every one of them. We used to have a three level response: a local response, a regional response and a statewide response, and as a principal I had the capacity to call on that support. However, that support has gradually withered.

Now you are not just a principal, you have to be a personnel manager, a facilities manager, a health and safety manager, a counsellor, a clinical support person, a family support person, a local council support person, you name it. Now the principal has to do the research, make the judgement and wear the responsibility, and that becomes a real risk.

I know of one recent case of a principal who had been in the school over Christmas, repainting the new infant wing and putting new power points in. Unfortunately he was unaware that there was white asbestos cement sheeting in the walls. There was no one there to walk him through it, he didn’t have an expert to call on, he wasn’t an OHS expert, and now he’s gone.

Maintenance budgets are tight, so you end up taking chances. It costs $1,000 to fix 3km of spouting, for example, out of my $18,000

As part of its Great Teachers = Great Results plan, the Newman government last year proposed performance-based fixed-term contracts for all new principal and deputy principal positions from 2016.

Then, late last year, it carried industrial legislation that allows it by regulation to declare the holders of some positions to be high-income senior employees and to place them on individual contracts, outside of awards and collective agreements.

The QTU and principal contractsThe QTU is opposed to contracts for principals and deputy principals. That has always been our position. The only separate employment agreements the Union has agreed to were to provide for payments to Low Socio-Economic Status (SES) National Partnership Agreement principals and executive principals. Both forms had rights of reversion and neither took principals outside the scope of awards or collective agreements (or mainstream industrial laws).

The recent QTU membership survey showed job security as one of the most important issues for members. The Union can see no reason why principals and deputy principals should have to sacrifice that most important condition for no apparent educational benefit.


School leader contracts are unacceptable

budget, so you put off fixing it until it rusts through. I now know how to unblock a cistern, take rolls from the toilet dispensers, unblock a secondary pump and change a filter on a sewerage blower. We have three guys doing the sanitary napkin bin changes rather than having a contractor, because that saves a grand.

Then every four years you face renewal, wondering whether you will have a job next year. It’s tenured, so when your times up, you don’t know whether you are going to be told we’re going to abolish your position, we’re going to readvertise it at a lower level or even that you should go and get The Age and find another job.

Life on a contract for a principal is a rollercoaster ride. It’s an absolute privilege being a principal but there’s an extraordinary price to pay. I actually get paid less per hour than our business manager, even though I work between 60 and 65 hours a week on average because of the

out-of-hours work I must do to make the ship float.

And it has affected people’s health. There’s lots of evidence of principals in Victoria who develop anxiety, who are burned out. Without being alarmist, I know two personally, one who had a breakdown and one who is no longer with us.

And none of this has improved the outcomes of students. Last year I had 600 kids and a budget that could afford 80 teachers, this year we’ve got 600 kids but a budget that only can support 77 teachers. Same needs, same challenges, but because salaries have gone up and the budget hasn’t, there are not as many ESL teachers and there is not as much reading intervention.

Contracts are clearly a first step, a sign-post to the breaking down of the system. It takes us from a collective response to an individual response. Contracts enable governments to abrogate responsibility and

put that responsibility on principals, often without the authority or the resources. In Queensland you still have what we have lost, you are interdependent, you support and are open with each other. In Victoria we still grieve that loss.

Do not be too quick to give up what you have.

Kevin PopeVICTORIAN STATE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

In late 2013, the QTU conducted a ballot of QTU members for industrial action if the department sought to implement a number of its Great Teachers = Great Results actions. One of them was the introduction of contracts for principals and deputy principals. 92 per cent of voters were in favour of industrial action if fixed-term, performance-based contracts were imposed. The QTU has re-affirmed that those membership decisions still stand and will be acted on if necessary.

Some principals have mused about whether or not the membership would support them on this issue. The answer is “yes”, and the reasons are twofold. First, members are opposed to contracts and job insecurity for any QTU member.

Second, they know that if contracts and

unreasonable key performance indicators (KPIs) are imposed on principals and deputy principals, the demands to meet the KPIs, with all the attendant workload and stress, will flow down through the system.

DETE’s response to KPMG’s Review of Service Delivery, for example, talks about “… a clear accountability framework with cascading KPIs for central office, regions and providers [i.e. schools].” Cascades only ever flow down, though an accelerating avalanche might be a more apt analogy. All QTU members know how this works.

The doctors’ disputeThe dispute about contracts for doctors in the public health system provides many insights into the problems of contracts and the attitude and tactics of the government.

The government’s tactics have included: adopting an extreme position and then making concessions that still leave employees worse off; vilifying doctors when they continue to oppose the changes; threatening them with replacement from interstate or overseas; and then seeking to negotiate directly with doctors claiming their unions aren’t properly informing them. Visit www.qtu.asn.au/collections/articles-2014/what-can-we-learn-current-issue-contracts-doctors-queensland-health/ to see more.

The QTU will continue to oppose contracts for principals and deputy principals.

Paige BousenASSISTANT SECRETARY, EDUCATION LEADERS

“ Do not be too quick to give up what you have”


School leaders

The QTU plays a vital role in representing the views of our 43,000 members in schools and TAFE in consultation processes that precede the passage of most bills through Parliament and around issues of government policy.

In recent weeks, the QTU has made submissions and appeared in hearings on a wide range of issues, either in our own right or as a part of an Australian Education Union submission. Some of the inquiries addressed include:

• The Queensland review of senior secondary assessment and tertiary entrance processes (www.acer.edu.au/queenslandreview)

• Review of the Australian Curriculum (www.studentsfirst.gov.au/review-australian-curriculum)

• The Senate select committee on school funding (www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/School_Funding)

• The Queensland Training Assets Management Authority Bill 2014 (QTAMA) (www.parliament.qld.gov.au/work-of-committees/committees/THLGC/inquiries/current-inquiries/INQ-QTAMA)

• The TAFE Queensland (Dual Sector Entities) Amendment Bill 2014 (www.parliament.qld.gov.au/work-of-committees/committees/EIC/inquiries/current-inquiries/TAFE2014)

• Technical and further education in Australia (Senate) (www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Education_and_Employment/TAFE)

• Inquiry in to the role of Technical and

Further Education system and its operation (House of Representatives) (www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Education_and_Employment/TAFE)

• The effectiveness of the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) (www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Education_and_Employment/Naplan1).

Much of the QTU’s work in these matters is to represent members' interests and bring a real life, “from the coalface” perspective to the issues under the microscope.

In hearings of the Senate select committee on school funding, Queensland was in the unique position of speaking to the Great Results Guarantee model of distribution of additional federal government funding to schools as the only state to have done so. Three QTU member principals appeared as witnesses to share with the select committee the unique circumstances of their respective schools (primary, special and secondary) as they related to the role of funding in the delivery of an effective education for every child.

QTU members from across the state have contributed to the development of a QTU position statement on assessment and tertiary entrance through discussions within

the QTU Professional Issues Committee and several decisions of the Queensland Teachers’ Union State Council. In essence the consensus view holds that the current system of externally moderated, criterion referenced, school-based assessment should remain and we reject the imposition of costly external assessment and the creation of a key cross-curriculum capabilities test.

