Vol 53 I No 5
Official publication of the Australian Education Union (SA Branch)
December 2021
AEUJOURNAL SA
INSIDE: u Your
team for 2022-23: Branch Executive elected.
u What
makes us powerful: Our campaign successes.
u Us
and them: Leaders are members too.
A E U N OT I C E B OA R D
2022 Subscription Rates
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Recognising and Recognising and Recognising and rewarding rewarding rewarding
Membership subscription rates are set for the upcoming calendar year at the November Branch Council meeting. New rate tables for 2022 will be available on our website in early December.
Election Notices Watch your email and the website in January for calls for nominations for 2022 Branch Council delegates and alternate delegates, and for Sub-branch Delegates to TAFE Divisional Council.
Changing workplaces in 2022? Be sure to let Membership know as soon as possible at:
membership@aeusa.asn.au
Nominations for the Nominations openopen for the
AN INVITATION TO RETIRED OR RETIRING TEACHERS & SSOs
is your chance to celebrate an AEU member who is making an outstanding contribution This is toThis your chance to celebrate AEU members who are making Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education. This is your chance to celebrate an AEU who is making outstandingStrait contribution an outstanding contribution tomember Aboriginal andanTorres to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education.the achievements of Arthur Hamilton, a Arthur Hamilton Award commemorates IslanderThe education. Palawa man who was active in promoting cross-cultural awareness, recognition of
Have you retired or are about to retire? Are you seeking opportunities to maintain or increase your level of fitness and want to learn more about your city and surrounding hills and bushland? Are you seeking companionship with other retired teachers and their partners as well as other walkers from a range of backgrounds—not just teaching?
Nominations open for the Arthur Hamilton Award Arthur Hamilton Award Arthur Hamilton Award The Indigenous Arthur Hamilton Award commemorates the achievements Arthur Hamilton, a to peoples and the right for Aboriginal and Torresof Strait Islander students
Palawa manawill who active in promoting cross-cultural awareness, of The winner receive aeducation. $1500 prize and theirrecognition work will be access high was quality public Indigenous peoples and the right for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to recognised by the AEU in an appropriate forum in 2022, access high quality public education. Thea winner will receive a $1500 prize and be flown to depending on COVID advice atAEU’s the annual time. Melbourne to accept the Award at the The Federal winner will receive ain$1500 prize and be flown to Conference February 2019. All nominees will receive a certificate from the AEU. Melbourne to accept the Award at the AEU’s annual Federal in receive February 2019. All Conference nominees a certificate from the AEU. Closing datewillfor nominations is
All nominees will receive a certificate from the AEU. Friday 17 December 2021. Get nominating! Download your nomination form at: GetGetnominating! nominating! aeufederal.org.au/our-work/indigenous or,
The 2017 Arthur Hamilton Award went to Literature Production (LPC) at The 2017 ArthurCentre Hamilton Yirrkala Award went toSchool. Literature Production Centre (LPC) at TheSchool. Award was presented by Yirrkala Correna Haythorpe, AEU Federalwas President (left), The Award presented by to Rärriwuy Marika (centre) and Correna Haythorpe, AEU Yalmay Yunupiŋu Federal President (left),(from to the LPC Marika team), at(centre) the 2018 Rärriwuy andAEU Federal Conference Yalmay Yunupiŋu (from. the LPC team), at the 2018 AEU Federal Conference.
Download your nomination form at: requestyour a nomination form from Download nomination form at: aeufederal.org.au/our-work/indigenous Suzanne Lowndes: (03) 9693 1800 or, request a nomination form from www.aeufederal.org.au/our-work/indigenous or slowndes@aeufederal.org.au Suzanne Lowndes: (03) 9693 1800 contact Suzanne Lowndes: phone (03) 9693 1800 or slowndes@aeufederal.org.au Closing date for nominations is Friday 9 November 2018 email: slowndes@aeufederal.org.au Closing dateout for nominations Find more is Friday 9 November 2018 Visit aeufederal.org.au/our-work/indigenous Find out more Find out more or contact AEU Federal Secretary, Visit aeufederal.org.au/our-work/indigenous
Susan Hopgood: aeu@aeufederal.org.au visit:oraeufederal.org.au/our-work/indigenous or email contact AEU Federal Secretary, Susan Hopgood: aeu@aeufederal.org.au AEU Federal Secretary, Susan Hopgood: aeu@aeufederal.org.au
Our walks are organised at several levels. Rovers walk from 14-16 kms. Walkers- 8-10 kms, and Ramblers from 6-7 kms. The Retired Teachers Walking Group Inc. is affiliated with Walking SA – the peak walking body in SA. We walk in conservation parks, national parks and forestry reserves within the Adelaide Hills & Mount Lofty Ranges, Fleurieu Peninsula, suburban beaches and along the six creeks of the Adelaide Plains, the River Torrens Linear Park and other suburban, historic and country trails. It’s a great way to get to know your city and surroundings – as well as maintaining fitness! A camp is also organised each year in country areas within South Australia or Victoria. If you are interested in finding out more about our walking group, you are invited to email us – or phone us on our mobiles – as we’ll probably be out walking!
INTERESTED? PLEASE CONTACT: Co-ordinator: Carol Fallon: p: 0417 001 766. e: dave.fallon@bigpond.com Secretary: Kym Wenham p: 0412 408 568 e: wenhams@adam.com.au Walking SA Rep: John Eaton p: 8431 5460 e: joneaton@bigpond.net.au
We hope you will join us for the 2022 walking season!
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CONT E NTS PRESIDENT’S VIEW
UNION TRAINING
COVER: A wave of community support reaching State Parliament in the form of signatures on the AEU Student Support Funding petition. More than 10,000 people signed the petition calling for proper staffing and funding of services for students and children with additional learning needs in public schools and preschools. The signatures represent thousands of conversations members have had with colleagues, parents, friends and family since the petition launched in April 2021. Illustration: Simon Kneebone
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New and continuing faces on AEU Branch Executive.
Lara Golding surveys our successes as 2021 closes.
