Sub Branch reports

The IEU has 19 geographical sub branches across NSW and the ACT, plus the Principals’ sub branch. Sub branches meet four times a year, usually in the first three or four weeks of each term.

Sub branch meetings are a way for reps and members to provide feedback to the union about what’s happening on the ground in their workplaces. The meetings are also an opportunity for reps and members from each region to hear updates from IEU organisers.

Each sub branch sends four to six delegates to quarterly IEU Council meetings. Council is the union’s decision-making body, bringing together about 115 member delegates from throughout NSW and the ACT.

The IEU Executive of 22 members is elected every three years by members.

All reps and any IEU members who would like to develop their union activism are warmly invited to attend their region’s sub branch meeting.

Contact your rep or organiser if you’d like more information.

Central Coast

The Central Coast Sub Branch includes Gosford, Erina, Green Point Lake Munmorah, Tuggerah, Wyong and surrounds.

The sub branch met on Thursday 7 November at Ourimbah RSL. Representatives from Catholic systemic and Christian schools were in attendance.

The IEU is in negotiations with Catholic Schools Broken Bay. Members in these schools currently enjoy an additional one hour per week release from face-to-face teaching in both secondary and primary schools.

The meeting noted additional release from face-to-face teaching has been part of the IEU’s claims since 2020 but it wasn’t achieved until 2023 in Broken Bay and hasn’t yet spread to other dioceses.

The meeting further discussed the tension in negotiations between greater flexibility sought by the employer at the expense of entitlements and conditions set out in the Work Practices Agreement. At the time of the meeting, a positive resolution to the negotiations was still anticipated.

Christian schools have received an administrative assurance from their employers of pay rises in 2025 and 2026 despite not having an enterprise agreement in place yet. Negotiations have resumed between the IEU and Christian Schools Australia (CSA).

Reps are reporting on some good initiatives taking place in schools regarding student social behaviour and phone management practices.

Jim Hall Organiser

Members at the Central Met and Met East combined Sub Branch meeting.

Central Metropolitan and Metropolitan East

The Central Metropolitan Sub Branch includes central Sydney, Sydney’s inner-west suburbs and Rhodes, Concord and Meadowbank. The Metropolitan East Sub Branch covers the eastern suburbs of Sydney, including Bondi, Waverley and Bellevue Hill.

Reps from the Central Metropolitan and Metropolitan East sub branches gathered in a combined meeting for Term 4 on Thursday 14 November at the IEU office in Ultimo.

The approach of this meeting was to offer reps a relaxed and convivial atmosphere to see out what has been a long year, with food and drink provided.

Reps enjoyed updates on the ongoing Association of Independent Schools (AIS) multi-enterprise agreement (MEA) campaign, the likely outcomes for Catholic systemic schools, and a preview of 2025.

IEU Secretary Carol Matthews joined us and was able to provide more detail on the AIS campaign, in particular, which was greatly appreciated by members.

The AGMs for both sub branches in February 2025 will be held separately, but more combined meetings are planned for later in the year.

Kendall Warren Organiser

Central West

The Central West Sub Branch includes Dubbo, Bathurst, Orange and Lithgow, as well as Cowra, Mudgee, Parkes, Forbes, Grenfell and Wilcannia.

The Catholic diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes is the largest in NSW, covering more than half of the state.

The Central West Sub Branch met on 15 November in Bathurst, providing a fantastic opportunity for members to come together and celebrate our collective achievements.

Assistant Secretary and Principals’ Organiser Lyn Caton provided valuable insights into the AIS campaign and the importance of active chapters in each school. Over the course of the year, the sub branch has welcomed a growing number of new reps from independent schools, and this has provided invaluable opportunities to network with colleagues across the sector.

We thank all our chapter reps and Council delegates who continue to advocate on behalf of members across such a vast group of schools. We look forward to continuing to work with you all in 2025 to build on the gains made this year.

The 2025 AGM will be held on Friday 14 February in Forbes.

We look forward to seeing you all in 2025 and wish you all a very restful break.