The QTU’s was the only submission received by the Queensland Parliament on the QTAMA Bill. In an unprecedented homage to privatisation of public assets, the state government plans to strip TAFE institutes of their physical assets (except those they plan to sell) and vest control of those assets in a commercially oriented statutory authority with no obligation to the actual delivery of TAFE. TAFE will become homeless and will have to rent the premises they currently own at full commercial rates in order to deliver courses in the future.

This is but a taste of the work currently being undertaken. Our Union’s role in addressing these diverse investigations through thoroughly researched and consulted position papers is fundamental to ensuring that the voice of teachers is heard loud and clear in the debate on education in the corridors of power and in the public domain. Copies of Union submissions are posted to the QTU website (www.qtu.asn.au/publications/submissions-and-responses/) once they are released.

Kevin BatesPRESIDENT

The QTU contends… giving the profession a voice


Submissions

If you want to make a difference, be a teacher. If you want to shape our profession and to stand up for state schools, be a teacher unionist.

Who are QTU activists?Much has been said about unions and unionists in recent times, and there’s plenty more to come. So let’s take some time to think about what teacher unionists contribute to our profession and to state schools. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but here are eight reasons to be union proud…

1We are protectors of professional standards

QTU activists have been at the forefront of teacher professionalism agendas such as registration, continuing professional development, professional standards and teacher education programs.

2We are curriculum and pedagogical leaders

QTU activists care deeply about our work. We contribute to national, state and local curriculum and pedagogical development and research. We know that the best learning occurs when teachers are well supported and our schools and TAFEs are well funded.

3We are at all career stages and we’re all over Queensland – associate

members, new teachers, experienced

teachers, school leaders and retired teachers

There is a place in the Union for activists at all career stages, from all parts of our state.

4We stand up for state schools, TAFE and our students

We campaign on issues like class sizes, resources, funding levels, maintenance and school closures. We campaign for safe workplaces for our students and ourselves.

5We are workplace negotiators and life-long learners

QTU Workplace Representatives are skilled and dedicated. We have access to a group of expert Organisers and Officers who advise and support us as we do our work and undertake training to enable us to best represent the members in our workplaces.

6We are a broad group of women and men with diverse views motivated to

achieve a common cause

Whether it’s at a workplace or local branch meeting or at our peak bodies the State Council and State Conference, QTU activists give their time to participate in the Union’s democratic structures. We debate and listen to each other and together we create and amend Union policy and decide on the strategic direction of our organisation. Committees such as the Women Teachers and Girls’ Education Committee and Gandu Jarjum do important work to promote and protect the rights of women, girls and

Indigenous teachers and students.

7We are a strong and vibrant

community of friends and colleagues

The QTU is a fabulous organisation in which lifelong friendships are formed. We come together to support each other in tough times and to celebrate with each other when we have wins.

8We are community members

QTU activists are not only active in our schools. We are also active in our communities. Recognising that parents and community members are important stakeholders in our core business, our networks are broad and deep.

Proud to be QTUQTU activists represent the very best of the teaching profession and the union movement. We should be proud of our Union, our achievements and what we are capable of when we work together. There are challenges facing us right now, but QTU activists are more than up to the task.

I’m proud to be a QTU activist and a state school teacher. Bring it on – the teachers, united, will never be defeated!

Sam PidgeonHONORARY VICE-PRESIDENT

If I only had a blog ...

Community cabinet rallyMore than 40 Gold Coast QTU members assembled outside the state government community cabinet at St Andrews School at Tallebudgera on Sunday 23 March, declaring that Queensland schools and teacher professionalism are NOT 4 SALE.

Regional Organiser Lin Esders was at the site early to help the Queensland Council of Unions set up for a workers barbeque and to assist the three QTU members who had been given interview times with the Education Minister and the Treasurer.

Unlike previous community cabinets held on the Gold Coast, this event was very heavily policed and the usual open, community feel was missing. Gold Coast unionists, environmentalists and observers were only permitted a very small space to gather and the usual easy access to Cabinet members was absent. More than 150 Gold Coasters did endure the hot, hot morning and by 1pm were in fine voice as Queensland Government Ministers arrived.


Opinion

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Hey dad, are you taking me to footy today?

Unfortunately under the new award, we do not get paid penalty rates or overtime, even on Saturdays

I know, but under the new award arrangements,

I have no choiceWell at least you will

get paid more, we could use the extra money

Sorry mate I have to work today"

But dad, it's Saturday


TAFE

Working in the new TAFE

Thanks to QTU TAFE members Scott Tibaldi and Hannah Day, who put together this insight into the impact of the state government's attack on Queensland's public vocational education and training provider, not just on its employees but also their family and friends.

So you will be working all day Saturday without any extra pay?

That is correct!

TAFE and the fast-food approach to VETA grand experiment in the provision of services by government is about to be played out across Queensland, and TAFE is the guinea pig.

On 1 July, TAFE institutes will be separated from the facilities that they had once been custodians of. The buildings will be owned by a commercially-focused body called the Queensland Training Asset Management Authority (QTAMA), whose role will be to maintain, lease out and (if underutilised) dispose of the assets of the current training division of DETE. The facilities will be let to any registered training organisation that can afford them.

Also on 1 July, TAFE becomes a statutory authority. It will have a commercially-focused board that is directly responsible to the Minister. Financial viability will be its catch cry. It will not have extra funds to do anything that it is not expressly funded to do. Some would say it will not even have the funds to do that, given the paucity of the funding models. Community service obligations are a thing of the past. If the government doesn’t attach a dollar figure to an activity, you can be assured it will not happen.

Underpinning these moves is a fundamental shift of perspective, which results in the provision of technical and vocational education being seen through the lens of a fully competitive market. This is also to be implemented on 1 July.

The LNP, through both the Skills and Training Taskforce and the Costello Commission of Audit, has positioned itself to divest government of the role of vocational educator. The government sees itself as meeting its responsibilities by providing the place for training to occur, but it is removing itself from the responsibility of actual delivery. In this sense it is performing a neat trick of auto-amputation.

QTAMA will become the Westfield of vocational education. In a recent article, the Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET) called for the facilities to no longer be labelled as “TAFE” and to be designated “educational precincts”. You may as well picture your local TAFE campus turned into the educational equivalent of a food court. QTAMA will facilitate the delivery of inadequate training wielding the state's stamp of approval.

The problem with the government view is that there is a direct correlation between the mode of delivery, the size of classes, duration of study and the achievement of small “q” quality outcomes for students, especially those who have issues with confidence and/or literacy and numeracy. The question of low socio-economic status and its correlation to learning outcomes is not quarantined to primary and secondary schools, and a very high proportion of TAFE students fall into the lowest two quartiles of income.

In this model of the fully competitive market, it doesn’t matter who does the teaching and assessing of students as long as the outcome (the issued qualification) is achieved for the lowest possible price, in the guise of providing value for money. In order to deliver more cheaply, more quickly, to more people, corners will be cut.

Certainly across TAFE campuses the pressure to minimise contact with students, increase class sizes, reduce the duration of training, and move wholesale to online delivery is becoming overwhelming. Those students who have issues with learning will be increasingly squeezed out.