RESULTS ARE IN
WHAT MAKES US POWERFUL
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COMMUNITY REVERSES CLOSURE Australian Education Union [SA Branch] Kaurna Country 163 Greenhill Road, Parkside SA 5063 Telephone: 8172 6300 Facsimile: 8172 6390 Email: journal@aeusa.asn.au Editor: Jonathan Goodfield Graphic Designer: Jo Frost AEU Journal is published once per term by the South Australian Branch of the Australian Education Union. Subscriptions: Free for AEU members. Non-members may subscribe for $33 per year. Print Post approved PP 100000753 Print: ISSN 1440-2971 Digital: ISSN 2207-9092 Printing: Lane Print AEU(SA) acknowledges the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation and the traditional custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.
Hairdressing avoids the chop. Campaign to rebuild TAFE SA continues.
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ACTIVE AND AMAZING
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EARLY YEARS TO RECENT TIMES A unique timeline of SA’s Early Childhood Education.
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UNFINISHED BUSINESS An endless capacity for change?
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LEADERSHIP REGISTER Dealing with the urgent vacancy.
Rediscovering the skills of SSO members.
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Funding for domestic violence support needed.
NOMINATE FOR BRANCH COUNCIL Represent your Area on our peak body.
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ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS
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KAURNA LEARNING A community day was very rewarding.
US AND THEM Too easy to blame the leader, writes Andrew Gohl.
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AEU GETS A NEW RAP Reconciliation Action Plan for 2022-23 launched.
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PATHS TO EMPOWERMENT
www.aeusa.asn.au
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Crystal Brook Kindergarten shows how it’s done.
PLUS: 13 FOSTER CARE WIN 16 RECOGNITION UPDATE 17 PRESERVICE TEACHER AWARD 19 UNION & PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AEU SA Journal – December 2021 | 3
AEU ELECTIONS 2021
Your AEU team for 2022-2023 Your votes have been counted, and the AEU SA Branch Executive has been decided for the new year. AEU SA Principal Officers ANDREW GOHL President
JAN MURPHY
Female Vice President
MATTHEW CHERRY Male Vice President
LEAH YORK
Branch Secretary
Elected 2020 – 2022.
AEU SA Branch Executive ANN CLARKE
TRISH GILBERT
CHANTELLE LUCAS
MARIKA MARLOW
KENDALL PROUD
CLAUDIA SIGALLA
HOWARD SPREADBURY
MICHAEL STOETZER
DASH TAYLOR JOHNSON
DAVID COULTER
SUSAN GARWOOD
DANNY ELLIS
KATE MCAULEY
DYLAN MILTON
TEGAN SIMMONS
DEB SHIELDS
representing School Services Officer members
representing Children’s Services members
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representing TAFE members
representing Aboriginal members
PRESIDENT’S VIEW RU N N I NG H E AD
1The Every School Every Child state campaign launch in July 2021. PHOTOS: PHOEBE GUNN
What makes us powerful Lara Golding reflects on her time as Branch President and Vice President, and on how members’ collective action has been key to your union’s successes. “Labor leader Peter Malinauskis has picked a fight with a powerful union.” While I was indeed angered by Labor’s announcement to change an important policy without proper consultation, I was proud to see recognition of our power in this recent Advertiser editorial. But what makes us powerful? Part of our power comes from the knowledge and expertise of AEU staff to work through legal and industrial processes to protect rights of individuals and groups. This power is invaluable to many – so far this year we have assisted hundreds of members with issues like permanency, workload and leave entitlements.
Most of our power to improve our working conditions and public education as a whole comes from the collective action of our members, whether that be large scale like strike action or a small scale like a group of members writing a collective letter. It is our solidarity that gives us the strength to make a difference to our work and the lives of our students. Our members demonstrated their solidarity in collecting over 10,000 signatures on our petition for more support for children and students in schools and preschools. In collecting all those signatures, thousands and thousands of conversations were had
“It is our solidarity that gives us the strength to make a difference to our work and the lives of our students.” about our work and why additional funding is needed urgently. This builds on our success last year, collecting 11,000 signatures on our petition to keep teacher voice on the Teachers Registration Board. All of those conversations are powerful – continued over page 3 AEU SA Journal – December 2021 | 5
PRESIDENT’S VIEW CONT.
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Stop Marshall’s TAFE Cuts Campaign on the steps of Parliament House in February 2021. PHOTO: TONY LEWIS
they are the tactic mostly likely to change votes and hence why they influence politicians. When I reflect on my time as Vice President and President, highlights were always standing in solidarity with members across the state. It has been amazing to join members in rallying in Whyalla and marching in Murray Bridge, on the steps of parliament with thousands of members from across the state, standing with members outside school gates and at polling booths talking about the need for fair funding, and walking the streets of Premier Marshall’s electorate with members to drop off postcards to stop cuts to TAFE. I also remember meeting with Branch Council for our first ever meeting over Zoom as we discussed the present and potential implications of a global pandemic, with each member carefully considering how we can support each other and our students through such a challenging time. It is these actions together, big and small, that make us powerful. We see the impact of that power through Labor’s recent election announcements. While 6 | AEU SA Journal – December 2021
there may have been some poorly thought-out proposals about hiring and firing, the vast majority of commitments would result in significant improvements to public education in South Australia.
important as ever.
We have campaigned for years for ongoing country incentives and increases in permanency and it is our influence that has resulted in those commitments. Similarly, announcements to lobby the Federal Government for proper and fair school funding and to employ 100 additional specialists, including mental health support, directly relate to our Every School Every Child campaign.
I look forward to continuing the fight n alongside you all.
Our lobbying on this issue has also resulted in plans to improve the IESP by the Department. We also see our impact in the Greens’ bill to decorporatise TAFE and return it to public management, something that could help to save TAFE from further cuts. While I may be hanging up my President badge at the end of the year, using our collective power to campaign for better working conditions for our members and better learning conditions for our students continues to be as
We need to see all political parties committing to improving funding for schools, preschools and TAFE at a State and Federal level. We know it is winnable, but only if we all play a part.