Donna Widdison, Pat Devery Organisers

Cumberland

The Cumberland Sub Branch includes Parramatta, Mount Druitt, Castle Hill, Marsden Park, Blacktown and nearby suburbs.

The Cumberland Sub Branch had its last meeting for 2024 at the IEU’s Parramatta office. This was followed by a well-earned dinner at the Royal Oak.

Reps from Catholic systemic, the ELICOS sector and independent schools attended and shared updates for their sector.

Issues at The College at Western Sydney University were raised concerning casual teacher and support staff contracts, and the restructure that has been taken place in 2024.

At a school level, the usual issues were raised; namely new procedures for programming and compliance, especially in collecting student samples. We referred reps to the NESA fact sheet and advised them to keep that at the forefront of their process to ensure they are not wasting time on busy-work that is not required.

The other culprit was the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) and, as is still the case in many schools irrespective of sector, the demands placed on teachers and support staff are superfluous and not required for funding or compliance. We also referred reps to the fact sheet that the IEU worked on with Department of Education.

The highlight of the evening was the excitement around the independent schools campaign and how many schools are getting past the post.

Reps reported on how the AIS have been visiting their schools, providing volumes of misinformation to dissuade teachers from signing the Single Interest Bargaining petition.

It was heartening to hear that the members, and potential members have been so well informed by reps and the union that those visits have fallen flat. In some schools, they even had the opposite effect, increasing petition signatures.

With the Catholic systemic claim put to dioceses this term as well, among others, bargaining for the union is going to be even busier and the role of reps in schools even more crucial. I thank all reps and fellow Cumberland organisers for their tireless work and look forward to working with all next year.

The next meeting is Monday 24 February 2025.

Lubna Haddad Organiser

Members of the Hunter Valley Sub Branch meeting.

Hunter Valley

The Hunter Valley Sub Branch includes Newcastle, Maitland, Singleton, Scone, Taree and surrounds.

The Hunter Valley Sub Branch meeting was held on Monday 25 November. Thirty-eight members from Aspect, Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA), Christian, independent and Catholic systemic schools attended.

They discussed issues including long service leave and kindergarten aides permanency, concerns with lack of consultation and transparency in the transitions at Mayfield and Kurri-Abermain schools, a diocesan ad hoc unorganised online training request and PAOS reclassification access in independent schools.

Members also heard updates on CSA, Catholic Employment Relations (CER) and AIS negotiations.

The 2025 Hunter Valley Sub Branch AGM will be at the Blackbutt Hotel, New Lambton on Monday 17 February. All members are encouraged to attend and consider taking an active role.

Long term Newcastle Organiser Therese Fitzgibbon will be moving to work out of the Sydney office next year and was attending her last of almost one hundred sub branch meetings.

Deputy Secretary David Towson and reps stood as one to thank Therese for her tireless work, dedication and commitment to the members of the mighty Hunter Valley Sub Branch.

Carlo Rendina Organiser

Ku-ring-gai

The Ku-ring-gai Sub Branch covers Sydney’s north shore, including Hornsby, Wahroonga, Waitara, Warrawee, Thornleigh, Pymble, Turramurra, Berowra and Asquith.

The Ku-ring-gai Sub Branch met for its Term 4 meeting on Monday 28 October. Reps and members met with IEU Organisers Charles Wheeler and James Jenkins-Flint, to discuss branch, sub branch and local issues before sharing a meal together.

Attendees were a mix of Catholic systemic, independent, primary and secondary teachers and professional and operational staff.

With bargaining at pivotal points with both AIS and Catholic Schools Broken Bay, there was plenty to discuss, and members were able to exchange notes and stories about their respective campaigns.

Spiralling workloads and deteriorating conditions are clearly common across both sectors and members agreed that addressing these must be at the forefront of all negotiations.

Ku-ring-gai Sub Branch meets in the Bistro at Hornsby RSL at 4:30pm on Mondays in Week 3 of each term.