In the market, the profit motive trumps all. Fast food franchises the world over understand the principle: give people what they want, quickly and cheaply, even if it has no nutritional value and will clog their arteries. In vocational education, where most customers only differentiate on the basis of cost, the market will (and already does) hand out cut-rate, accelerated learning, fully recognised with a downloadable print-it-out-yourself certificate that is worthless because it doesn’t represent true skills and knowledge (and if you press the button on the lower left hand side of the screen you will be rewarded with applause from a genuine graduation ceremony). Maybe QTAMA can install a drive-through too.

David TeraudsTAFE ORGANISER

Adult literacy and numeracy In the February Journal (Volume 119, number 1) we carried an article "Adult literacy and numeracy: TAFE and the strange case of disappearing access" which suggested that beyond TAFE, there are no other state-funded opportunities for adults with literacy and numeracy problems.

We are happy to confirm that such state-funded programs are in fact available at Coorparoo Secondary College Adult Education Centre, Eagleby Learning College, Heatley Adult Secondary College and Kingston College Adult Education Centre.


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Why is the QTU still around after 125 years? Why is this Union bigger, stronger, and more adaptable than it has ever been?

Other long-lived, iconic organisations have bitten the dust. Kodak, that great business icon is bankrupt; Nokia – where is Nokia now? Why have these organisations failed in a positive business environment while the QTU has not only survived but prospered?

It is about optimism, creativity and a sense of belief. All of that is embodied in the members of the QTU.

It isn’t about the leadership group within the Union. Of course, it is incumbent on them to make the right decisions, unlike the CEO who declared that there was no need for a screen bigger than one inch square on a mobile phone. But it is the people who make up the Union that determine its state of health.

The QTU is in top shape, and that is because of the teachers and school leaders in our state schools and TAFE institutes who make up its membership. It is because of their optimism, creativity and cleverness. They are the reason why our Union is strong; why

since 1889 it has grown consistently, despite two worldwide depressions and two world wars. It is why the QTU has continued to fight and win, despite hostile governments and hostile employers.

Teachers and school leaders believe in what they do. They believe in their profession. They believe in doing what is right and good – even at a cost to themselves. Their purpose is to secure the future for the children they teach – to make the communities in which they live better. They contribute to the public good.

We know that as a Union we will encounter dark times, but we know we will always come out into the light. We are optimistic, because that's what teachers and school leaders are. We know that hostile governments and vicious employers won’t defeat us, because teachers and school leaders won’t let them.

They have the creativity that is needed to adapt to changing conditions. That is why

teachers and school leaders and their Union will not be defeated. Every moment of every day, they are being creative and adapting to changes, intrinsic and extrinsic, within their classrooms. That is the nature of teaching in the current climate.

Whether they work in schools or TAFE institutes, teachers and school leaders know that, despite attacks from government, every day they make things better for their students and they will continue to do so. They won’t give up on their students and their colleagues.

A final word from the late Peter Coughlin (formerly Principal Bremer SHS) who said to me almost two decades ago: “Put a dozen teachers in a room and there will be more intelligence, compassion and common sense than exists in any corporate boardroom in Australia."

That is what makes this Union strong – it is made up of teachers and school leaders.

Barry WelchDEPUTY GENERAL SECRETARY

Our Union's strength lies in its members


Opinion

The move by the state government to “simplify” red tape has led to unprecedented confusion in relation to leave entitlements in schools and across regions.

The leave entitlements of teachers and other state public servants are outlined in the public service directives, and since coming to power, the state government has been reviewing many of them in the name of “red tape” reduction.

Unfortunately, this has resulted in the stripping out of much of the detail contained in the previous directives, which was there to clarify the various scenarios and provide clear instruction. The detailed clarification in these previous directives often arose from the lessons learned in previous disputes, and was subsequently included to inform and prevent further misunderstandings and misinterpretations.

Since the end of 2013 school year and on into the start of the 2014 school year, the QTU has seen a dramatic increase in the number of enquiries from members in regard to leave matters. In a number of cases, this was because regional HR staff had provided incorrect advice to schools,

principals and teachers. Too often, it has been the removal of information from the directives and the lack of clarity that has led to the confusion.

So, to clarify a few myths and correct some of the inaccurate leave information currently floating around the DETE community, here are the facts.

• Paid natural disaster leave can be accessed for periods greater than five days (in certain approved circumstances).

• Paid sick leave is available while you are on paid parental leave.

• Sick leave can be used for carer’s purposes in any circumstance that it is available (including paid parental leave and long service leave).

• Bereavement leave (two days) is available for family members (as defined by the family leave award) and household members.

• Sick leave must only be used for sick leave and carer’s purposes, and must not

be knowingly accessed to provide paid leave in other circumstances. To do so in other circumstances may constitute fraud.

• Emergent and compassionate leave has been renamed and is now just “compassionate” leave. It is a form of discretionary leave (i.e. it must be approved and is not an entitlement) and has been increased from three to five days per calendar year.

The QTU has successfully advocated for teachers in disputes arising from all of the matters above. If you believe that you have been provided with incorrect information about leave, please contact your union for correct information and advocacy.


Reducing red tape? No. Creating chaos? Absolutely!

C

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MY

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CMY

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QTJ March 2014 - third - final.pdf 1 25/03/2014 5:37:49 PM


News

Part-time working can be hugely advantageous to teachers, their families and their schools, but it can be derailed by lack of understanding and support.

There are some excellent arrangements in Queensland schools where the “value adding” of part-time work has been well supported and the capacity to be creative and flexible has paid off for the family and the school. Stand-alone positions can be effective, depending on roles, and job sharing arrangements with the right fit can provide mentoring and acting opportunities in classified and school leader positions.

However, issues can arise when decision makers are either unaware of the part-time policy, or advice has been inconsistent.

Late last year, teachers who had worked part-time under the Family Award provisions but wished to return to full-time work were asked to fill out expressions of interest forms through the transfer process.

These teachers subsequently received notification of their “unsuccessful” transfer on MyHR, resulting in unnecessary stress and worry. To clarify, while it is a requirement to submit a request in writing and within the transfer timeframes when looking to return to a substantive full-time position, there is no requirement to complete a transfer EOI.

Issues also arose for women returning from parental leave and requesting part-time work in secondary schools, only to be advised that their requests would be considered post day 8.

Access to child care can also be problematic (and expensive), especially in regional and

rural areas, and while preference for days should always be accommodated where possible, it is never guaranteed. The spread of hours also needs to be considered. The QTU has recently seen a timetable that required a part-time teacher working 0.6 FTE to attend five days a week. This would clearly be prohibitive for a parent needing to pay child care (one administrator who had developed an untenable timetable for a part-time mum was unaware of the costs - once the facts were understood a resolution was far easier to reach).

With QTU advocacy, all of these situations were resolved, but they clearly demonstrate the importance of increasing understanding and support of part-time working conditions and the need to try to accommodate reasonable requests, particularly when, as in a number of these situations, timetables were yet to be developed.

It is hugely disappointing when “quotas” are imposed and an obvious dislike for part-time work is vocalised in our schools. In reality, where it works well, the benefits of part-time work for the students and the teachers are multiplied. Where a part-time arrangement doesn’t work well, it is important to look at why, rather than just scapegoating the part-time arrangement.