Lara Golding plans to return to teaching after serving terms as Branch Vice President from 2018 and Branch President from 2020.
In the lead-up to elections in early 2022, the AEU’s Every School Every Child campaign is demanding the Federal and State Governments properly and fairly fund public education. You can sign up for the national campaign at: www.everyschooleverychild.org.au You can find out more about the South Australian campaign at: www.aeusa.asn.au/ everyschooleverychild
TAF E FOCU S
Community action reverses course closure Campaign Organiser Angela Dean reports on the success of a Whyalla campaign.
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AFE SA has been forced to review their proposed closure of the Whyalla Campus Hairdressing program due to pressure from the local community and industry. Hair and Beauty was placed in review in Semester 1, 2021 and local lecturers were replaced by lecturers flown in to deliver the Hairdressing program. This “block delivery” mode has long been opposed by industry members in regional areas, especially in trainee and apprenticeship programs.
The Whyalla community, led by Member for Giles Eddie Hughes, ran a petition calling for TAFE SA to retain the Hairdressing program in Whyalla to provide local training for apprentices. This community pressure forced the TAFE Chief Executive David Coltman to commit publicly to continuing to offer enrolments to hairdressing apprenticeship students in Whyalla for 2022. However, no commitment was made on how the program will be delivered in future.
AEU hosts TAFE forums The AEU has committed to hosting a series of TAFE Forums to give community and industry an opportunity to identify how TAFE can provide support for those seeking employment for the first time and those who seek retraining and further education throughout their lives. The first TAFE Forum was held in Whyalla in November. Key industry members at this forum noted that they feel as if TAFE has abandoned the regions. Where we once had thriving TAFE campuses across South Australia, many are now closed, or reduced to a shadow of what they once were.
1Eddie Hughes MP with staff from Headroom Studio of Hair, Whyalla.
“Where we once had thriving TAFE campuses across South Australia, many are now closed.”
In Whyalla, locals were concerned that there are now fewer options for them to study on campus in face-to-face classes, with most moved to online delivery. This deters many, as self paced online learning requires students to have high levels of motivation and digital literacy, and access to computers and internet is sometimes problematic in regional areas. The only infrastructure investment that TAFE SA has announced for Whyalla is a Digital Campus Learning Hub. Regional industry members also indicated that they are frustrated by difficulties with trying to work with TAFE SA’s centralised administrative systems. A tradesperson described how they had to turn down a job because the central administration in TAFE SA had changed training days at short notice, leaving them without their apprentices. They used to be able to talk with the local educational manger about course timing and location.
Stop Marshall’s TAFE Cuts! The concerns raised by community and industry in our first TAFE Forum have echoed what our members have been voicing since the first TAFE course cuts announcements in October 2020.
To ensure better access to TAFE in both regional and metropolitan areas, the AEU calls on politicians to commit to the following actions: 1. Stop the ongoing course cuts and reinstate the courses that were cut as part of the VET Commissioning Project. 2. Guarantee 70% of public funding for vocational education to TAFE. 3. Re-instate the Small Regional Communities Funding to allow equity of opportunity for regional students. 4. Return TAFE to public management and public ownership. 5. Improve working conditions for TAFE staff to enable quality vocational education including reasonable workloads and secure work. 6. Fund equipment and facility updates to meet current and future industry needs. 7. Be explicit about when public money n is being used for private profit.
ACTION
We need our members’ help to call upon the wider community to take part in our upcoming community and industry forums to ensure their voice is heard in the lead-up to our state election. Sign up to support our campaign and have your say on what you want for TAFE in SA at:
www.aeusa.asn.au/ stopTAFEcuts AEU SA Journal – December 2021 | 7
S SO CON F E R E NCE 2021
SSOs: active and amazing Jan Murphy, Branch Vice President, rediscovers the huge reservoir of skills and experiences in our SSO membership. At the SSO Member Conference held in the July school holidays, SSOs engaged in an activity exploring their activism and work experiences. From this we saw that this group of members are active union leaders – versatile, dedicated and bringing a huge variety of life experiences to the role. SSOs who have experience in directly supporting children in their learning described feeling proud, loving the role and gaining great satisfaction watching young people achieve their goals. Those who have worked in administration expressed their enjoyment of working with a variety of people in their 8 | AEU SA Journal – December 2021
education communities and having seen great changes in the role, from typewriters to EDSAS. Many SSOs have experience in other industries – conference participants had previously worked in aged care, disability sector, retail, administration, unions, trades, RAAF and archaeology - and bring their amazing skills and experiences to our schools.
and all members. We all know that schools simply could not operate, let alone achieve the amazing things you do, without this incredible group of dedicated and highly skilled members. Thank you for all that you do.
Many had 20 or more years’ experience as an SSO. That’s a wonderful commitment to public education and the school communities they’ve been a part of.
And thank you to all our members who celebrated Support Staff Week and acknowledged the work of the SSOs, ECWs and AEWs with morning teas, cards, assemblies, choccies and flowers, or a ‘thanks’ and a smile or a hug (elbow bump?). Acknowledgement is super important. n
Nearly 30 of the SSOs at the conference have been a sub-branch secretary or an AEU PAC rep. These AEU leadership roles were described as challenging but a great way to get access to information and have a voice for SSOs
Watch your eNews and the website in 2022 for details of events and celebrations for support staff members. Consider nominating for union positions at your site.
B RA NCH S ECR E TA RY ’S R E PO RT
Nominate for Branch Council! Branch Secretary Leah York reminds us it’s not too many sleeps till the next round of union elections. “Members will soon have the opportunity to nominate as a Branch Council delegate.”