Charles Wheeler Organiser

Lansdowne

The Lansdowne Sub Branch covers Lakemba to Liverpool including Bankstown, Fairfield and Auburn.

The Lansdowne Sub Branch met on Thursday 14 November at Fairfield RSL for its final gathering of the year. Fourteen reps from a variety of schools and three IEU officials attended.

The ongoing campaign in independent schools was one of the major topics of discussion, with several reps providing insights on the situation in their chapter and asking questions regarding the way forward.

The commencement of bargaining in Catholic systemic schools was the other major focus, including discussion of the IEU’s claim for improved pay and conditions for teachers and support staff.

Following the meeting, members enjoyed dinner with their colleagues at an Italian restaurant.

We look forward to seeing everyone again in 2025, and we hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

Aidan Anderson Organiser

Members at the Mid North Coast Sub Branch meeting.

Mid North Coast

The Mid North Coast Sub Branch includes Coffs Harbour, Kempsey, Port Macquarie, Bellingen, Nambucca Heads and surrounds.

The Mid North Coast Sub Branch meeting on Friday 22 November was a fantastic opportunity to come together and celebrate our collective achievements.

We were delighted to welcome AIS member Dearne Beadle to her first meeting. Her enthusiasm was matched by the sub branch’s excitement, highlighting the strong support and camaraderie we offer.

We also took the time to acknowledge and thank Steve Bergan for his outstanding work as an organiser in the Lismore office. His efforts have been instrumental to our sub branch’s success, and we look forward to seeing the position filled in the near future to continue this vital support to the region.

Our sub branch was proud to reflect on the significant motions we raised and passed at June Council, particularly those addressing sexual harassment in schools. These motions reinforced the need for employers to uphold their positive duty and foster safer workplaces.

As we near the end of the year, it’s important to celebrate the progress we’ve made, within our chapters, sub branches and across the wider sector. I wish everyone a well-deserved holiday break and look forward to a fresh and productive 2025.

Peter Criticos Organiser

Monaro

The Monaro Sub Branch covers Canberra and the ACT.

The Monaro Sub Branch meeting was held on 14 November in the Canberra IEU office. We welcomed IEU Deputy Secretary David Towson to our meeting.

WorkSafe ACT presented briefly on workplace health and safety, then took questions from members. Psychosocial hazards and the role of health and safety reps were discussed and information sheets distributed.

General business included the AIS campaign and Catholic systemic and Christian schools.

The sub branch carried a motion to thank the Teacher Quality Institute (TQI) for the recent introduction of automatic recognition of teacher identified professional learning, conveying trust in the professionalism of ACT teachers and reducing their administrative workloads.

Well done to all the reps for their contributions to their union, especially the outgoing reps Judy Elliott, Verna Comely and any others who won’t be returning in 2025. We thank them for their contribution and commitment to their peers and the IEU. We also warmly welcomed a new rep Jodie Heggaton to her first meeting.

The next meeting will be the AGM in Term 1 on Thursday 20 February 2025.

Dianne Lefebvre Monaro Branch President

Members at the North Coast Sub Branch meeting.

North Coast

The North Coast Sub Branch covers Lismore, Tweed Heads, Kingscliff, Pottsville, Murwillumbah, Mullumbimby, Kyogle, Ballina, Lismore, Casino, Coraki, Woodburn, Yamba and Maclean.

On Wednesday 6 November, we held our sub branch meeting back in the Lismore office for the first time since the rebuild.

Twelve school reps were joined by IEU Deputy Secretary, David Towson and North Coast Organiser, Richard Ryan. The reps in attendance were from Catholic systemic, Catholic independent and AIS schools. We also welcomed Garry Ryan from Trinity College who attended his first sub branch meeting. Hot topics included the AIS: ‘Now’s the Time’ campaign, Catholic systemics and how each school is doing PLT meetings. Some get extra RFF, some don’t.

Also, the effects of budget cutbacks across the diocese. COI (cycles of improvement) was discussed – some schools are still doing it, some aren’t.

