If I only had a blog ...

It’s the time of the year when, depending on what year level you teach, you’ve either just finished reporting, are in the midst of it or it is looming ahead on your list of things to do.  It’s timely as the year ends to look back and consider some of what we’ve done this year as a profession and as a union.

We’ve successfully negotiated a new Annual Teacher Performance Review (ATPR) which is reflective of good practice in teacher reflection and development, meets the requirements of the AITSL nationally agreed approach, is based on the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) and does not require onerous collection of evidence nor result in rankings or ratings or a divisive system of bonus payments.

We’ve remained strong in our resolve to Stop TAFE Cuts, and we continue to Give a Gonski, with members around the state continuing their involvement in community, school-based and social media campaigning, lobbying and action.

We’ve stayed vigilant over curriculum developments at a state and federal level and continue to be vocal over the workload implications of the early and rapid adoption of the Australian Curriculum by our state government and the potential for further impositions to be placed upon teachers of prep-10 when the federal and state governments determine their response to the Review of the Australian Curriculum. Whatever the outcome, classroom teachers and school leaders know that without urgent needs-based resource increases, student outcomes will not change. Debate about the curriculum is simply a diversion from the main game of funding.

We have continued our demands that QTU members are represented within the structures of the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA), as the teacher and union voice was erased from the decision-making bodies of our state curriculum authority following the closure of the Queensland Studies Authority (QSA) on 1 July this year. This will be essential when the government determines its response to the Review of Senior Assessment and Tertiary Entrance and a timeline of implementation for any changes.

We turned our minds to the possibility of a new governance structure at the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT), as the government undertakes a review of that body. Teachers, as the major stakeholder and source of funds for the QCT, will need to consider what action we take should a decision be made to remove a QTU position from the board or to move away from the current process of direct election of teachers to the board.

QTU members showed how effective we can be by asking so many questions of State Members of Parliament regarding the government’s award stripping (or award modernisation) that the Education Minister was prompted to send an email telling us to trust him – it’ll all be okay. When the Union responded the following day with our version of events, member resolve was further strengthened and we are ready for this next battle as we stand firm for the profession and for teaching and learning conditions in state schools.

We also began the process of identifying what matters most to us in preparation for our enterprise bargaining negotiations and we’ve begun to reflect on our experience under this government in order to determine how to cast our votes at the coming state election.

And we’ve done all of that while continuing to provide state school kids in Queensland with quality teaching to the best of our capacity in a system that continues to be become more complex and remains underfunded.

Next year won’t be any easier and will bring with it new challenges and a continuation of many of the same issues we currently face. QTU members will continue to work together to reclaim and show pride in our profession.

The recent passing of Gough Whitlam reminds us that we must maintain our rage and enthusiasm. As a profession and a union we must be bold and vocal. There’s too much at stake to slow down now!

Sam Pidgeon
Honorary Vice-President

Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 119 No 8, 14 November 2014, p17