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his edition of the Journal details who will make up the Executive of the AEU SA Branch for 2022-23. This is the result of our democratic processes at work. Branch Executive operates as the Union’s Committee of Management to conduct and manage the affairs of the Branch between meetings of the Branch Council. Branch Council is the supreme governing authority of our Union, and meets four times per year (once per term), on Saturdays from 10.00am to 1.00pm. It is preceded by a Women’s Breakfast providing the opportunity for women delegates to support one another and to caucus about Council business. Country delegates may be supported to attend with travel and accommodation assistance, and childcare is also provided on request. However, if time, distance or family commitments are barriers to attending Branch Council in person, we offer a hybrid format, enabling delegates to participate via Zoom. Some of the position and policy settings recently determined by Branch Council include: • Every School Every Child campaign demands • TAFE State election demands • AEU SA Merit Selection Policy and Procedures – Schools and Preschools • AEU SA Data Collection, Assessment and Reporting Policy • AEU SA Classroom Observation of Teachers Policy • Release time for sub-branch secretaries
• Access to COVID Vaccines for education employees • Country Incentives Review – allocation of financial resources. Some of the matters that will come before Branch Council in 2022 include: • Enterprise bargaining claims and direction • Strategic direction of our Union • Professional interests • The investment in and development of our property assets. Members will soon have the opportunity to nominate as a Branch Council delegate to be part of the decision making, policy and direction setting of our Union. At the commencement of each year, elections for Branch Council delegates are conducted and delegates hold office for one year or until their successors take office. Other than TAFE members, each member is allocated to one of 34 geographically based Areas depending on your workplace or sub-branch location. Delegates are elected to represent an Area. (Alternate Delegates are also elected from each Area, and can take the place of a Delegate unable to attend a meeting.) The election schedule is tight. Nominations need to be called in January to enable the election to be completed by 20 March of each year. This ensures that delegates are current in terms of Area location and representation. Nominations will be called via a Union Notice emailed to all eligible members in January 2022. You may wish to consider nominating for a position using the AEC nomination form included with the notice. If the election timeline permits, Area
1Branch Council delegates in August 2021. PHOTO: ANN CLARKE
meetings may be held early in Term 1 before nominations close to discuss and support nominating others. Most importantly, vote in any ballot for delegates from your Area. Check out the candidates and determine who you think will best represent you. For TAFE members, your Branch Council representatives are elected from TAFE Divisional Council. TAFE Divisional Council is made up of delegates from your TAFE sub-branches. Election notices for TAFE sub-branch delegates will be sent to TAFE members in early 2022. Branch Council delegates are required under Registered Organisations regulatory requirements to undertake Union Governance training. This only needs to be undertaken once, within 6 months of your initial appointment to that office. Backfill and associated costs (such as travel and accommodation) to undertake the training are provided. The Australian Electoral Commission runs our elections in line with the strict requirements of the AEU Rules, and therefore we can only advise on some matters such as the timing and length of ballot period. However, we are keen to hear from members about the barriers faced in participating in elections, and what processes or communication we could put in place to better engage members to participate in Union-wide elections. n If you have any suggestions, comments or input you would like to make, please email your feedback to:
8: leah.york@aeusa.asn.au
AEU SA Journal – December 2021 | 9
S U B-B RA NCH I S S UE S
Reverse the ‘us and them’ The tension that exists between leaders who are AEU members and the sub-branch is a problem, writes AEU Campaign Director, Andrew Gohl. I recollect the first sub-branch meeting when the conflicts that arise for leaders who are also AEU members became a frontand-centre concern. It was 1995. The issue was the introduction of standardised testing – the Basic Skills Test, a forerunner of NAPLAN. Branch Council had called on union members to implement a statewide boycott. As Sub-branch Secretary at my site I called a meeting and after a lively debate members agreed to implement the boycott. At the conclusion of the meeting the Deputy Principal said, “It’s alright for you; you don’t have to win 1 0 | AEU SA Journal – December 2021
your job back”, and promptly resigned from the AEU. An AEU leaflet from the time describes the government threats to “dismiss principals” and resorting to blackmail by reducing school funding. But at the time the resignation felt like betrayal of the members’ strong collective position. This was around the time I first heard that principals are the “Department’s representative in schools.” This, combined with the Department’s threats against leaders served to create ‘us and them’. It’s a paradigm that persists. The employer has effectively divided and conquered us and encourages that divide by funding leaders’ associations and indulging the South Australian State School Leaders Association.
Worse, the AEU played right into the employer’s hands and consolidated that divide with our anti-leader rhetoric and actions. In recent weeks I’ve had discussions with members concerned about the presence of leader members in AEU sub-branch meetings. The concerns go something like, “We can’t speak openly about our issues because leadership attends the meeting”, or “The leader attends the meeting and speaks actively against union motions.” And “Can’t we just have meetings without leadership?” The fact is, despite the rhetoric, leaders are workers just like the rest of us – vulnerable, overworked, scared to continued over page 3
speak out and fearful of not winning a job back. Sadly, for many leaders, the implied or explicit threats to personal job security shackle many to the Department line. Leaders need to be honest with subbranch members about how they are being pushed and pulled. How the Department is dictating the terms under which they work and the impact managerialism is having upon their professional and private life. Why does the Department cultivate this paradigm? What the Department fears most is leaders realising that they are workers doing the political work of the Department and Government. What the Department fears is leaders working collaboratively with staff taking professional control and making shared decisions about what is truly good education for their children and students. What the Department fears is educa-
tors exercising collective professional judgement. What the Department fears is education workers taking control of their working lives. The tension between leaders and staff won’t be resolved today. The structures in place and the entrenched attitudes that developed with them have taken years to create and will take years to undo. There will always be leaders who exhibit sociopathic traits who control by coercion and fear – just like the employer – for that is how they maintain their security. I’m not talking about them. There are ways for members to act collectively and address these sorts of unethical behaviours. I urge all members when considering workplace issues to explore with their leader where the pressures are coming from to work harder, to introduce more unfunded initiatives, and so on. Mem-
“Who holds the power, who is driving our work and to whose benefit? It’s too easy to blame the leader without that analysis.” bers should ask on every issue – who holds the power, who is driving our work and to whose benefit? It’s too easy to blame the leader without that analysis. Open up dialogue with leaders in AEU meetings. Explore and understand who or what is pressuring your leader. My hunch is that members will find common ground. The issues that affect leaders are the issues that affect us all and if we are serious about addressing these issues our strength is in our unity. Even the Department knows this. n
R ECONCI LIAT ION
AEU gets a new RAP We asked Cheryl Harris about the AEU’s new Reconciliation Action Plan launched this November.
