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November State Council Conference has capped off a year of intense union activity which has included the launch of an independent review into public education in WA, the registering of two General Agreements and the start of the process for a next Log of Claims.

During the 2021 EBA the SSTUWA won the claim to review part of the Country Teaching Program, an incentives package • to assist with the attraction and retention of teachers, school leaders and school psychologists to country schools. This work is about to progress and has now received unexpected stimulation following the recent announcement from Education Minister Sue Ellery to staff some country schools with a one year only additional incentive; in fact, just 48 schools.

We are at the end of yet another year which brought far more turmoil than we could have ever expected. We thought that we’d seen the worst of COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021 and that we were pretty well prepared - vaccinations mostly done – for the beginning of the year. That bubble burst in Week 1 of Term 1. The turmoil hasn’t been confined to COVID-19 or to Australia. We look around and see democracy in a fragile state in many parts of the world. This week’s mid-term US elections saw several candidates saying openly, even before polling day that they would refuse to accept a result which didn’t go their way; statements based not on legitimate concerns about a faulty voting system but on a simple refusal to respect the outcome of a democratic process.

I had the privilege recently to meet with Hetty Verolme, a survivor of the Holocaust, now living in Perth.

Western Australia is facing a deepening crisis around Government Regional Officer Housing (GROH), with teachers saying the appalling state of the system is driving many away from the regions and putting others off moving to work in the country

It has been a big year for public educators, but 2022 promises to be even bigger and it will be critical for the SSTUWA and its members to remain strong, united and committed in order to tackle the challenges that will come its way.

SSTUWA membership numbers continue to grow, with member numbers in all categories increasing to give the union just over 17,700 members.

SSTUWA members enthusiastically participated in the Give the Cap the Boot sticker day in October to increase awareness of the union’s General Agreement 2021 negotiations and the Give the Cap the Boot campaign.

Western Australia is facing a deepening crisis around Government Regional Officer Housing (GROH), with teachers saying the appalling state of the system is driving many away from the regions and putting others off moving to work in the country

To ensure members fully understand the application of the Western Australia TAFE Lecturers’ General Agreement, this month’s article will discuss clauses from part 3 – employer and employees’ duties, employment relationship and related arrangements, specifically clauses concerning modes of employment (permanent, fixed-term contract and casual) and part-time work.

Western Australia is facing a deepening crisis around Government Regional Officer Housing (GROH), with teachers saying the appalling state of the system is driving many away from the regions and putting others off moving to work in the country

If you want to teach in a Western Australian education venue, you need to be registered with the Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia (TRBWA).

The Reconciliation in Action (RIA) award recipient for 2021 is Clare Stack, from Broome Senior High School. Clare was named as the RIA recipient at November State Council Conference.

The SSTUWA has asked members who currently, or have in the past, lived in Government Regional Officer Housing (GROH) for their experiences with the scheme.

This edition of Western Teacher incorporates Getting Organised 2022.

The ACTU has welcomed the commitment from Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke to stop employers using the threat of EBA terminations as a bargaining tactic.

The Australian Education Union has warmly welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement of 180,000 fee free TAFE places, made during his Jobs and Skills Summit opening address last month.

An estimated $111 billion can be generated every year by cutting gender inequality at work by half, according to a new report from the ACTU.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says that increasing productivity is a priority for the Labor Government. A key component of increasing productivity is improving workforce knowledge and skills.

The immediacy of today’s vivid news cycle as Russia invades Ukraine has not spared our children. In our youth, caring adults often buffered us from disturbing topics like war, nuclear threats and human cruelty.