Coalition proposal a win for Benalla Electorate Teachers

Under a new proposal unveiled by the Leader of the Liberal Nationals Coalition Ted Baillieu yesterday, Benalla Electorate teachers would become the highest-paid in Australia.

The member for Benalla, Bill Sykes, said the Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition proposal would be an enormous victory for teachers in North East Victoria.

The Coalition would spend $396 million over three years on boosting the pay of Victorian teachers, currently the lowest-paid in Australia.

Bill Sykes said the Coalition’s proposal would be a significant boost for teachers and education in the Benalla Electorate, attracting the best and the brightest to all government schools.

“Under the Brumby Government, teachers in North East Victoria have endured the worst pay in Australia,” Bill Sykes said.

“The Coalition’s proposal would remedy Labor inaction and neglect in the education sector for Benalla Electorate residents.

“North East Victorian students deserve better, and education can never be our number one priority if those who teach them struggle on poor salaries.”

The Coalition would ensure that government-employed teachers would be elevated in the current round of Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) negotiations to be the highest paid teachers for their level in Australia, bringing all Victorian kindergarten, primary, and secondary teachers to national parity levels and above.

If the government maintains its wages policy at 3.25 per cent, this commitment would require an additional Budget allocation of $396 million over three years (between 2008/09 and 2010/11).

John Brumby claims education is his number one priority, yet his neglect and inaction has resulted in:

• The lowest student literacy and numeracy rates of any mainland state (Source: OECD: Program for International Student Assessment);

• The lowest funding per student for government schools (Source: Productivity Commission Report on Government Services, 2008);

• A school maintenance backlog which has doubled from $130 million to $268 million at last audit, with many schools not being fixed until 2016; and

• Parents losing confidence in Victorian government schools (in the last two years government school enrolments have fallen by 752 students while enrolments in the non-government school system increased by 8,658 students over the same period).

“North East Victorian teachers have been trying to negotiate a salary increase with the Brumby Government for 12 months, yet the Premier arrogantly refuses to meet with or speak with them,” Bill Sykes said.

“Parents and students in North East Victoria want a better education than the one John Brumby is offering. Attracting and retaining the best and the brightest to teach at our schools is a sound investment in Victoria’s classrooms.”