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his year consultation was completed on the AEU’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) for 2022-23, and final approval has been received from Reconciliation Australia ready for its presentation to the AEU’s November Branch Council.
I love that this RAP has included small things to ensure that Reconciliation is at the forefront of what we as a union do in our daily operations. Using Kaurna in our addresses, having different Areas do the Acknowledgement to Country for Branch Council, for example.
This RAP, which is based on Reconciliation Australia’s new Innovate template, is a complete rewrite of the inaugural RAP for 2019-20 adopted by Branch Council in 2018, which in itself represented two decades of increasing commitment by the SA Branch to Reconciliation since our first Reconciliation Conference in 1998.
Q. It seems to be focussed first on internal changes, such as a procurement policy favouring Aboriginal services, while also looking at systemwide issues in public education. Is that a fair assessment?
Q. What did you want to change or improve on with the new RAP? The original RAP was huge and there was so much in it that this time I think we need to be able to achieve outcomes within the lifetime of the document.
Yes, Reconciliation needs to be imbedded in our lives and operations of our business if true Reconciliation is to happen, rather than a tick-off list of tasks. Q. What should members do to promote Reconciliation at their sites? It is important that we all strive towards understanding and accepting
Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan November 2021 – November 2023
Australian Education Union SA Branch
the past and using Reconciliation as a pathway to ensuring we live and work in true harmony and acceptance. The next step is for schools to write a RAP for their sites and share the successes with the AEU. n Cheryl Harris, an AEU member and Aboriginal Education Teacher from Port Lincoln, was a member of the RAP Working Parties for both the old and new RAP. You can download the new RAP at: www.aeusa.asn.au/RAP AEU SA Journal – December 2021 | 1 1
CRYSTA L B ROOK K I N DE R G A RT E N
Paths to empowerment Anne Beinke, AEU Campaign Organiser, reports on a group of preschool educators in the Mid North connecting the generations in their community.
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here are preschools in our public system all over South Australia working hard to further the learning and wellbeing of the children they educate in sometimes very difficult circumstances. They face staff shortages, a lack of relievers and minimal access to support services for the myriad of children in their programs with significant extra needs. They get no complexity funding, no extra resourcing to cover IESP applications and One Plans (unless they take it from the inadequate bucket provided to buy in extra 1:1 support) and they face the same pressures as schools do with departmental demands for endless data and implementing whatever new program is the flavour of the month.
Despite this the educators – directors, teachers and early childhood workers – do an amazing job. They are passionate and care deeply about the welfare of the children and families they work with. An example of this is Crystal Brook Kindergarten, one of three finalists for the 2021 Public Education Award for Community Engagement.
Red wagon to Roseview Years before the TV show ‘Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds’ this kindergarten was involved in regular fortnightly visits to Roseview, an aged care residential facility based at the Crystal Brook Hospital. Once a fortnight 1 2 | AEU SA Journal – December 2021
children and staff would make their way by foot to Roseview with their red wagon full of the resources they needed bumping along behind them. Some of the residents of Roseview were keen to reciprocate. But there was a problem. No footpath! So of course, there was no mobility access for walkers and wheelchairs. Not to be deterred, the children and educators got their heads together to problem-solve. What followed was an incredible journey of deep and authentic learning opportunities involving literacy, numeracy, STEM, connection and caring for community, and more. In March 2019 one of the kindy children, 4-year-old Emily, was supported to write a letter to the Port Pirie Regional Council to ask for a footpath for improved access. The kindergarten received a phone call from council engineer Peter Lock. Things were looking positive! The children went over and started doing some measuring up and planning. Peter Lock came out to assess the project but took the time to involve the kids, which slowed down the process but involved the children over an 8-month learning inquiry.
Becoming active citizens A group of the children actually presented one evening, along with one of the Roseview residents, at a strategic workshop at the Pirie Regional Council.
“There is a need to capture this wonderful intergenerational connection within the community.” The kindy staff even treated them to the obligatory dinner meeting before the official business – nuggets and chips at the Portside Tavern. Children were also interviewed by ABC Radio and Southern Cross TV. These 4-year-olds were acting like active citizens within the community advocating for the residents and making connections within the community. They were empowered to enact change! As a result they received a letter from the council, addressed to the children, allocating $10,000. The footpath was built and the children were involved in this process as well. The residents’ lives were lit up. Deep and enduring connections formed. For example, there was one particular resident who had lived alone for 30 years after her husband died. They were childless. She loved the children and they loved her. Even though her birthday fell after kindy had finished for the year, educators and children put on a birthday party for her continued over page 3
FOST E R LE AVE
Fostering support AEU Industrial/Research Officer Mika Tippins illustrates how assisting individual members can achieve policy changes for all.
96th, 97th and 98th birthday. When she passed away the kindergarten children formed a guard of honour at the funeral.
