ACTU President Michele O’Neil addresses IEU National Conference

The IEU was delighted to welcome ACTU President Michele O’Neil to speak at our National Conference in late August.

Michele attended Catholic schools but confessed she wasn’t the best student: “In fact, I was a shocker,” she said. “Although I loved to learn, I really loved trouble a whole lot more.”

Michele said she was fortunate to have teachers who understood her. “There were a couple of teachers in my school, particularly English and history, who appreciated the elements of me that were about challenging the status quo,” she said.

“Those teachers supported me and nurtured me, and I hold them close in my memory, and how they helped shape who I’ve become today.”

Michele had nothing but praise for IEU members. “The work you do every day, in terms of educating our future as a nation, is such important work and so often undervalued by bosses and governments,” she said.

“But you’ve built this understanding that the work you do is essential work – and traditionally undervalued work, but we are on a path to change that. And your union is part of leading that change.

“You’re making sure we think of the work of early childhood educators, primary school teachers, secondary school teachers, teachers in the TAFE system, or in higher education – all of the different ways we educate people – as some of our most valued work.

“And we’re better as a society and better as a community when we do value it. And if we value it, we have to pay you properly for it,” she said.