The meeting was followed by dinner at the Sherwood Hotel in Lismore.

Our next meeting will be the AGM on Wednesday 19 February at 5pm in the IEU Lismore office.

Richard Ryan Organiser

Members at the Northern Suburbs Sub Branch meeting.

Northern Suburbs

The Northern Suburbs Sub Branch covers Artarmon, Chatswood, Cremorne, Gladesville, Gordon, Hunters Hill, Kirribilli, Lane Cove, Lindfield, Milsons Point, Mosman, North Sydney, Roseville, Ryde, St Ives, St Leonards, Willoughby and Woolwich.

We had great attendance at the Term 4 meeting held in-person at the Oaks Hotel in North Sydney on Tuesday 5 November.

Secretary Carol Matthews attended to discuss in detail the IEU campaign in AIS-represented employers. Reps from these schools shared how their chapters were progressing with petitioning staff in pursuit of the single-interest bargaining stream under the Fair Work Act.

They shared stories of the AIS and individual employers desperately attempting to convince their teachers not to sign and prevent them achieving the rights and powers that this new stream of bargaining provides moving forward.

Catholic systemic reps discussed the recent claims for their respective new enterprise agreements (Broken Bay having a separate agreement) and shared what they believe would be the most beneficial changes for teachers regarding work intensification.

Reps interested in attending our Term 1 meeting should watch for an email invitation early in the term, and RSVP to reserve a seat. Members can update emails and other details by logging into the IEU website.

James Jenkins-Flint Organiser

North West

The North West Sub Branch covers the New England region, including Armidale, Tamworth, Gunnedah, Tenterfield, Inverell, Moree and Narramine.

The final North West Sub Branch gathering for 2024 was at the Armidale City Bowling Club on Friday 22 November. The meeting was well attended by reps across three different sectors.

As well as discussions of the IEU campaign for single interest bargaining for independent schools, and also elements of the Catholic systemic claim (pay increases have been processed in the Armidale Diocese) sub branch members also spoke about the Armidale Waldorf School’s long campaign for an enterprise agreement. Their school is the only outlier in the entire region, and they still work under the Modern Award.

Issues in schools were discussed and potentially a need to network members across, as well as within, schools when they are engaged in wider community work and the workload is becoming untenable.

A special acknowledgement was made of our Sub Branch Secretary Dale Roberts who will commence a transition to retirement in 2025. There was also recognition of long-term reps and members Helen Smith and Judy Miller. Both are employed within the professional and operational stream in their AIS schools, but they nevertheless engaged and pursued the petition for single interest bargaining for teachers.

Our next gathering will be in Tamworth on 21 February.

Sue McKay Organiser

Penrith/Blue Mountains

The Penrith/Blue Mountains Sub Branch covers Penrith to Glenbrook, Katoomba and Blackheath.

The Penrith/Blue Mountains Sub Branch meeting on 20 November was a valuable opportunity for members to come together and reflect on the year’s achievements. The Now’s the Time campaign was a key focus, showcasing the growing activism and unity among members in the AIS sector. The campaign continues to build momentum, underscoring the collective strength and determination of the sub branch.

Discussions also highlighted the Catholic systemic schools agreement, providing an important platform to address shared concerns and challenges. This dialogue reinforced the power of collaboration across the union and strengthened the resolve to secure fair outcomes for all members.

The meeting concluded with a celebratory dinner, offering a chance to recognise and honour the tireless efforts of members throughout the year. Special acknowledgment was given to Margaret O’Donnell and Brett Wright, whose leadership and contributions have been instrumental in supporting the sub branch’s ongoing work and successes.

The event was a fitting way to conclude a productive year, reflect on the progress made, and look ahead with optimism. It highlighted the strength of the sub branch and the shared commitment of its members to advocate for a stronger and fairer future in non-government schools.

Peter Criticos Organiser

Members at the Riverina Sub Branch meeting.

Riverina

The Riverina Sub Branch covers Wagga Wagga, Albury, Griffith, West Wyalong, Leeton, Hay and Thurgoona.

