Mr TOYNE - 1999-08-19
Will the minister confirm that in the current school year over 340 of the Territory’s 1900 teachers have moved on? I have been told that at Darwin High a senior science class has had five different teachers in six months, and an early childhood class at Anula Primary has had five different teachers in six months. What steps has the minister taken to ensure that the current pay offer to teachers, which doesn’t recognise the GST’s impact, is improved to keep our teachers?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I hear members opposite say, ‘Good question’. I must say it is a very late question, for starters. This is the very first question the honourable member has raised about teachers’ conditions.
That figure in excess of 300 - he’s not even listening. What was your figure?
Mr Ah Kit: 340.
Mr ADAMSON: 340. No, the figure is incorrect. According to the latest series of figures I have received for this year, teacher turnover in the Northern Territory is down on last year and is nowhere near the figure of 340-odd. I can give an update telling us exactly what the figure is. In the Northern Territory we have a turnover of around 200 - that’s the way it normally works - which is less than 10% of the teaching population. That compares pretty favourably with the rest of Australia.
We’ve had a couple of alarmist figures raised this year. People over there, alarmists with a bit of track record, do nothing to dispel those fears. No, we have not had 348 teachers leave this year. That figure is nothing more than alarmist. I can categorically say that it is an incorrect figure. I simply encourage members ...
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr ADAMSON: He received a briefing only a week or so ago. He had the chance to raise that sort of question. I understand he didn’t ask the question. So once again, as last week, as earlier this week, the honourable member is simply being alarmist. He has a track record for it. He had to publicly apologise to me ...
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr ADAMSON: He has had to publicly apologise in the past for some of his transgressions. I ask him not to make ...
Ms Martin: Rubbish!
Mr ADAMSON: Okay. Mr Speaker, I table for the benefit of the Leader of the Opposition ...
Mr ADAMSON: To aid the Leader of the Opposition’s very short memory, I table a copy of Mr Toyne’s apology, headed ‘Peter Toyne Apologises to Peter Adamson’, over something that I raised in this House not long back. Obviously, the Leader of the Opposition is being deceitful. It’s not rubbish.
I can only say that his figure is way off the mark. The reduction in teacher turnover this year is to be welcomed. The figure is nowhere near 348. Why didn’t the honourable member ask about this when he had his briefing? I ask him to desist from his alarmist comments.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I hear members opposite say, ‘Good question’. I must say it is a very late question, for starters. This is the very first question the honourable member has raised about teachers’ conditions.
That figure in excess of 300 - he’s not even listening. What was your figure?
Mr Ah Kit: 340.
Mr ADAMSON: 340. No, the figure is incorrect. According to the latest series of figures I have received for this year, teacher turnover in the Northern Territory is down on last year and is nowhere near the figure of 340-odd. I can give an update telling us exactly what the figure is. In the Northern Territory we have a turnover of around 200 - that’s the way it normally works - which is less than 10% of the teaching population. That compares pretty favourably with the rest of Australia.
We’ve had a couple of alarmist figures raised this year. People over there, alarmists with a bit of track record, do nothing to dispel those fears. No, we have not had 348 teachers leave this year. That figure is nothing more than alarmist. I can categorically say that it is an incorrect figure. I simply encourage members ...
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr ADAMSON: He received a briefing only a week or so ago. He had the chance to raise that sort of question. I understand he didn’t ask the question. So once again, as last week, as earlier this week, the honourable member is simply being alarmist. He has a track record for it. He had to publicly apologise to me ...
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr ADAMSON: He has had to publicly apologise in the past for some of his transgressions. I ask him not to make ...
Ms Martin: Rubbish!
Mr ADAMSON: Okay. Mr Speaker, I table for the benefit of the Leader of the Opposition ...
Mr ADAMSON: To aid the Leader of the Opposition’s very short memory, I table a copy of Mr Toyne’s apology, headed ‘Peter Toyne Apologises to Peter Adamson’, over something that I raised in this House not long back. Obviously, the Leader of the Opposition is being deceitful. It’s not rubbish.
I can only say that his figure is way off the mark. The reduction in teacher turnover this year is to be welcomed. The figure is nowhere near 348. Why didn’t the honourable member ask about this when he had his briefing? I ask him to desist from his alarmist comments.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016