Upfront

Westfield Bondi Junction tragedy impacts teachers

On 13 April, six people were killed and several others injured, including a baby, when a mentally ill man with a knife attacked people at Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. We are deeply saddened by these events.

Westfield was closed for some time after the attack, affecting three ECEC services situated in the shopping centre office towers.

Members at the Goodstart centre were directed to work at centres elsewhere or told to take their annual leave. For teachers with young children, who want to save their leave for school holidays and those with limited transport options, this was a difficult situation.

Under the Fair Work Act, employers are entitled to stand down staff without pay if the business is closed due to circumstances outside the employer’s control. The IEU encourages teachers to request that their employers include paid leave for unexpected events and emergencies in their enterprise agreements or staff contracts. If you need industrial support contact your ECEC organiser for more details.

Members’ voices heard on NT registration

Our union has provided feedback to the Northern Territory government regarding options for extending the teacher registration scheme to early childhood teachers (ECTs) working in non-school early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings.

Three proposed models were put forward for consideration.

IEU-QNT Research Officer Dr Adele Schmidt said the consultation process identified recommendations for legislative reform, which will inform policy development for implementing ECT registration in the NT.

“There will be no change for teachers who have completed qualifications that meet the requirements of AITSL’s Standards and Procedures for accreditation of initial teacher education (ITE) programs, as these teachers meet existing registration requirements,” Dr Schmidt said.

“The changes to the registration system will apply to those who have completed 0-5 years qualifications that meet standards set by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) but do not meet the full course requirements of an ITE program.

“These 0-5 years qualifications do not meet requirements regarding placement in a school setting, phonics instruction, literacy and numeracy testing, teacher performance assessments and other core content requirements,” she said.

Read our full submission online at www.ieuqnt.org.au/public-submissions

Working groups to tackle stress and workload

The IEUA NSW/ACT Branch is bargaining with Goodstart Early Learning. Six working parties have been established to explore ideas for reducing stress and burnout for teachers and educators.

The working parties cover programming, observation and administrative tasks; teacher workload; inclusion support; Christmas shutdown; stress and burnout, plus food budgets.

The IEU is represented on each of these working parties except the food budget group. The recommendations from the working parties will go to the employer to inform the enterprise agreement and future policies and procedures.

Goodstart members in NSW and the ACT can email kate@ieu.asn.au for more details.

Underpayment win for hospital-based teachers

The IEUA NSW/ACT Branch has settled an underpayment claim for $94,900 for unpaid crib breaks taken in the past by teachers at long day care centres operated by hospitals.

Following lengthy negotiations with the NSW Department of Health and two local health districts, the teachers will now have paid lunch breaks and receive payment for previous unpaid meal breaks, which were a breach of the Teachers’ (NSW Health Early Childhood Service Centres) Salaries and Miscellaneous Conditions Award.

Paid tea breaks will continue to be provided and teachers will be rostered on eight-hour shifts instead of incorrectly being rostered to work 8.5 hours a day.

One local health district has indicated they will update their employee handbook to reflect the new practice regarding crib breaks.

Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud:NAIDOC Week 2024

NAIDOC Week 2024 will be held between Sunday 7 July and Sunday 14 July, and is an opportunity for all Australians to come together to celebrate the rich history, diverse cultures and achievements of First Nations Peoples as the oldest continuing cultures on the planet.

The 2024 NAIDOC Week theme is Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud, to celebrate the central role of First Nations Elders in guiding generations of advocacy and activism.

The theme honours the enduring strength and vitality of First Nations culture – with fire a symbol of connection to Country, to each other, and to the rich tapestry of traditions that define Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

National NAIDOC Committee Co-Chair Aunty Lynette Riley said the resilience of mob, our shared experiences, collective memories and kinship are a source of tremendous pride.

“This year’s theme is a clarion call to continued unity and solidarity for all Australians to come together and celebrate,” Dr Riley said.

Learning resources, teaching guides, activities and local events and celebrations for NAIDOC Week happening across Australia can be accessed through the official NAIDOC website – www.naidoc.org.au