Continuing the journey COVID threw a spanner in the works but the regular ongoing ‘joint sessions’ have continued with the Roseview residents. The current Executive Officer, Director of Nursing and Midwifery at Southern Flinders Health, Crystal Brook Hospital has decided that the program is so valuable that he has scheduled regular meetings with kindergarten staff to make it work. Eleven children have had their flu vaccination so that they can continue to visit and meet the requirements for aged care visiting. But to be inclusive, when weather permits, they meet on the hospital grounds. The children involved in the original project are now working with a new batch of kindy kids for the next stage of the project. The kindergarten has also received quite significant funding as a result of lobbying local politicians for beautifying the footpath and making it a space where they can all engage. Local MP Geoff Brock and Minister Dan van Holst Pellekaan have both supported the kindergarten in their lobbying. They received $15,000 from the Department for Education and through a grant application to Country Arts SA, sponsored by the Crystal Brook Community Association, they received another $18,912 to engage a professional public artist to create handmade clay tiles to tell the story and highlight the intergenerational connection between the kindergarten children and
the Roseview residents. As Director, Karena Wilson said in her application: “There is a need to capture this wonderful intergenerational connection within the community. There is a sense of timeless history and voice of the Roseview residents that can be honoured. Beautifying this environment along the garden bed with art will bring love and joy to the community who gather in this space. The art project will weave an incredible intergenerational story into the fabric of the Crystal Brook community.” They are now lobbying for an RAA Regional Safety Grant for 30 metres of hand railing along the length of the footpath to make it safer for the older folk and we hope they get it. I know this is one great example of the type of members we have all over the state making a fantastic contribution to the lives and wellbeing of children and young people through the public education system. Congratulations to Director Karena Wilson, Teacher Cammie Noonan and Early Childhood Workers Olivia Pilkington, Kyra Hogg and Ros Wardle for the fantastic work you are doing. n
PUBLIC EDUCATION AWARDS
You can read more about work of educators honoured in the 2021 Public Education Awards at:
8: www.education.sa.gov.au/ working-us/teacher-initiatives/ public-education-awards
In August this year I was assigned the matter of an AEU member who had acquired the foster care of a baby and subsequently applied for foster carer’s leave from the Department for Education (DfE) on half pay. His application was refused because the DfE, which controlled the policy, did not allow for this. At the time, foster carer’s leave could only be approved up to 20 weeks on full pay. This is despite half pay being an option for adoption, surrogacy and maternity leave under your School and Preschool Education Staff Enterprise Agreement 2020 (EA20). Foster caring is a viable pathway to adoption. Adoptions have steadily declined over the past decades, which led a parliamentary inquiry last year to recommend national law reform which would make adoption easier. Some hold that the current laws make the process difficult to navigate. Some reforms have occurred; for example, same sex couples have been able to adopt children since changes to the Adoption Act 1988 in February 2017. In response to the member’s call for assistance the AEU developed a detailed and legally justified, rights-based argument in a letter to DfE on behalf of the member and his family. DfE was persuaded and the policy was changed to allow successful applicants to take the leave on half pay over 40 weeks in line with other leave in the EA20. This is another example of the AEU working behind the scenes for its members. It’s not wrong to speak up. If you are considering fostering a child then contact the AEU’s Information Unit to make sure you know your rights before starting the process. n
AEU Information Unit: P: 8172 6300 Mondays: 8.15am – 5.00pm Tuesday to Friday: 10.30am – 5.00pm E: info@aeusa.asn.au AEU SA Journal – December 2021 | 1 3
E A RLY CH I LDHOO D E D U C AT ION
1839
1860
Trinity Church infant school
A government ‘infant school’ opened by Mrs Catherine Francis (pictured).
1879
1887
First course of Kindergarten instruction in SA
Creches established
1907
1912
Adelaide Kindergarten Training College established
The Kindergarten Union of South Australia’s free and private kindergartens
1875
1871 Introducing the ‘kindergarten system’
Compulsory schooling for Non Aboriginal children
1905
1905
Initiating free kindergartens
Kindergarten Union of South Australia established
1918
1955
The Kindergarten Union of South Australia opens a Montessori school
Golden Jubilee of the Kindergarten Union of South Australia
Early years to recent times
E
arly childhood in South Australia, including times prior to the establishment of the colony, has a remarkable history. Now seemed an appropriate time to create an overview of this history so that the public and those who currently work in the sector, or who are entering the early childhood profession, become aware of that history and the work of those in whose footsteps they follow. To track this history is it necessary to look in many places, in academic references, in buildings and of course most of all, in people. 1 4 | AEU SA Journal – December 2021
This is a history essentially of women who understood and fought for the right of children to have an education, believing education to be a critical element in the creation of a democratic South Australian society. The central role of women is foregrounded, including Lillian de Lissa, Lucy Morice and Alitja Rigney, and many others, who worked on this early years educational democratising project. The history spans pre colonisation until the present day and acknowledges that prior to European invasion Aboriginal First Nations educated their young children to enable them to be success-
ful members of their communities. The history is not all about successes. It reminds the viewer of laws which attempted to divide Aboriginal children from their families, culture and language, and also of the exclusion of Aboriginal children from formal education. We hope you find it to be as fascinating as we have. n Associate Professor Victoria Whitington is Dean of Programs, Education Futures at the University of South Australia. The full history can be found at: : www.unisa.edu.au/about-unisa/ Our-History/early-childhood-learning/
8
VICE PR E S I DE NT ’S R E PO RT
Unfinished business In his final column as Branch Vice President, Dash Taylor Johnson reminds us about keeping the bastards honest!
and processes to address concerns as an individual, a sub-branch and a system. Part 5 of the 2020 Agreement for preschool and school employees is all about workload and Part 3 is about communication, consultation and dispute resolution. In addition to the work health and safety features in Clause 3.6, the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 legislates expectations for employers and workers. (Preschool and school leaders are workers, by the way). Elected health and safety reps have powers to support change within this Act. But do we ever assert our rights? Do we report psychological injuries? Do we hold our employer accountable? Yes, but not as often as we could, nor as we should, which conveniently sends the message that everything is fine. This is not effective in holding anyone accountable. Instead allows more change, more expectations. More, more, more!
Ask questions
C
ontinuous improvement with finite resourcing. Something doesn’t add up!
OK, I get it. We can learn from our mistakes. We can learn from our experiences. We can reflect on how we’d do things differently if we had another chance. But living this phrase is a conundrum of its own. I mean, improvement is a desired outcome, but is it realistic for there to be infinite improvement? I think not. The frustration then comes when the Department for Education and TAFE keep upping the ante. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not suggesting that we flatline, without wanting to be better and do better. But the incessant ‘world class’ rhetoric and expectation of competitive efficiencies ultimately are distractions from addressing the essence of best-practice management – looking after your workers!
Bottomless pits We are not bottomless pits with endless capacity. There are good reasons why world records can take a very long time to be broken. The pace of educational work is frantic and unrelenting. We are presented with assertions that we are letting our students down if we can’t adopt, accept and absorb change. But change isn’t the issue – it is how it is implemented and supported. The Department’s own ‘Employee Mental Health & Wellbeing’ procedure identifies the change process as a psycho-social hazard. It also assigns responsibilities to respond promptly to any reported instance of a psychological injury. So what can we do?
