Ms FYLES - 2013-11-27
The Australian Education Union reports that in the past month alone they had 105 teachers sign up to their union as new members because they are losing their jobs at the end of this year. One hundred and five members joined because in a couple of weeks they will not have a job – frontline teachers in our classrooms.
How do you maintain that there is a nett loss of only 35 jobs when at least 105 teachers have stated they will be unemployed due to your decision to slash education funding? Why do you not recognise and value teachers, including those on contracts, and reverse your decision to slash education in the Northern Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, that question unveils a couple of interesting points. One of those points was 105 new members of the union. It is a fantastic time to be driving a new membership program. The same thing happens at every negotiation. It happened when you guys were in government four years ago. Some of the things you are asking for today - I can show you the claim from the 2007 union collective agreement.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a very direct question. When will he stand up and stop slashing education; 105 teachers have stated they will be unemployed.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. The minister has three minutes to answer.
Mr CHANDLER: Let us unpack that interjection. The model used by the former Labor government in 2012 led to a loss of 50 teachers across the Northern Territory. Where did we see the government …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Fifty teachers in 2012 were sacked by you - your budget cut …
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. Sit down!
Mr CHANDLER: The point is that the model the Labor government had put up – we had come into government, there were no major changes, we took on the way the former government operated in the first instance – now we are looking at reforming education across the Northern Territory — but that led to a nett loss of 50 teachers across the Northern Territory. There was no union outcry. No one stood up. It was done in such a way that nobody really knew what happened. Today we have been honest and upfront with Territorians and said that there will be a nett loss of 35 teachers.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The minister talks about being upfront with Territorians – 105 teachers gone …
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. Minister, you have the call.
Mr CHANDLER: In the briefings that have been given to members opposite and the union, the figures have come direct from the departments. They stir the pot. A number that might be about 35 becomes 150. They said we are stripping $251m out of Education next year. Wrong. These guys continually get it wrong. They stir the waters, and no wonder people are upset because they are not getting the truth. They are not getting the truth from that side of the House and you are not getting truth from the unions.
We have been upfront and honest from the word go. The pot is stirred by that side. We want to reform education in the Northern Territory, focus on what will work and get rid of things that are not. The best solution you guys can come up with is to continue to do things the way you always did it
I will be damned if I am the minister and I allow us to continue with the results here in the Northern Territory. We have to support teachers to get into the classrooms and provide a decent education for our students. We need to improve the student outcomes in the Northern Territory. If we continue to do things the way you did, we will not go anywhere.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Contract teachers – when will you value them?
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. Minister, you have the call.
Mr CHANDLER: That is a very good point. One thing the union told us in opposition was there were too many people on contracts in the Department of Education – 30%. In the last 12 months we have converted over 300 contract positions to permanent positions. There are 300 more teachers with permanent jobs today, under our policies. We have reduced a 30% contract base to 14% …
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired.
How do you maintain that there is a nett loss of only 35 jobs when at least 105 teachers have stated they will be unemployed due to your decision to slash education funding? Why do you not recognise and value teachers, including those on contracts, and reverse your decision to slash education in the Northern Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, that question unveils a couple of interesting points. One of those points was 105 new members of the union. It is a fantastic time to be driving a new membership program. The same thing happens at every negotiation. It happened when you guys were in government four years ago. Some of the things you are asking for today - I can show you the claim from the 2007 union collective agreement.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a very direct question. When will he stand up and stop slashing education; 105 teachers have stated they will be unemployed.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. The minister has three minutes to answer.
Mr CHANDLER: Let us unpack that interjection. The model used by the former Labor government in 2012 led to a loss of 50 teachers across the Northern Territory. Where did we see the government …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Fifty teachers in 2012 were sacked by you - your budget cut …
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. Sit down!
Mr CHANDLER: The point is that the model the Labor government had put up – we had come into government, there were no major changes, we took on the way the former government operated in the first instance – now we are looking at reforming education across the Northern Territory — but that led to a nett loss of 50 teachers across the Northern Territory. There was no union outcry. No one stood up. It was done in such a way that nobody really knew what happened. Today we have been honest and upfront with Territorians and said that there will be a nett loss of 35 teachers.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The minister talks about being upfront with Territorians – 105 teachers gone …
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. Minister, you have the call.
Mr CHANDLER: In the briefings that have been given to members opposite and the union, the figures have come direct from the departments. They stir the pot. A number that might be about 35 becomes 150. They said we are stripping $251m out of Education next year. Wrong. These guys continually get it wrong. They stir the waters, and no wonder people are upset because they are not getting the truth. They are not getting the truth from that side of the House and you are not getting truth from the unions.
We have been upfront and honest from the word go. The pot is stirred by that side. We want to reform education in the Northern Territory, focus on what will work and get rid of things that are not. The best solution you guys can come up with is to continue to do things the way you always did it
I will be damned if I am the minister and I allow us to continue with the results here in the Northern Territory. We have to support teachers to get into the classrooms and provide a decent education for our students. We need to improve the student outcomes in the Northern Territory. If we continue to do things the way you did, we will not go anywhere.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Contract teachers – when will you value them?
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. Minister, you have the call.
Mr CHANDLER: That is a very good point. One thing the union told us in opposition was there were too many people on contracts in the Department of Education – 30%. In the last 12 months we have converted over 300 contract positions to permanent positions. There are 300 more teachers with permanent jobs today, under our policies. We have reduced a 30% contract base to 14% …
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016