DETE is a feminised work force. Supporting families, as employees and as an education system that inherently passes on values about supporting women, families and employees to the students, reflects best policy.

Late in 2013, the Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner conducted the Supporting Working Parents: Pregnancy and Return to Work National Review to identify discrimination in relation to pregnancy and return to work after parental leave. The QTU provided a written and verbal submission. Sadly, many case studies came to light revealing that, despite the commendable policy, in reality it is often too difficult to traverse the myths about part-time work in schools and regions. It is particularly challenging for classified officers and school leaders, who find it very hard to have reasonable requests accommodated or considered.

Teachers and administrators considering part-time arrangements for themselves or members of the school community should familiarise themselves with the department’s part-time policy (http://ppr.det.qld.gov.au/corp/hr/hr/Pages/Part-Time-Teaching.aspx). The support available is extensive and clear. It also contains very useful proformas for applications and job-sharing agreements. The decision making flow chart is a “must see” for administrators considering part-time applications.

For further information about part-time requests, contact QTAD on 1300 117 823 or email [email protected].


Part-time teaching: the good, the bad and the quotas


Part-time

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With the signing and implementation of the Temporary to Permanent Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the QTU and DETE, a number of important changes came into effect.

Although the process remains effectively the same, there are some differences under the new MOA, including:

• teachers who are appointed to permanent employment through the MOA are now subject to a probation period

• teachers who, following two years of continuous service, have a break in service because of child birth, will not have their service eligibility negated by the parental leave period – you do however, need to inform DETE that you are not working because you are on parental leave

• any permanent job offers are likely to be statewide, unless you are able to meet the exceptional hardship criteria, with documentation, as per the transfer guidelines.

The MOA reads: “Temporary teachers with three years continuous service in the same role or cumulative service of three years in the same role, provided that breaks in employment do not exceed a total of three months in the previous years, will be eligible for conversion to tenured status.”

If you believe you are eligible, you should refer to the QTU information brochure

“Conversion of temporary teachers to permanency”, which is available at www.qtu.asn.au/brochures-conversion-permanency or through QTAD, for more detailed information.

Further information on the process, in the form of a document titled: “Temporary state school teachers and instrumental music instructors to permanent conversion business process”, can be found on OnePortal.

A number of members have missed their offer of permanency under the conversion process because it was sent to the wrong address. It is important to understand that the department and TRACER are different entities, so details updated in one system won’t automatically transfer to the other. Teacher applicants also need to ensure that details held by the Teacher Applicant Centre (TAC) and the information held by payroll (TSS) are current and up to date. You don’t want to miss out on a job offer because the department couldn’t find you.


New temp to perm MOA: what you need to know Supporting kids in need

“The average homeless Australian is not a middle aged drunk, but a child” (Hanover Welfare CEO, Tony Keenan). This is the reality faced by many young Australians. Recent reports released by the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare reveal that 41 per cent of all homelessness clients are children and young people, often due to family violence. A further 33 per cent are single parent families. Children under one were the most likely to be the subject of a substantiated abuse claim in 2012. Queensland has the highest percentage of child abuse notifications per capita in the country. These are the children who suffer in silence, who fall through the gaps in the system, and who are struggling everyday to meet the basic necessities of life.

Student Care Welfare Queensland (SCWQ) is an education and counselling charity set up to protect young people from psychological and physical harm by providing programs and counselling through school communities, by canvassing entire classes or grades, and also by working one-on-one with referred students. SCWQ works in local state schools with high levels of need.

One of the best known of the charity’s programs is Talking Through Toys. Younger children can sometimes have trouble expressing themselves to adults in a counselling environment because the issues are too painful to discuss or they are afraid of getting into trouble. In this program, the child hides behind one of a number of huge teddy bears, and the counsellor then addresses the conversation to the bear. The children are therefore able to talk through the toy, removing many of the anxieties that otherwise leave them feeling vulnerable.

SCWQ relies on donations and sponsorship. Email [email protected] to find out how you can help. SCWQ also needs retired teachers to provide after-school literacy assistance in the greater Brisbane area. Contact Charles Wheeler on 3122 8550.

Resources for temporary teachers

The QTU website has a dedicated section for temporary, casual and contract teachers under the “member groups” section on the right hand side of the home page or visit www.qtu.asn.au/temp. Information includes current and past copies of the Temporary Teacher Communiqué, the electronic QTU newsletter dedicated to temporary teachers issued once a term.


Temporary teachers

Should I administer medication to students?The administration of any medication to students by teachers is voluntary. Teachers cannot be required to administer medical procedures that they do not wish to administer.

Schools require medical authorisation from a prescribing health practitioner to administer any medication to students (including over-the-counter medications such as paracetamol or alternative medicines).

For students with specialised health needs, such as diabetes or anaphylaxis, schools are to develop an individual health plan (IHP) and/or an emergency health plan (EHP) upon enrolment or as new health needs are identified/diagnosed. The IHP provides a daily guideline for the management of a student’s health condition and may contain instructions concerning the routine medication regime, while an EHP provides step-by-step directions on how to safely manage a predictable medical emergency specific to certain chronic health conditions.

IHPs and/or EHPs are to be developed by a qualified health practitioner in consultation with school staff, the parents/guardians, the student, and medical and other health professionals.

Those who volunteer to give medication to students need to be provided with appropriate training by a qualified health

practitioner or authorised personnel such as a school nurse or an ambulance officer who might be able to demonstrate the technique at the school or as part of a first aid course.

In many circumstances, teacher-aides assist with the administration of routine and emergency medication, and some teacher-aides who hold a first aid certificate are paid an additional allowance for carrying out these types of tasks.

Other trained volunteers would need to be listed as backups in case of absence.

DiabetesType 1 diabetes is the type that is most commonly found in children and adolescents. Students with type 1 diabetes need to be given insulin, either by injection or by insulin pump, and also need regular glucose testing.

Parents of children with diabetes should discuss it with the principal upon enrolment or at the time of diagnosis. The principal will then be able to arrange diabetes education for relevant staff members. Training can also be arranged for school staff who volunteer to support students with diabetes.

Ketone testing and glucagon administration are not generally expected of school staff because a clinical assessment and interpretation of results are required. However, as the risks of each case must be assessed individually, the principal, in collaboration with the student/parent

and treatment team, will determine if this support is required at school. Consideration must also be given to updates and refresher training.

Assisting students in routine blood level checking is also voluntary, but it is likely there would be many teachers willing to volunteer to assist students in checking their blood glucose levels with this simple finger-prick test.

Teachers with students who have diabetes should be provided with the necessary information and permit the child to eat something sweet in order to address hypoglycaemia (also known as a hypo) when their blood glucose level drops too low. Again, the teacher would be obliged to follow a doctor’s written instructions.

For further information, refer to the following DETE procedures:

• Administration of medication in schools

• Management of students with specialised health needs.

Diabetes Queensland, in consultation with key stakeholders (including the QTU), has developed “Students with Diabetes – Guidelines for Queensland Schools”, which can be accessed from www.diabetesqld.org.au/media/189214/students_with_diabetes.pdf

Queensland Teachers' Assist Desk 1300 11 7823 | [email protected]


Being a new educator in a new location can be both a daunting and exciting experience.

