Protest in Prospect - Tomorrow!

Our community campaign for Fair Pay, Fair Funding and a Fair Go for public education will see members gathering at the office of Education Minister Jane Lomax-Smith tomorrow. We invite all supporters of public education to attend.

Where: 84 Prospect Rd, Prospect, Office of Jane Lomax-Smith MP.
When : Thursday 17th July, 10.30am sharp.

You may ask why we would rally at Jane’s office…

Despite holding the education portfolio, Minister Jane Lomax-Smith has been conspicuously absent from much of the discussion around our Enterprise Bargaining process. This is of grave concern to the AEU as we believe it’s her duty to promote public education as part of her ministerial portfolio.

AEU members have every right to expect that our Minister would be lobbying on our behalf as part of the EB negotiations. Sadly, this does not seem to be the case. To date, our Minister has promoted EB matters which the AEU believes will significantly disadvantage schools and preschools, such as the proposed Student Centred Resource Funding Model. We can only assume that this is because she has been poorly advised by the Department of Education and Children’s Services as to the impact of this model.

The AEU’s analysis shows that this proposal will:

• create winners and losers with one in three schools facing significant funding cuts

• increase class sizes

• deregulate SSO hours and reclassification structures and have implications for permanency conversions, reclassification and placement.

• increase face to face teaching for Student Counsellors and Teacher Librarians

• reduce the decision making capacity of the Personnel Advisory Committee

• increase workload pressures for leadership

• not quarantine Aboriginal funding

Recently, the AEU met with Ministers Wright, Lomax-Smith and Caica to discuss our frustration at the lack of progress in the negotiations so far, and to impress upon them the need to reach an Enterprise Agreement which will be beneficial to all public education workers in South Australia. Minister Wright facilitated this meeting and the AEU was able to raise our concerns about EB negotiations.

These negotiations will continue and tomorrow’s rally is an important part of our community awareness campaign.

We must ensure that Minister Lomax-Smith plays an active role in lobbying on behalf of public education workers and students. At the rally we will be delivering a signed letter to the Minister which outlines the way in which we expect this to occur.

Make sure your voice is heard tomorrow.

Bring your friends and family. We hope to see you there.