Assert our rights Firstly, we have Enterprise Agreements that outline our industrial rights to help us manage workload and change. These describe entitlements
There are many points of accountability: enterprise agreements, policies, procedures and recently the ‘road maps’ (think ‘One in Four’ reforms) and Workforce Strategy commitments (think ‘Country Workforce Strategy’ with “we will” statements). It is up to us all to ask questions of our employer and our union, to seek updates, and to challenge the change process. Without this, it will be more of the same. Unfinished business? Definitely. A calendar year doesn’t mean the end; the holidays are simply a pause in operations. I know that there are many areas of union business that I have started, am involved in, that will still be ‘live’ when my term ends this year. In 2022 we will have a state and a federal election, we will have adapted to life with COVID, and enterprise bargaining discussions for TAFE and public schools and preschools will be in play. As a union, we are more important than ever and as always, you are at the centre of it. n Dash Taylor Johnson has served as Branch Vice President since 2016, and plans to return to teaching in 2022.
TOGETHER WE ARE STRONG! AEU SA Journal – December 2021 | 1 5
R ECONCI LIAT ION UPDAT E
M E R IT S E LECT ION
Moving forward in 2022 The AEU’s determination to recognise the contributions of First Nations people will continue to be a key part of our work moving forward. Our Aboriginal Education Consultative Committee and our Aboriginal Members’ Conference attendees have this year reconsidered the proposed timeline for the profiling of our members. Our initial nomination process identified many Aboriginal members for consideration, but also suggested our process was not inclusive enough. We also decided we needed a broader focus than the naming or re-naming of two rooms at 163 Greenhill Road. There has also been a learning process about the union’s own legacy, and a realisation that our Main Hall is in fact the ‘Wilf A White Hall’, after our first fully employed president. We also are aware that our Executive are exploring a potential refurbishment or re-location. In essence, the process is continuing “to enable acknowledgement and recognition of multiple Aboriginal members.” n Dash Taylor Johnson
Congratulations
What is the Leadership Register? How do you fill a sudden and urgent principal vacancy? The AEU’s resident expert Tish Champion sets out the guidelines.
T
erm 4 is always crazy in the merit selection space. There are more panels in Term 4 than any other time of the year. Schools have established their staffing needs for 2022 and all kinds of jobs are being advertised and filled via merit selection processes. One of the main advantages of good merit processes is that it instils faith in the process. When employees believe that a merit process has been fair, equitable, transparent and free from discrimination and bias, they are more inclined to accept the outcome and the successful applicant and this in turn translates into happy, wellfunctioning sites.
Thank you to the many SA members who completed the AEU’s national State of our Schools survey earlier this year. The incentive of an iPad Pro was won by Russell Coulthard, pictured at the prize handover in Gladstone Square, Port Augusta. n
1 6 | AEU SA Journal – December 2021
There are a few boundaries and cut-off points to merit selection appointments, and Band A principal positions are no exception. At the beginning of November there were several tenured principal positions on Edujobs with panel processes due to be completed this term. So why is it then that in some instances Education
Directors decide that it is too late to advertise and they are simply going to appoint someone from a register? And why is it that they do that without following process? All Regional Education Offices hold a Leadership Register, which is a list of people who are willing and keen to take on short-term leadership roles if there is a sudden and urgent need to fill a position. The opportunity to register is usually communicated to schools at the start of each year and requires the employee to submit a CV, short application and list of referees.
How do leadership appointments from the Register work? • If an Education Director needs to fill a principal position urgently, and there is no time to run a process, they have the capacity to place someone from the Leadership Register for up to one term. • If the vacancy is more than a term continued over page 3
AW AR D
WO M E N’S FOCU S
All I want for Christmas Tish Champion, AEU Women’s Officer, has a short list. And it’s not just increased funding to public schools.
V
ery shortly it will be Christmas and some of us will be getting gifts to make us happy. In my stocking I want a commitment from political parties in South Australia that if elected they will invest in domestic violence (DV) programs to support the growing number of people impacted. COVID-19 has, among other things, produced a spike in the number of incidents of DV across Australia and the world, and more needs to be done to support survivors. In recent weeks the NSW Government unveiled a $500 million support package for DV survivors, with a focus on refuges and emergency housing. Fleeing a DV situation has always been difficult but the impact of COVID on movement and employment has made it even harder for someone to leave. The NSW injection of funding will provide 75 new and refurbished refuges, comprehensive wraparound services such as counsellors, educators, caseworkers, and legal advisors, and a large investment in social and affordable housing. There was an increase of 11% in the incidence of DV in SA from 2019 to 2020. While the 9,526 family and domestic related assaults reported to SA police in
and up to two terms, they can still use the Register but must hold a panel process that includes two people, a staff elected rep and themselves as chairperson. • If the vacancy needs filling for more than two terms, they can still use the Register but must hold a panel process that includes three people, themselves as chairperson, a staff rep elected by staff and a governing council rep.
2020 falls way short of the 140,000 DVrelated responses by NSW police in 2020, there is still a dire need for more investment by the SA government in emergency housing for women and children escaping violence. Obviously, men may also experience DV but it is predominantly women who find themselves in untenable domestic situations. With a woman dying at the hands of a current or former intimate partner every 9 days in Australia, local and federal governments must inject much needed funds into DV programs. There are also many flow-on impacts of DV for women including the rising number of older women becoming homeless. When we go to the polls, I want to see who is committed to improving the lives of women and children in South Australia, including implementing measures to address the short- and longterm impacts of domestic violence. n
DV HELP • Call 000 If you are experiencing domestic violence and you are in immediate danger. • Call 1800 737 732 (1800RESPECT) to access 24/7 counselling and support.