Among the most vital elements of a new educator’s supported transition into a new community is the timely development of supportive professional and social networks. QTU members in the South Burnett towns of Murgon and Kingaroy organised a 2014 “Meet and Greet” for new educators arriving in the area in order to help them develop those networks and support structures.

The events were well attended and well received, with a significant number of school leaders and experienced teachers involved. It’s pleasing to see that even in the busy and demanding environments in which teachers operate, a sense of collegiality and support continues to dominate the actions of QTU members. Congratulations to those who organised and supported these events.

Such initiatives are worth considering in any location as they can make a real difference in a beginning teacher’s transition to your town or community.

If you are interested in hosting a similar event, contact your local Organiser and seek their support. You’ll find them only too willing to help.

Here’s what some of those who attended the South Burnett event made of it.

“It was beneficial to meet the Union Reps, to conduct a professional dialogue with other teachers from the area and to network and exchange contact details.” Belinda Elliott – new educator

“The event was in a relaxed atmosphere, allowing for casual conversations with people who are both new to the area and the profession. In the conversations I had, we discussed the fact that no matter which school you are at, or what you teach, or for how long you have taught, we share commonalities and it is up to us to support each other.” Tracy Flavel - experienced senior teacher

“It was a successful networking opportunity facilitated by the local school QTU Representatives, a chance to meet and greet as equals, exchanging views, appreciating and celebrating our commitment to the teaching profession.” Pamela O’Loughlin - Principal

Scott WelchWIDE BAY ORGANISER

Welcome to the South Burnett! Attrition rate grows Research carried out by the Queensland College of Teachers suggests that more graduate teachers are choosing to leave the profession and not return.

According to the literature, 50 to 85 per cent of beginning teachers leave the profession within the first five years. A significant proportion do not return. Of those granted provisional registration from 2006 to 2008, 13.5 per cent were not on the QCT register four years later.

Graduates not employed in permanent or ongoing temporary positions were likely to seek alternative employment. However, the key factor is the lack of adequate support, such as induction and mentoring.

QCT register data reveals the attrition rate has increased with successive cohorts; from 11.7 per cent in 2006 to 15.2 per cent in 2008, a trend which is continuing.

Among the issues cited as influencing the decision to leave the profession were family/personal reasons, heavy workload, stress, student behavior, inadequate professional support and alternative employment.

Asked what might have encouraged them to stay, new educators suggested:

• support from experienced teachers, particularly in planning with resources

• an allocated mentor

• stable ongoing employment at one school, not short-term contracts

• manageable classes

• access to online resources and support

• support through an online community.

The report is at www.qct.edu.au/publications/Retention_Research_Report_RP01.pdf

The QTU continues to advocate for extra funding for formalised induction programs, provides PD opportunities addressing the concerns ofnew educators, and is considering the development of online resources and professional communities.


Beginning teachers

Always learningSocialising is necessary as we age. There is nothing like a belly laugh and friendly talk with friends and relatives, and research has shown that getting out with friends stimulates us both physically and emotionally. This is one reason that the Queensland Retired Teachers Association continues to encourage retired teachers to join with others and learn more about the area we live in.

Brisbane branch has started 2014 with two great activities. Our annual morning tea at the Irish Club (pictured above) saw 60 members gather to listen to Hugh Lunn, who in his easy-listening voice told us about his school days.

We are often too busy with the job at hand to see the wonders around us. Retirees

have the time and only need a little encouragement to venture out, as was the case with the excursion to Queensland University Museum and art collection. What a wonderful morning.

Changing pace, next month sees us sampling the cooking and hospitality of the students of South Brisbane TAFE College. It is always great to be part of the students’ learning as we act as recipients of their knowledge. Besides lunch we have organised an interesting guest speaker to enlighten us about a topical issue, namely climate change. Please note that this is not John Sinclair as listed on the program, as he is unavailable. Please join us. Please contact Pam Mackenzie on 3844 9660 or [email protected] for catering.

Don’t forget to keep 25 November clear. Our conference at Brisbane City Library, with its easy access to transport, is taking shape. Details will be published soon. Watch out for flyers and posters. At present we envisage such topics as seniors’ health, security, volunteering and living with technology, to name just a few. If you have any subject that you think should be included, please let me know.

The day will be open to all friends and relatives of members of the QRTA and other associations, such as COTAH and National Seniors.

Noela RogersQUEENSLAND RETIRED TEACHERS ASSOCIATION (QRTA) PRESIDENT

Want to get on the path to be�er health?

Then start by joining the right health fund - TUH! We offer generous bene�ts plus a wide range of services to help you improve your health - visit our website for more information.

So contact us today to move towards better health!

1300 360 701 www.tuh.com.auProfits back to members Value for money products High quality services

health fund health fund

As a QTU member you are automatically eligible to join.

LegalBeginning teachers

mailto:[email protected]

In recent years we have regularly emphasised the importance of teachers maintaining professional boundaries and not entering into inappropriate personal relationships with students, or indeed recent ex-students.

The importance of these principles in relation to the period after a student has left the school at which the teacher/student relationship existed was reinforced by a recent decision of the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal. The case contains a very helpful and explicit articulation of the principle and is particularly powerful because of the nature of the circumstances.

In this case, the male teacher was 24 at the time he formed an inappropriate relationship with the student. We shall refer to the teacher as X and the student as Y.

It is useful to set out some of the circumstances which are particularly significant in that, notwithstanding the facts to which we refer, the ground of unsuitability to teach was still established and appropriate sanctions imposed. Those were teacher registration being cancelled, prohibition for a period of time and conditions imposed in relation to possible re-registration.

Circumstances“There is no allegation of grooming from the College of Teachers and it is agreed that the relationship began the day after Y graduated (sexual intercourse did not take place until mid-January).”

Mr X “Did recognise some of the boundaries that need to exist between a teacher and a 17-year old student. However, his

recognition of the appropriate boundaries did not extend far enough.”

“This is not, however, a matter where Y was treated with casual disregard by X. It is clear that there was, albeit inappropriate, affection and concern of a mutual nature in this relationship.”

“Whilst Y should not have been taken advantage of in this way, it cannot be said that she was pursued as a sexualised object; it is apparent that X cared for her and suffered a mental struggle to grapple with emotions that led to his own depression.”

“This is an unusual case in that the teacher’s behaviour at all times whilst the student was at school was respectful and caring. This is not to say that there was not dishonesty and inappropriate behaviour which is evident in the facts of the relationship’s development, particularly after the student left school.”

“There was no inappropriate conduct while the student was at school.”

Against this background, the application of the principle was summarised by the tribunal as follows.

Principles“The inappropriateness of the relationship is because it cannot be said that a mere day after her graduation Y was no longer influenced by the power-imbalance that exists in a teacher-student relationship. Y

was a young woman, uncertain of her future path in life, and genuinely enamoured with X as a result of their interactions whilst she was a student. It is apparent that there was a genuine affection between X and Y, but it developed in a context where X was in a position whereby Y would look to him for educational guidance, and in her case, also personal guidance.