The final Riverina Sub Branch meeting of the year was held in Wagga Wagga on Friday 22 November.

Members from across the region were in attendance as were organisers Jackie Groom and Anthony Telford. Assistant Secretary Amanda Hioe was an unfortunate late apology as her plane from Sydney was cancelled at the last minute. It is pleasing to see that interest in the sub branch is high and there were chapters from a number of sectors represented.

The meeting discussed a number of school-based issues including the inconsistent allocation of release time to early career teachers, the sometimes delayed payment of wages to casual teachers and a broader discussion of staffing allocations across the Wagga diocese.

Also discussed were the broader issues of the independent schools MEA campaign and the exciting move to apply for a single interest bargaining determination.

The challenging work of reps in the independent sector was acknowledged by all present. The meeting also discussed the log of claims for the new Catholic systemic schools EA and the ongoing negotiations for the Christian Schools MEA.

The meeting passed a vote of thanks to all reps and members who have made a significant contribution to the IEU this year.

Merry Christmas to all.

Mercedes Goss Sub Branch President

South Coast

The South Coast Sub Branch covers the Macarthur region, the Southern Highlands, Wollongong and the Illawarra region and the northern end of the Shoalhaven region.

The final 2024 South Coast Sub Branch meeting was held on Wednesday 6 November at the soon to be demolished City Diggers Club in central Wollongong. The AGM in February 2025 will also be held at the club with a new venue being sought for future sub branch meetings.

Sub Branch President Marco Cimino was an apology, with Vice President Glenn Lowe chairing the final meeting of 2024. IEU reps from Catholic systemic and independent schools attended and from as far afield as the Southern Highlands and the Macarthur region.

Attendance from Christian and AIS schools was small by comparison. The sub branch also welcomed a new rep from the AIS sector and there were collective offers of assistance made as he finds his way in the role.

Various matters arising and discussed:

  • The IEU sought feedback from reps regarding sub branch venues that are equitable in travel time for reps in schools and centres down the South Coast, in the Southern Highlands and the MacArthur region. IEU organisers prefer offering face-to-face meetings with a meal. More to come in 2025 on this.
  • The Graduate Certificate in Religious Education is being checked by Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDOW) more thoroughly and in some schools some teachers cannot teach RE as they do not have this qualification. This impacts workloads as grade partners teach RE.
  • Clarified that if you are an SSO and you receive a teacher number, you can continue in your role as an SSO if there is work available.
  • The Right to Disconnect legislation, supports the notion that teachers are not required to respond to any work-related emails which are non-urgent and especially to parents emailing after hours and expecting responses within a day. This has been an enormous relief to teachers. An example was provided of a school where an official school-wide ‘out-of-office-hours’ automated message is in place.
  • Long service leave at half pay is not standardised across agreements and it is not an entitlement to request it. Best practice is to put leave in sets per term with no dates over holidays.
  • Can staff meetings be used for a social purpose (eg Melbourne Cup), and do teachers have the option of not attending?
  • AIS campaign (see the IEU website for updates).
  • Catholic systemic negotiations are commencing.
  • Seeking to include delegates rights means that protection is in place for IEU reps to discuss matters with all staff.
  • Right to disconnect legislation will be offered as a model clause for inclusion in EAs.
  • Conditionally accredited teachers being asked to fill in additional paperwork to complete accreditation eg added goals for accreditation. This is not required by NESA.
The Term 1 South Coast Sub Branch AGM will be on 26 February at Wollongong City Diggers at 5pm.

Luke Breen and Valerie Jones Organisers

South East

The South East Sub Branch covers Yass, Young, Broulee, Bega, Goulburn, Tumut, Pambula, Googong, Batehaven, Cooma, Queanbeyan and Batlow.

Delegates travelled from Tumut, Goulburn, Broulee,Young, Cooma, Bateman’s Bay, Pambula, Broulee and Googong for the last sub branch meeting of the year on Friday 15 November.