Ideally, an Education Director would fill a suddenly vacant principal position from a Register for no more than one term and during that term advertise and fill the vacancy following consultation with staff and parents and via a merit selection panel process. But we know this isn’t an ideal world and sadly, that doesn’t always happen. What should you do if this hasn’t happened in your site? The short answer – contact the AEU for advice. n
Preservice dedication recognised AEU SA Branch Secretary, Leah York presents Takuto Niijima with the AEU Preservice Teacher Award at the 2021 University of Adelaide School of Education Award Night. Takuto Niijima, a Bachelor of Teaching/Bachelor of Arts graduate thanked the AEU for our work in public education and the generous prize which included: • a year of AEU membership; • a year of Teachers Registration Board Fees; and • a classroom management course. “It was great to see graduates being recognised for their hard work this year across a range of subjects and awards categories. The future in education looks bright!” The AEU offers Student (associate) membership to students studying to become a teacher. See our website for more information on the benefits of n student membership.
AEU Information Unit Mondays: 8.15am – 5.00pm Tuesday to Friday: 10.30am – 5.00pm E: info@aeusa.asn.au
)8172 6300
AEU SA Journal – December 2021 | 1 7
CU LTU RAL CE NTR E
1Living Kaurna Cultural Centre’s Corey Turner talks with members, friends and family during the AEU community day.
Kaurna learning Sam Lisle-Menzel, AEU Education Director, reports on a day experiencing the living culture.
H
ave you ever wanted to know more about Kaurna culture on the plains of Adelaide? We can highly recommend a visit to the Living Kaurna Cultural Centre at Warriparinga. This was the outcome of our AEU member community day there in early October.
“Absolutely brilliant! I’ll be advocating to bring my students here for next year. Absolutely.”
Members, their friends and family joined together for a day of learning, talking and committing to Reconciliation. We learnt about the Tjilbruki Gateway installation, visited huge camp ovens thousands of years old, and listened to the reeds and rushes on the riverbank.
The importance of education was continued indoors after lunch as Corey Turner explained why painting is so important to sharing stories and journeys. Dexter Mejia, a member from TAFE Adelaide campus, was keen to “learn more in the art session about how the Dreaming has to be passed on before the next generation of painters can paint about it.”
During the lunch break we picnicked on the amazing parklands that have been a meeting place for millennia and reflected on how the landscape has 1 8 | AEU SA Journal – December 2021
Trish Gilbert been damaged by colonisation.
One of my personal highlights was
listening to families talk and make connections with others regarding what they do in their classes (as students and as teachers) to make culturally safe spaces that acknowledge hurt and champion First Nations culture. Other colleagues were equally impressed. Trish Gilbert from Sheidow Park Primary School found the visit “Absolutely brilliant! I’ll be advocating to bring my students here for next year. Absolutely.” “It’s been a great day. I loved the tour. I’ve learnt so much, and I think it would be a really wonderful place to bring students so they can learn about the traditional owners of the Adelaide region,” said Kate McAuley (Lyndoch Primary School). n The Living Kaurna Cultural Centre offers a variety of experiences. You can find out more at www.southernculturalimmersion. com.au. In 2022 look out for AEU Reconciliation courses and professional learning opportunities including the Voice Treaty Truth advocacy course, which introduces the history of the First Nations peoples’ struggle and the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
8: www.aeusa.asn.au>events & courses
U N ION TRAI N I NG
classroom teachers in direct relation to classroom management and student engagement practices.
Union Training Merit Selection Retraining (Online) Thursday 2 December
Monday 24 January 2022
4.00pm – 6.00pm
11.00am – 1.00pm
If you completed Merit Selection training in 2016 you must attend a retraining session before the end of January 2022when your training will expire.
Merit Selection Supplementary Training (Online) Tuesday 25 January 2022
11.00am – 12.00pm
In order to be an AEU representative on DfE Merit Selection panel processes, AEU members must complete both the DfE online training and a supplementary one-hour session with the AEU.
OPEN TO: AEU Members who have recently completed the online DfE Merit Selection Training.
RRHAN-EC Training Monday 13 December
9.00am – 1.30pm (in-person)
There are 2 elements to RRHAN-EC training: Foundation (online via PLINK) and Masterclass. The AEU SA Branch is an approved provider for the Masterclass. Registrations for RRHAN-EC will be taken through PLINK. Non-education department staff will be able to make a guest account on the Department for Education website. COST: Student members first one free, full financial members $55 and $166 for non-members.
Professional Development Classroom Management and Engagement Strategies (in-person) Wednesday 27 & Thursday 28 April 2022
9.15am – 3.30pm
Our two-day CMES course is great for members who would like to refresh and refine their skills in the classroom while diversifying methodology. Our aim is to develop the knowledge and skills of
In the words of a previous participant, “Possibly the best PD I’ve attended in a 40-year career… Actually useful!!!”
COST: AEU members $99; potential members (working in public education) $333. See also the notice (below) calling for expressions of interest in our CMES Train the Trainer program.
Keep an eye on our eNews in 2022 as the Union Education Team has exciting training and events to come. Details will be communicated to you through digital channels and the Journal. We look forward to seeing you enjoy what AEU SA has to offer. Ideas and queries are always welcome at:
training@aeusa.asn.au
2022 Classroom Management and Engagement Strategies Train the Trainer program
Applications open now!
The AEU SA Branch is offering unique scholarship opportunities in Classroom Management and Engagement Strategies (CMES) Certificate.
We are looking to expand our successful CMES program to members across SA, and are seeking expressions of interest from members to be part of this expansion.
The successfully applicants will be trained in CMES theory and practise and work towards delivery in a variety of settings for AEU SA members, including at your own site. Teachers (including leaders and TRTs), SSOs and AEWs, working in settings from preschool to senior school, are encouraged to apply. A full 5 day synchronous plus asynchronous commitment required.
Applications close Monday 6 December 2021. Places are limited.
See our website for more details.
* * * * The AEU executive & staff of the * SA Branch wish you and your* family, * * *
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a Merry Christmas * and a Happy *NewYear for 2022 *
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Thank you for your ongoing support for . n o i t a c u d E c i l Pub
The AEU Office will close at 12 noon Friday 24 December AEU SA Journal – 2021 December 2021 and reopen on Monday 10 January 2022.
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