"At the point in time the relationship culminated in dating, and shortly thereafter, in sexual activity, sufficient time had not passed such that X and Y were on equal footing in the relationship. It can fairly be said that she was still his student, and he, her teacher, no matter whether the relationship was mutually affectionate. What must be understood, and was not understood by X here, is that Y was not in a position to consent to a relationship with him free of the teaching context.

"Several other cases of a similar nature have been heard by the tribunal and have firmly established that in circumstances like this, a teacher must recognise that young people, even those with a degree of personal maturity, are ‘inherently volatile and, given excited expectation and disappointment, unforeseen and dangerous consequences may ensue from this type of relationship’.”

ConclusionTeachers must be scrupulously careful not to exploit, even after the student has left school, the enduring power imbalance which continues for some time thereafter.

Andrew KnottTRESSCOX LAWYERS

Teacher/student power imbalance continues after school days end

Want to get on the path to be�er health?

Then start by joining the right health fund - TUH! We offer generous bene�ts plus a wide range of services to help you improve your health - visit our website for more information.

So contact us today to move towards better health!

1300 360 701 www.tuh.com.auProfits back to members Value for money products High quality services

health fund health fund

As a QTU member you are automatically eligible to join.


Legal

WinedownPinot Noir (part 1)Pinot Noir originated in Burgundy, and appears to have been grown in Europe for close to 2,000 years. It is genetically unstable, with many clones available. This results in variations in leaf size, growing habits, berry size and the colour and range of flavours in the grapes. It is also the genetic source for Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio, Pinot Blanc and Champagne’s Pinot Meunier. The grapes are thin-skinned and yields are low, requiring a lot of care and attention in the vineyard. It is also variable in its response to different seasons. In wine-making it can be temperamental and is a difficult wine to handle.

The finished wine should be subtle and nuanced. The bouquet should be aromatic and can have a range of red and black cherry, red and black plum and raspberry

with hints of herbs and cinnamon spice. On the palate, there should be soft flavours with layers of complexity. The tannins are soft and there is less acid than other reds. With a little age there may be some savoury and forest floor characters. From front to back

palate and on into the aftertaste there should be a smooth, silky/velvety feel that makes this a generous wine in the mouth.

How Pinot Noir is served is important. The glass should be wide and tall, well rounded at the bottom and curving in slightly to the rim. Temperature is also important. It should be served at a lower temperature than most reds, at 10 to 15 degrees. Too cold, the acids dominate, too warm, and the aromas are lost. This makes Pinot Noir a good wine for Queensland conditions – better to err on the side of coolness as it will warm up in the glass.

The past two decades have seen steady improvement in the quality of Pinot Noir coming from Australia and New Zealand. Just how much is shown by a Pinot Noir from the Mornington Peninsula, the 2012 Yabby Lake Vineyard Block 1, which won the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy in October 2013 – the first time a Pinot has won. This prestigious trophy is awarded to one or two-year-old dry red wines, and for 51 years it was the domain of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.

Best regions in Australia are Tasmania, Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Geelong, Macedon and Adelaide Hills. In New Zealand, Martinborough, Marlborough, Nelson, Waipara and especially Central Otago stand out.

Jenni Holmes, Keryn Archer and Warwick Jull


At leisure

As the term continues, something starts to happen to the fridge in the staffroom. It happens every term. Forgotten lunches, missed when their maker ended up in a lunchtime meeting or supervising students or somehow managed to score a yard duty extra, begin to fester and gather mould and aroma. By midway through each term, the fridge becomes something to be opened at your own peril, an OH&S risk that is right up there with inhaling deeply when there is a gastro outbreak at the school or climbing a ladder without having a licence. Quite frankly, the fridge has turned toxic.

I know that, like many of my colleagues, I begin the year (and, let’s face it, term), with high aspirations of making my lunch each day, ticking all of the nutritional guidelines of the food pyramid and shunning the temptation of the ever-present canteen. It works well for a few weeks and then something changes. A little part of your enthusiasm dies and suddenly your lunch standards drop. It happens intermittently at first. You might have a Friday where you

bring in rice crackers and dip or two ends of a loaf of bread and a slightly sad tomato after an otherwise impressive week of leftover risotto and salads. Then, there’s that Wednesday when you only manage to pack three muesli bars for the whole day. Then, it’s like the switch is flicked and the standard drops right down. Right down.

We all know what we’re talking about here…that’s right. The day you make your less than triumphant return to the school canteen. Never a proud moment. In fact, lining up with half of year 8, you realise that you are making a poor choice. There are no salad rolls left (were there any to begin with?) and the waft of sweating dim sims hangs in the air. When is sushi day? Clearly not today. The students are jostling for the limited number of hot dogs and potato cakes, while you desperately scan for something that resembles wholemeal bread.

The time of year that I return to the canteen tends to align itself directly with my switch from a one coffee a day person to a “sky’s the

limit” person. This is not a positive change ... for me or the kids I teach. I know (and so do my students) that once a coffee mug makes it into my classroom, it is a clear indication to watch out.

This brings me to my get rich quick plan for 2014. I think I should invest in a mobile coffee cart and use my free lessons to make and sell coffee at highly inflated prices. We all know there are days in teaching when you would re-mortgage your house for a decent coffee and I aim to capitalise on those moments. I am even prepared to deliver to classrooms, for a little bit extra. Surely after term two I could head off to Tahiti for a few months on my profits? Thoughts?

Christina Adams

Lighter side

The long dark lunchtime of the soul...

"By midway through each term, the fridge becomes something to be opened at your own peril, an OH&S risk that is right up there with inhaling deeply when there is a gastro outbreak at the school"


Cognitive therapyCognitive therapy can help you manage your emotions by first understanding how you think. It helps us to explore the underlying belief patterns that result in negative, irrational and unhealthy thoughts and replace them with useful ones.

Think of your mind as a suitcase. It has collected many beliefs, thoughts, memories and experiences. Some are helpful, but some can cause discomfort or distress. Cognitive therapy assists us to remove these items and replace them with more useful thoughts and beliefs.

Cognitive therapy is based on the following process: "Beliefs - lead to - thoughts - lead to - emotions - lead to - behaviour."

Ten major beliefs commonly emerge in people with anxiety.

• I must be liked and approved of by every person in my life.

• I must be completely competent, make no mistakes and achieve all the time to be considered worthwhile.

• Some people are bad, wicked or evil and they should be punished for this.

• It is dreadful when things aren’t how I want them to be.

• My bad feelings are caused by things outside of my control, so I can’t do anything about them.

• If something might be dangerous, unpleasant or frightening, I should worry about it a lot.

• It’s easier to put off something difficult or unpleasant than it is to face up to it.

• I need to depend on someone stronger than myself.

• My problem was caused by some event in my past, so that’s why I have it now.

• I should be very upset by other people’s problems or difficulties.

Every one of these beliefs is unrealistic and unhealthy. If you can change your unhealthy thoughts and replace them with more healthy and realistic beliefs and thoughts, you can change your emotions and hence your behaviour.

The techniques used are simple, yet practical and are the foundation of helping you overcome your anxiety. Used in conjunction with other therapies and treatments they become even more powerful. Cognitive therapy helps you to take control of what you think and believe, so you can look at situations more realistically and rationally. When this happens, you often realise that there is not really as much to fear as you previously thought, and as a result your anxiety diminishes.