Members offered expressions of sympathy and a card to Sub Branch President Linda Swadling on the death of her father.

The meeting also welcomed IEUA NSW/ACT Branch Deputy Secretary David Towson, who gave an update on the MEA negotiations for independent schools in the ACT and NSW.

Delegates from that sector then provided insight into the discussions, misinformation and voting stats in their schools. Delegates were congratulated on their support for the campaign for a single-interest bargaining stream and their continuing efforts to keep all staff in their schools informed about the issues.

Jackie Groom alluded to recent information from the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn advising that they would pay a 3% increase from 21 October 2024, to be processed in the pay run for 15 November. Further, from 1 January 2024, paid parental enticements increased to 24 weeks and super increased to 11.5% from 1 July 2024.

David Towson also explained the bargaining process for Catholicsystemic schools and the log of claims. Organiser Angela McDonald provided an update on discussions with the archdiocese around developing a policy on violence and sexual harassment in schools.

Although there were no Christian schools represented at the meeting, Angela and David gave an overview of the negotiations in that sector.

Delegates raised the following local issues:

  • differing arrangements in DET and non-government schools for graduate teachers moving to Proficient and related salaries
  • supervision duties and teachers’ duty of care
  • classroom support assistants and payment for overnight camps and excursions
  • redundancies, and how they are determined, and
  • HALT, classroom mastery and the purpose and validity of peer review in improving teacher performance.
Jackie Groom Organiser

Southern Suburbs

The Southern Suburbs Sub Branch covers the St George area and Sutherland Shire.

The final Southern Suburbs Sub Branch meeting of the year at Tradies Gymea was well attended by reps, both online and in a cavernous room at the very end of the Tradies building.

Of note was the enthusiasm of the representatives from the local independent schools, Inaburra School, Shire Christian College, and Aspect South East, who found themselves in the middle of their petition for single interest bargaining. Their endeavours to explain single interest bargaining and to persuade their colleagues to sign the petition was heartening.

The Catholic systemic negotiations had also just been given a boost with the initial log of claims and the related NewsExtra landing in members’ inboxes that day. The claims for more time release were greeted with enthusiasm. Members were also positive about the support staff pay increases that will be backdated to July.

After a rapid run through of specific school issues, of which there were fewer than usual, the committee retired to the Tradies dining room ‘Folk’, where representatives from the independent sector were able to trade stories across their different schools, while digesting some delicious food. It was a great end to the sub branch year.

Josef Dabbs Organiser

Principals

The final Term 4 meeting for the Principals’ Sub Branch was held in Sydney on Saturday 9 November, with robust attendance in person and via Zoom.

The meeting opened with an acknowledgment of retiring principal representatives, including Anthony Weir and Mark Pauschmann, who were formally thanked for their longstanding service.

Updates on diocesan salary scales, principal pay comparisons, and professional development opportunities were reviewed. Preferred dates for support staff PD in January 2025 were identified.

Diocesan issues discussed were:

  • Armidale: a successful October Aboriginal Conference in Tamworth was highlighted. Planning for 2025 includes PD days and curriculum agendas.
  • Broken Bay: pay increases of 4% and differentiation above DET levels were noted, alongside concerns about representation and leadership changes.
  • Canberra and Goulburn: the 3% October pay rises were welcomed, though concerns over funding allocation and labour-intensive processes persist.
  • Sydney: challenges include funding cuts, increased administrative demands, and frozen capital works projects, causing significant strain on principals and staff.
  • Catholic Systemic Principals Enterprise Agreement negotiations are progressing, with claims focused on workload reduction, resources, pay parity with government schools, and improved wellbeing entitlements.
  • Concerns regarding transparency in funding allocations and workload inequities remain. The current salary bands in Sydney Catholic Schools and other dioceses are often not fit for purpose and create inequity.
  • The meeting concluded with acknowledgment of members’ contributions in 2024 and a reminder of the next meeting scheduled for 22 February 2025.
Lyn Caton Assistant Secretary/Principals’ Organiser