News

An urgent investment in public school funding is required now more than ever to ensure students are not educationally disadvantaged as a result of COVID-19, the Australian Education Union has recommended in their pre-budget submission.

The State School Teachers’ Union of WA is pleased that members will now be able to access COVID leave immediately if needed, with the requirement to first exhaust other forms of leave now being lifted.

The State School Teachers’ Union of WA says school principals across the state are grappling with how to implement new COVID protocols in schools after receiving very little notice the changes were coming into effect.

The outbreak of COVID-19 in schools has caused confusion among parents and the community, and anxiety among education staff.

The 2022 Report on Government Services released today by the Productivity Commission shows the extent of the Morrison Government’s failure to fairly and adequately resource public education.

The SSTUWA is pleased the state government has finally outlined its plans for the return of school next week; however the union will seek more details from the Minister regarding parts of the plan. SSTUWA president Pat Byrne said there were still some areas of concern for members.

Workers’ wages in Australia are more than remaining dismally stagnant – they are in fact going backwards in real terms. The latest Wage Price Index data released today shows that real wages have fallen by 2.1% over the last 12 months. In this quarter, wages growth has been only 0.4%, while inflation in Australia has increased to 3.8%.

Critical industries like childcare, ICT, carpentry and plumbing are at risk of significant workforce shortages, which would undermine the strength of Australia’s COVID-19 economic recovery according to the Australian Education Union.

The National Cabinet should prioritise investment for every child to attend two years of preschool, in the same way Australian governments provide universal primary and secondary education.

Western Australia’s economy is handling the impacts of COVID-19 better than anyone anticipated and we’re expecting a multi-billion dollar surplus in the next budget. But at the same time that our economy is booming, education funding per child is falling and teachers’ wages are stagnant.

The State School Teachers’ Union has today launched a campaign calling for an end to the cap on wages for public school teachers and lecturers.