Mr BAILEY - 1996-05-15
The Country Liberal Party administration is further inflaming the dispute with teachers by threatening to lock out hardworking Territory teachers permanently from their schools. We are talking about the majority of teachers. I ask the Chief Minister to look at the students from Wanguri Primary School who are visiting here today, and ask them what they think of his criticism of the hardworking teachers at their school.
Mr Speaker, I seek leave to table a recent Australian Education Union survey of staffing in Territory schools.
Leave granted.
Mr BAILEY: At this stage of the survey, responses have been received from 52 schools and 26% of those have shown that they have teaching positions vacant. The survey also shows that 88% of schools reported that relief teachers were either scarce or completely unavailable, while 12% reported resignations. In one school, 5 staff members had resigned.
Mr COULTER: A point of order, Mr Speaker! Surely a short preamble to the question is acceptable.
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Mr Bailey: You do not like the truth.
Mr COULTER: Mr Speaker, the honourable member is stretching the limit.
Mr SPEAKER: I ask the member for Wanguri to keep his preamble as short as possible. Questions should be brief.
Mr BAILEY: Mr Speaker, will the Chief Minister admit that this desperately unhappy situation is the result of his government's continuing dispute with teachers, and that it is destroying the morale of our teaching service? Does he concede that all he is achieving by his constant stream of threats and abuse to teachers is the destruction of our education system?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it is a desperately unhappy situation. However, I reject the allegation that I am abusing teachers.
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr STONE: Just listen! I do not know where you learnt your manners, but obviously it was not at school. As a 4- year-trained primary school teacher, I have some understanding of the unhappiness we find in the current education environment throughout Australia.
Mr Stirling: Where did you teach?
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Would the Chief Minister please resume his seat. I have warned the member for Nhulunbuy on a number of occasions during these sittings about continuing to talk over my calling for order. I regard it as a very serious matter. While I do not want to name any member during these sittings, I will be forced to do so if he continues to speak over me when I call for order.
Mr STONE: Mr Speaker, if I thought for one moment that this was a local dispute and it will take just that little bit extra from the government - the member for Wanguri may shake his head, but it is on again today in South Australia. This is all part of a national campaign. If I thought I could go that little bit extra and come to some compromise, that is what would happen.
Mr Ede: Make another offer.
Mr STONE: The member for Stuart says we should make another offer. It is all a one-way street. It does not matter what we put on the table. I only wish that teachers who are members of the teachers union would take the time to find out how this issue has been run by their representatives. The reality is ...
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Mr Bailey: You will not let them. You lock them out. If they go to another meeting, you will not let them back into school again.
Mr STONE: It is a legitimate process under the industrial relations system. A lockout equates to not being paid if you do not work. Most people in the work force understand that, if you do not work, you will not be paid.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Chief Minister has been asked the question. I would like to be able to hear his answer.
Mr STONE: Members of the opposition would have people believe that the government is entirely at fault on this whole issue ...
Mr Stirling: That is right.
Mr STONE: The member for Nhulunbuy says: 'That is right'. He is the fellow who does backflips. He is the one who said on the radio that he disagreed with stop-work meetings and strikes. He changed his mind when they put the heavies on him. He did an about-turn.
The reality of it is that, if you do not work, you will not be paid. The reality is that Territorians are sick and tired of guerilla tactics that see some teachers - not all - walk off the job and disrupt ...
Mr Stirling: Mob of Nazis?
Mr STONE: Mr Speaker, I ask for that to be withdrawn.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for Nhulunbuy will withdraw the remark.
Mr STIRLING: I am not sure why I am forced to withdraw, Mr Speaker, but I will withdraw.
Mr STONE: I repeat: if you do not work, you will not be paid. Territorians are sick of their children's education being disrupted. They want a resolution. They want both sides, if necessary, to come to a compromise. However, at the present time, the union simply will not budge. It will not offer anything for us even to respond to. At my meeting with the president and general secretary the other day, I asked them to write to us and tell us what it would take.
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Mr Speaker, I seek leave to table a recent Australian Education Union survey of staffing in Territory schools.
Leave granted.
Mr BAILEY: At this stage of the survey, responses have been received from 52 schools and 26% of those have shown that they have teaching positions vacant. The survey also shows that 88% of schools reported that relief teachers were either scarce or completely unavailable, while 12% reported resignations. In one school, 5 staff members had resigned.
Mr COULTER: A point of order, Mr Speaker! Surely a short preamble to the question is acceptable.
Page 1346
Mr Bailey: You do not like the truth.
Mr COULTER: Mr Speaker, the honourable member is stretching the limit.
Mr SPEAKER: I ask the member for Wanguri to keep his preamble as short as possible. Questions should be brief.
Mr BAILEY: Mr Speaker, will the Chief Minister admit that this desperately unhappy situation is the result of his government's continuing dispute with teachers, and that it is destroying the morale of our teaching service? Does he concede that all he is achieving by his constant stream of threats and abuse to teachers is the destruction of our education system?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it is a desperately unhappy situation. However, I reject the allegation that I am abusing teachers.
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr STONE: Just listen! I do not know where you learnt your manners, but obviously it was not at school. As a 4- year-trained primary school teacher, I have some understanding of the unhappiness we find in the current education environment throughout Australia.
Mr Stirling: Where did you teach?
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Would the Chief Minister please resume his seat. I have warned the member for Nhulunbuy on a number of occasions during these sittings about continuing to talk over my calling for order. I regard it as a very serious matter. While I do not want to name any member during these sittings, I will be forced to do so if he continues to speak over me when I call for order.
Mr STONE: Mr Speaker, if I thought for one moment that this was a local dispute and it will take just that little bit extra from the government - the member for Wanguri may shake his head, but it is on again today in South Australia. This is all part of a national campaign. If I thought I could go that little bit extra and come to some compromise, that is what would happen.
Mr Ede: Make another offer.
Mr STONE: The member for Stuart says we should make another offer. It is all a one-way street. It does not matter what we put on the table. I only wish that teachers who are members of the teachers union would take the time to find out how this issue has been run by their representatives. The reality is ...
Page 1347
Mr Bailey: You will not let them. You lock them out. If they go to another meeting, you will not let them back into school again.
Mr STONE: It is a legitimate process under the industrial relations system. A lockout equates to not being paid if you do not work. Most people in the work force understand that, if you do not work, you will not be paid.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Chief Minister has been asked the question. I would like to be able to hear his answer.
Mr STONE: Members of the opposition would have people believe that the government is entirely at fault on this whole issue ...
Mr Stirling: That is right.
Mr STONE: The member for Nhulunbuy says: 'That is right'. He is the fellow who does backflips. He is the one who said on the radio that he disagreed with stop-work meetings and strikes. He changed his mind when they put the heavies on him. He did an about-turn.
The reality of it is that, if you do not work, you will not be paid. The reality is that Territorians are sick and tired of guerilla tactics that see some teachers - not all - walk off the job and disrupt ...
Mr Stirling: Mob of Nazis?
Mr STONE: Mr Speaker, I ask for that to be withdrawn.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for Nhulunbuy will withdraw the remark.
Mr STIRLING: I am not sure why I am forced to withdraw, Mr Speaker, but I will withdraw.
Mr STONE: I repeat: if you do not work, you will not be paid. Territorians are sick of their children's education being disrupted. They want a resolution. They want both sides, if necessary, to come to a compromise. However, at the present time, the union simply will not budge. It will not offer anything for us even to respond to. At my meeting with the president and general secretary the other day, I asked them to write to us and tell us what it would take.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016