All information contained in this sheet is a guideline for care only, supplied by qualified health professionals.

This column supplied by TUH.


Health & money

The super gap Despite the introduction of compulsory superannuation over 20 years ago, most Australian women don’t have anywhere near enough saved for their senior years.

The factsAccording to a study performed by the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST) in 2011, women have significantly less super saved than men. The estimated median superannuation balance for women aged between 55 and 64 years was $53,000, compared to $90,000 for men in the same age group.

This underfunding has meant that many women are forced to rely on the Age Pension for support, with up to 77 per cent of women dependent on some form of government pension. However, it’s

important to know the pension is designed only as a safety net and might not be enough to fund your retirement.

Even though the superannuation gender gap is closing, women still lag well behind men when accumulating retirement savings. Lower pay, time out of the workforce to raise children and shouldering the bulk of unpaid domestic work can make it challenging for women to build a reasonable amount of super.

Easy ways to boost superThere are some quick and easy ways to boost your super.

• Ask your employer to pay some of your pre-tax wage into super. Before-tax salary sacrificing can be a tax-friendly way to grow your super.

• Make super contributions out of your own pocket. Known as “non-concessional” contributions, these after-tax super contributions aren’t subject to the 15 per cent contributions tax

because you have already paid income tax on it. Depending on your income, you may be eligible for a government co-contribution to your fund.

• Ask your partner to make contributions on your behalf. They may be able to claim a tax offset on the contributions made to your fund.

With super, small contributions now can make a big difference over time. Visit the QSuper website at qsuper.qld.gov.au for some handy calculators to help you keep track of and maximise your super.

This information is provided by the fund administrator, QSuper Limited (ABN 50 125 248 286 AFSL 334546) which is ultimately owned by the QSuper Board (ABN 32 125 059 006) as trustee for the QSuper Fund (ABN 60 905 115 063). All products are issued by the QSuper Board as trustee for the QSuper Fund. This information has been prepared for general purposes only without taking into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Consider whether the product is appropriate for you and read the product disclosure statement (PDS) before making a decision. You can download the PDS from our website at qsuper.qld.gov.au, or call us on 1300 360 750 and we’ll send you a copy.

Article supplied by

ClassifiedsLettersRESOURCES

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Library

Educating Gen Wi-Fi: How we can make schools relevant for 21st century learners, Greg Whitby HarperCollins, 2013

Greg Whitby has spent 30 years teaching in schools and studying the way they

cope with rapid change. He argues that schools are often too slow to respond to change and too quick to condemn the new. To engage students, it is vital that educators re-think everything they have been taught, including their own role as the sole authority.

Teacher proof: Why research in education doesn’t always mean what it claims, and what you can do about it Tom Bennett, Routledge, 2013

Do the findings from educational science ever really improve day-to-day classroom

practice? Drawing from popular education theories and strategies, Tom Bennett highlights how much of what we think we know in schools hasn’t been “proven” in any meaningful sense, and

inspires teachers to decide for themselves what good and bad education really is.

Reclaiming our teaching profession: The power of educators learning in community, Shirley M. Hord & Edward F. Tobia, Teachers College Press, 2012

This book shows educators how to use the transformative power of professional learning in the community to raise the

professional stature of educators, providing clear steps and real-school examples with a focus on collaborative adult learning for student gains, community respect, professional satisfaction, and collegial support.

Exploring the school leadership landscape: Changing demands, changing realities, Peter Earley Bloomsbury, 2013

Drawing on a wealth of research, Exploring the

School Leadership Landscape critically considers the ways in which school leadership and its practice have evolved, exploring what has changed and what has remained the same over the last decade.

New in the QTU Library In addition to books, the QTU library indexes journal articles, websites and other resources of interest. Check out www.qtu.asn.au/library for updates or to send a library request form.

Understand bulliesAs a concerned grandmother, some people may find my own experience helpful. When my young son came home from first day at school crying because he was being teased, I told him “They teased you because you cried.” He stopped crying – they stopped teasing him. In “You Are Not the Target”, author Laura Huxley explains that bullies are simply projecting their own emotional

pain. When victims understand this, they no longer need to see themselves as the target of the abuse and thus no longer vulnerable. I endured years of misery as a vulnerable child. Bullies need healing, not punishment. I hope this helps.

Norma HowleyGRANDMOTHER

To send a letter to the Journal, see editorial policy on page 3.

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Queensland Teachers Union of EmployeesElection Notice - Information for Candidates

The Queensland Industrial Registrar has issued Decisions, pursuant to the Industrial Relations Act 1999, that the ElectoralCommission of Queensland conduct an election for positions of office within the Queensland Teachers Union of Employees.

Candidates NotesCandidates for election must be financial members of the Union at the close of nominations. All nominations must be inwriting and signed by the nominee. Nomination forms must also be signed by at least two (2) financial members of theUnion, provided that:

Nominees for Member of TAFE Executive must be a member of TAFE Division and be a TAFE Branch member of theTAFE Council, and/or be a person elected to take office as a TAFE Council Representative on the date on which theballot is scheduled to be conducted and be signed by at least two (2) financial members of the Union of the TAFEDivision.

Nominees for TAFE Council Representative of a Branch must be a member of the respective TAFE Branch and thatnominations must be signed by at least two (2) financial members of the relevant TAFE Branch.

Nominees for State Council Representative of a Branch & Branch Delegates to Area Councils must be a member of therelevant Branch and signed by at least two (2) financial members of the relevant Branch. Wherever possible, at leastone of the representatives from each Branch for Area Council representatives of a Branch shall be female if sufficientnominations from females are received.

Nominees for State Council Representate of an Area Council postions must be Branch Delegates to the relevant AreaCouncil and signed by at least (2) financial members of the Union.

Nominees for State Council Representative of TAFE Division must be a member of TAFE Division and signed by at leasttwo (2) members of the relevant TAFE Branch.

Nominees for Area Council Officer positions must be Branch Delegates to the relevant Area Council and signed by atleast two (2) Branch Delegates to the relevant Area Council.

Candidates who wish to withdraw their nomination may do so five (5) clear days after the close of nominations. Prospectivecandidates and their nominators should verify their financial status and other qualifications required by the Union (refer toUnion Rules 6.4 & 6.5).

Acknowledgement correspondence from the Commission will be sent via email.Please ensure your email address has been provided on the nomination form.

Nominations close at midday on Wednesday, 14 May 2014Nominations open at midday on Thursday, 17 April 2014. Nominations must be in writing, comply with the registeredrules of the Union and reach the Electoral Commission of Queensland no later than midday on Wednesday, 14May 2014.

A nomination form suitable for use in this election is printed with this Journal. Nomination forms are also available fromyour Union’s office, the Electoral Commission and the Commission’s website; www.ecq.qld.gov.au. Any form of nominationthat complies with the Union’s rules is acceptable.

Nominations may be received by means of hand delivery, post, facsimile or any other electronic means that includes thesignatures of the nominees and nominators. Nominees should ensure that their nomination is received by the Commissionand can be clearly read.

