The “10 commandments”: IEUA priorities with education authorities
The IEU lobbies an array of government and statutory authorities seeking better outcomes for education staff. Since the election of the federal Labor government the union’s input has been actively sought, rather than avoided, for the first time in a decade.
The decisions made by nation’s regulatory and research organisations help determine what life is like in schools for IEU members, so the union’s work attending meetings of these bodies and making submissions to them is crucial.
If teacher feedback doesn’t inform such bodies, as happened for a long and challenging period when unions were sidelined under coalition federal governments, there are poor outcomes in schools, particularly on workload intensification.
During that decade of exclusion, teacher workloads spiralled out of control as more and more policies, tasks, and administrative burdens fell on already overworked staff, distracting them from their core job in classrooms.
Under the Labor government, we’ve gone from famine to feast. Previously sidelined from policymaking, unions are now being invited to take part in a lengthy list of reviews and initiatives. The IEUA has already participated in 11 major inquiries or reviews since the election of the Albanese government, and by November this year had issued 17 position papers on topics ranging from AI regulation to anti-discrimination laws.
While the extensive review of so many aspects of education is welcome, the glut of government and statutory activity has also presented unexpected challenges. In some cases, it has been unclear whether state or federal governments or bodies were responsible for particular areas. New departments took over administration of matters educational, meaning stakeholders had to learn entire new processes and meet a new range of bureaucrats, some of whom had no educational background.
The government has at times struggled to keep up with its own ambitious agenda. In such an environment, it is easy for meetings to be less productive than they should be.
It has become vital for the union to hone its focus. Accordingly, the IEUA has formulated a list of ten key principles which inform and streamline our advocacy work. Here they are (in summarised form):
Elimination of duplicative and excessive compliance requirements is critical. Employers must be dissuaded by government from applying additional overlays.
All existing and proposed initiatives should be subject to a workload impact assessment, in consultation with teachers - not just initiatives arising from the NSRA.
Nationally endorsed curriculum or assessment resources, (or resources approved by employers) must be provided to teachers, giving them the option to adopt as is, subject only to differentiation.
Guaranteed support of early career teachers must include structured release time for both early career teachers and their mentors.
Shortcuts to solve teacher shortages that weaken the integrity of teacher qualifications or dilute the standing of the profession are not shortcuts.
Until Early Childhood Teachers are given the same pay, conditions, and access to registration as teachers in schools, the ECEC sector will continue to struggle.
Support staff are an essential component of successful learning outcomes for students and alleviation of workload burden on teachers. Their work must be valued through appropriate remuneration, training, and secure employment.
Transparent delivery of funding to areas of need, providing easier access to allied health services and a commitment to school-based staff and student wellbeing support, is essential.
Data collection must be a tool to address disadvantage rather than another workload burden.
The profession must maintain control of the application of generative AI in schools.
This hitlist of most relevant topics helps keep the union on point as the wide-ranging discussions about education progress.