Angelo Gavrielatos AEU Federal President
November 28, 2011
The Australian Education Union said the Federal Government’s decision to move away from its bonus pay proposal was a positive sign it was prepared to listen to the profession. “The bonus scheme ran counter to co-operative efforts to put in place the National Professional Standards for Teachers that can underpin better career and salary structures,” AEU Federal President Angelo Gavrielatos said.
The annual AEU national survey on the State of Our Schools has opened. Teachers and school leaders are urged to participate in this important survey. The data from the survey is able to be disaggregated in to state/territory data so is valuable to identify national trends and issues and matters pertaining specifically to W.A.
AEU Response to Changes in the National School Chaplaincy Program : The AEU said today that the changes in the Federal Government's chaplaincy program were a step in the right direction and would better assist schools to enhance the welfare support provided to students. AEU Federal President Angelo Gavrielatos said: “This is an acknowledgement that the National Chaplaincy Program is fundamentally flawed. 
As an organisation which has a longstanding commitment to action in support of the basic human rights of refugees and asylum seekers in Australia and its off-shore detention centres, we had hoped that the appalling treatment of asylum seeker and refugee families and children in this country ended with the defeat of the Howard Government.
The Australian Education Union today called on the Gillard Government to rethink its bonus pay scheme saying it would not fix teacher shortages or help retain the most experienced teachers in the classroom. AEU Federal President Angelo Gavrielatos said the Government was correct in identifying the need to invest more in the profession but was misguided in thinking a one-off bonus pay scheme was the right approach.
The AEU joins with millions of teachers around the world to celebrate the important contribution they make to society. “In celebrating the theme of the 2010 World Teachers' Day – Recovery Begins with Teachers – we acknowledge the profound contribution that teachers make, from pre-school to university, in supporting and developing the education of people, young and old, across Australia and the world,” says AEU Federal President, Angelo Gavrielatos.
The Australian Education Union is today launching an online advertisement warning that the Coalition’s $3 billion in cuts to education will take Australia backwards. AEU Federal President Angelo Gavrielatos said the advertisement used mixed up footage from Mr Abbott’s numerous sporting endeavours to convey a message about the absurdity of the cuts.
The election of an Abbott Government would see windfall funding increases for private schools and a cut in the share of money going to public schools, new research has revealed. Undertaken by funding expert, Dr Jim McMorrow, the research found private schools would get a $2.3 billion increase in Commonwealth general recurrent funding between 2012 and 2016 – enough to pay for 8,300 new teachers.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s decision to make school fees tax deductible and to slash spending on public schools showed he is determined to privatise education, the Australian Education Union said. AEU Federal President Angelo Gavrielatos said that it was a regressive move to take money away from the public provision of education for all students and return some of it to parents who could afford to pay private school fees.
The Australian Education Union expresses shock at the consideration being given by Australian doctors to perform Female Genital Mutilation. It is a breach of human rights, it is child abuse and it is illegal in Australia for good reason.