JACINTA HYNESReturning Officer

23 January 2014

ELECTORAL COMMISSION of QUEENSLANDLevel 6 160 Mary Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000 GPO Box 1393 BRISBANE QLD 4001

Telephone (07) 3035 8057 or 1300 881 665 Facsimile (07) 3221 5387www.ecq.qld.gov.au


Queensland Teachers Union of EmployeesNomination Form

Nominations close at midday on Wednesday, 14 May 2014We the undersigned financial members of the Queensland Teachers Union of Employees, hereby nominate

Member No: Ms/Mr/Other:

for the position/s of : (Tick the box/es to indicate the position/s of office that the nominee is standing for election to)

Member of TAFE Executive TAFE Council Representative

Branch Delegate to an Area Council Area Council President

State Council Representative of a Branch Area Council Vice President

State Council Representative of a TAFE Division Area Council Secretary

State Council Representative of an Area Council Area Council Treasurer

Membership No. Full Name Signature

Consent to Nomination (Candidate to Complete)

And I, a financial member of the Queensland

Teachers Union of Employees from Branch/Area

Council, do hereby agree to be nominated and to act if elected.

Address:Postcode

Telephone: (Home) (Business)

(Mobile) Facsimile:

E-mail:

Signature: Date:Acknowledgement correspondence will be sent via email. Please ensure your email address has been provided.

(Print the full name of the person you are nominating)

(Print your name as you would like it to appear on the ballot paper)

(Branch name / Area Council name - if nominating for Area Council officer position)

(Courtesy Title)

ELECTORAL COMMISSION of QUEENSLANDLevel 6 160 Mary Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000 GPO Box 1393 BRISBANE QLD 4001

Telephone (07) 3035 8057 or 1300 881 665 Facsimile (07) 3221 5387www.ecq.qld.gov.au

QTAD (Queensland Teachers Assist Desk): 1300 117 823 Telephone: (07) 3512 9000 Fax: (07) 3512 9050 Email: [email protected] Web: www.qtu.asn.au Address: 21 Graham Street, Milton | PO Box 1750, Milton BC Qld 4064 Facebook: www.facebook.com/QueenslandTeachersUnion

All officers, organisers and members of Executive may be contacted through the Union office, except where an alternative is given below.

Senior Officers OrganisersPresident Mr K. Bates a/h phone 0418 789 162 twitter.com/QTUPresident

Vice-President Ms J. Brown a/h phone 0408 194 385

Honorary Vice-President Ms S. Pidgeon

General Secretary Mr G. Moloney a/h phone 0409 613 703

Deputy General Secretary Mr B. Welch a/h 0408 194 385

Deputy General Secretary Ms K. Ruttiman a/h phone 0419 655 749

Brisbane based:

Telephone (07)3512 9000 or email [email protected] B. Crotty (Brisbane South)

Ms F. McNamara (Brisbane North)

Ms K. O’Neill (Redlands/Logan)

Ms M. Maguire (Moreton)

Mr D. Terauds (TAFE) [email protected]

Regional:

Mr Z. Sugden (South Queensland) 1-3 Russell St (cnr Neil St), PO Box 2859, Toowoomba Qld 4350 Phone (07) 4614 4600, fax (07) 4614 4650 Email: [email protected]

Ms J. Gilbert (North Queensland) 15 Palmer Street PO Box 5622, Townsville MC Qld 4810 Phone (07) 4722 6400, fax (07) 4722 6450Email: [email protected]

Ms L. Esders (Gold Coast) Bldg 6, 175 Varsity Parade, Varsity Lakes 4227 PO Box 4, Varsity Lakes 4227 Phone: (07) 5562 6800, fax: (07) 5562 6850 Email: [email protected]

Ms M. Duffy (Peninsula)255 Mulgrave Road PO Box 275, Westcourt Qld 4870 Phone (07) 4046 7500, fax (07) 4046 7550Email: [email protected]

Mr S. Welch (Wide Bay) Shop 6, 264 Bazaar Street, PO Box 150, Maryborough Qld 4650 Phone (07) 4120 0300, fax (07) 4120 0350 Email: [email protected]

Mr T. Evans (on leave), Mr R. Frame (acting)(Sunshine Coast) 6a, 9 Capital Place, Birtinya PO Box 159, Buddina Qld 4575 Phone: (07) 5413 1700, fax: (07) 5413 1750Email: [email protected]

Mr B. Thomson (Central Queensland)Rockhampton Trade Union Centre, 110-114 Campbell St, Rockhampton, Qld 4700 Phone (07) 4920 4200, fax (07) 4920 4250 or a/h (07) 4928 8177Email: [email protected]

Executive membersMr P. AndersonMs R. AndersonMr A. BeattieDr P. DarbenMr K. GilesMs M. JacksonMr S. LeeseMs B. LinesMs R. SugdenMs. P. TaylorMr A. ThompsonMs L. Winch

Assistant secretaries - ServicesMr M. Anghel Mr J. BackenMs P. BousenMs L. Cowie-McAlister

Assistant secretary - Services/Women's CoordinatorMs P. Spalding

Assistant secretary - Research and IndustrialMs T. EdmondsDr J. McCollowMs L. Mertens Mr. A. Taylor-Gough (acting)

LegalContact details Anniversaries/reunions


Home Hill State High School will celebrate its 50th anniversary on May 9-11, 2014. All past staff and students are invited to attend. For details, check our website www.homehillshs.eq.edu.au or Facebook page www.facebook.com/pages/Home-Hill-State-High-School-Golden-Anniversary/571196166256977. We are also requesting contributions of photos/articles for the book. Email or post to [email protected] or PO Box 488 Home Hill.

Wishart State School (formerly Mt Gravatt South) celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2014. A celebratory dinner is to be held at The Glen Hotel on 19 July 2014. Further details will be released closer to the event, but diarise the date now. Contact either John Wild (chairman – coordinating sub-committee) on 0417 613 683, or the school on 3849 0555.

Pine Rivers State High School celebrates 50 years of quality public schooling in 2014. The culminating weekend coincides with the Pine Rivers Show on 1,2 and 3 August. Troy Cassar-Daley will conduct workshops on Friday and Andy Firth and Michael-John Hurney will feature at a concert on Friday night. Visitors are welcome to the weekend EXPO, which will feature the history of the school, and there will be a celebration evening at the Eaton’s Hill Function Centre on Saturday night. For details visit www.pineriversshs.eq.edu.au/pages/50th/index.html

Kedron State High School's year 12 graduates of 1964 are holding their 50th anniversay celebrations at The Pavilion Function Centre (Alan Border Field, 1 Greg Chappell St, Breakfast Creek) on Sunday 31 August, from 11am to 4pm. Contact Cavell Caldwell (nee Anderson)/David Dawson. Email [email protected] or mobile 0416 039 639

Kingston State High School's 1984 year 12 graduates are holding a 30-year school reunion in 2014 and would like to make contact with teachers who taught their year. Please contact Lai Tattis on [email protected], at www.classcreator.com/Brisbane-Australia-Kingston-State-1984 or www.facebook.com/groups/598660420147410/

Corinda State High School 1994 Year 12 graduates are holding a 20-year reunion in 2014 and would like to make contact with any teachers who taught them. Please contact Natalie Willcocks (nee Horton) [email protected] or Linda Tran [email protected]

Submit your events to: [email protected] or fax 3512 9050

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