Ms LAWRIE - 2013-08-28
Before the election the then Leader of the Country Liberals, Terry Mills, wrote to Northern Territory public servants. In it he complained about Labor debt and said he would be cutting jobs post-election, particularly cutting political spin doctors. He said in his letter:
Why did you mislead Territorians and sack teachers after the election?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, there is a really quick answer to this: there will be no sackings. The attrition rate in the Northern Territory every year is higher than the numbers of teachers to be reduced. We are looking at a 35 teacher nett loss. Not one person will be sacked. The attrition rate in the Northern Territory far exceeds the 35 teachers ...
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113. Teachers are literally losing their jobs; they are being sacked. Five from Casuarina, five from Darwin …
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, it is not a point of order. Minister, you have the call.
Mr CHANDLER: That is not true. If you stopped listening to your union mates and the lies being peddled by the federal government at the moment – you are talking about dollars again, wanting us to sign up to Canberra control and have autonomy taken away from our principals. Principals want autonomy to manage their schools. They want to work with their school council and decide what is right for their school. There is no one-size-fits-all ...
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. I quoted directly from Terry Mills saying, ‘I promise you your job is safe. I guarantee it.’ ‘If you are in education on the front line …’ Teachers are front line. You admitted you are getting rid of 35 teachers from our schools; they are being ...
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, be seated. It is not a point of order.
Mr CHANDLER: Madam Speaker, no wonder the Territory was in a bad fiscal position if the former Treasurer cannot understand this. If there is an attrition rate of more than 35 teachers a year in the Northern Territory, and we are reducing the nett value of teachers by 35, no one will be sacked.
I heard them put the spin out the other day that, all of a sudden, a high school teacher cannot become a middle school teacher, or a primary school teacher cannot become a middle school teacher. What happened when you guys reformed education in the Northern Territory and applied the middle years program? We did not have any specialist-trained middle school teachers. You had to draw people from primary schools into middle schools. You had to take people from high schools to middle schools. That is what you did, and you are saying we cannot do that? Is that what you are saying? You have no idea. This is about reforming education and repairing the damage of 11 years in the Northern Territory where education went backwards. We can bring it forward. We can challenge convention and make a real difference ...
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Why did you mislead Territorians when you said you guaranteed teachers jobs, yet 35 are being sacked from our schools?
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. Please be seated.
Mr TOLLNER: Madam Speaker …
Madam SPEAKER: What is your standing order, member for Fong Lim?
Mr TOLLNER: The Opposition Leader accused the minister of misleading the House. It was an unparliamentary comment.
Madam SPEAKER: Sit down.
Ms Lawrie interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Karama, you are on a warning!
- I promise you your job is safe. If your base salary is $110 000 or less I promise you your job is safe. And if you are on the front line of police, education or health, regardless of how much you earn, I promise you your job is safe. I guarantee it.
Why did you mislead Territorians and sack teachers after the election?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, there is a really quick answer to this: there will be no sackings. The attrition rate in the Northern Territory every year is higher than the numbers of teachers to be reduced. We are looking at a 35 teacher nett loss. Not one person will be sacked. The attrition rate in the Northern Territory far exceeds the 35 teachers ...
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113. Teachers are literally losing their jobs; they are being sacked. Five from Casuarina, five from Darwin …
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, it is not a point of order. Minister, you have the call.
Mr CHANDLER: That is not true. If you stopped listening to your union mates and the lies being peddled by the federal government at the moment – you are talking about dollars again, wanting us to sign up to Canberra control and have autonomy taken away from our principals. Principals want autonomy to manage their schools. They want to work with their school council and decide what is right for their school. There is no one-size-fits-all ...
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. I quoted directly from Terry Mills saying, ‘I promise you your job is safe. I guarantee it.’ ‘If you are in education on the front line …’ Teachers are front line. You admitted you are getting rid of 35 teachers from our schools; they are being ...
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, be seated. It is not a point of order.
Mr CHANDLER: Madam Speaker, no wonder the Territory was in a bad fiscal position if the former Treasurer cannot understand this. If there is an attrition rate of more than 35 teachers a year in the Northern Territory, and we are reducing the nett value of teachers by 35, no one will be sacked.
I heard them put the spin out the other day that, all of a sudden, a high school teacher cannot become a middle school teacher, or a primary school teacher cannot become a middle school teacher. What happened when you guys reformed education in the Northern Territory and applied the middle years program? We did not have any specialist-trained middle school teachers. You had to draw people from primary schools into middle schools. You had to take people from high schools to middle schools. That is what you did, and you are saying we cannot do that? Is that what you are saying? You have no idea. This is about reforming education and repairing the damage of 11 years in the Northern Territory where education went backwards. We can bring it forward. We can challenge convention and make a real difference ...
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Why did you mislead Territorians when you said you guaranteed teachers jobs, yet 35 are being sacked from our schools?
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. Please be seated.
Mr TOLLNER: Madam Speaker …
Madam SPEAKER: What is your standing order, member for Fong Lim?
Mr TOLLNER: The Opposition Leader accused the minister of misleading the House. It was an unparliamentary comment.
Madam SPEAKER: Sit down.
Ms Lawrie interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Karama, you are on a warning!
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016