2021

The State School Teachers’ Union of WA has called for an increased commitment to public education in the lead up to the state election, including employing 500 extra teachers over four years.

As students, teachers, school leaders and other staff head back to regional and remote schools across the State, there are several issues which will follow them into the new school year.

The chaos and uncertainty caused by COVID-19 last year sharply brought into focus several areas of need in the Western Australian public education system.

The State School Teachers’ Union of Western Australia has welcomed the McGowan Government’s $355 million investment in infrastructure at WA schools, but highlighted that the need for additional teaching staff still remains.

The first issue of the union’s flagship publication was published on 15 October 1971.

The Australian Education Union (AEU) is calling on governments across the country to make TAFE their first priority as Australia looks to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic and tackle the country’s skills crisis.

Find out how to lock in the best outcomes for public education through your vote at the 13 March state election. Read the party platforms, our reaction and more.

Children in our public school system struggle with literacy for a range of reasons – anxiety, hunger, mental health concerns, neglect – any of these factors can affect a child’s capacity to learn. The task of identifying and managing the causes of learning difficulties can be complex, something which the proposal to introduce a phonics test in Year 1 fails to recognise.

The Australian Education Union is calling on the federal government to make the education workforce a priority for COVID-19 vaccination.

In 2019, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, a government agency, released a report: Family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia: continuing the national story.

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.

The Australian Education Union would fiercely reject any expansion of the school chaplaincy program, Federal President Correna Haythorpe has warned.

The State School Teachers’ Union of WA supports the position of the ACTU on vaccinations. Vaccinations are widely supported by the union movement as being the best way to avoid ongoing serious health, economic and social disruption from COVID-19 outbreaks.

​On World Teachers' Day, we saw hundreds of members reclaim their staffrooms and take a proper break, as the spotlight was on teacher well-being. We encourage members to continue taking their breaks together when possible and not to work during their lunch breaks.

In this edition of Western Teacher read about the new Every School. Every Child. funding campaign, how public education can combat domestic violence, best practice in early childhood education, National Reconciliation Week and more.

Western Australian public sector unions have formed a new alliance comprising public school teachers and support staff, health workers, prison officers, firefighters, engineers, community service workers and those in our rail system, among others. It will work to reform the WA Government’s wage fixing policy. WA State Wages Policy imposes a cap to increases meaning a decline in real terms for six years for the vast majority of those we rely on to deliver essential health, education, community safety and other services.

Challenging gender stereotypes, embedding positive role-modelling in schools and promoting gender equality are some of the ways the education system can help prevent gender-based violence, according to new reports from anti-domestic violence campaigners Our Watch.

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 AEU is calling on education ministers to urgently develop a national plan for school COVID-19 recovery as a priority agenda item for the education ministers meeting today.

The release today of the Shaping Our Future; A ten-year strategy to ensure a sustainable, high-quality children’s education and care workforce 2022–2031 highlights the critical need for greater investment in TAFE.

Today on Public Education Day, 24 organisations representing millions of Australian parents, teachers and community members have signed an open letter to the Prime Minister calling on him to fix the deep inequity in public school funding.

A new report shows investment in public school capital works would help lift student performance and could generate over $5 billion every year in economic stimulus due to increased employment and improved student outcomes.

Today, more than 150 Indigenous education experts and practitioners who together represent 2,168.5 years of teaching experience, have issued a statement responding to mistruths in relation to the Australian Curriculum review.

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%.

​Children are at risk of being left behind, the Australian Education Union warned, as new OECD data shows Australia’s poor performance on early learning.

Take a Break and reclaim the staffroom. This World Teachers’ Day the SSTUWA will be promoting public educator well-being amongst its members. Attend the staffroom during lunchtime on Friday 29 October We are asking all members to attend the staffroom and to encourage their colleagues to do the same this World Teachers’ Day, Friday 29 October. Reclaim the staffroom for teacher use to take a breather and connect with your colleagues as we put the spotlight on teacher well-being and the need for a proper break on World Teachers’ Day and beyond.

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.

Political leaders should avoid drawing simplistic conclusions from the NAPLAN results released today, according to the Australian Education Union.

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.

Australia’s youngest children are at risk of being left behind due to the ongoing failure of the Federal and some state governments to invest in three-year-old preschool.

Statement from Correna Haythorpe, AEU Federal President. The report in today’s Nine Newspapers, ‘Australia’s top private schools are growing richer and faster than ever’ is clear evidence that for eight long years, the federal government has failed to invest in the resources and infrastructure public schools need to provide the education and support public students deserve.

The Australian Education Union is calling on the federal government to provide clarity on the current COVID-19 vaccination arrangements, the priority group arrangements and the future roll out of the vaccine.

The State School Teachers’ Union of WA is ramping up its campaign against the State Government’s public sector wages cap, as the current teacher shortage threatens to worsen.

The State School Teachers’ Union of WA has today called for teachers to be made a priority for vaccination, in light of the state government’s decision to keep schools open during the four-day lockdown.

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.

New data from the Australian Education Union shows that public schools do not have the resources required to meet the needs of students with disability.

Public school principals and teachers continue to see NAPLAN as ineffective and outdated, according to a new survey conducted by the Australian Education Union.

The State School Teachers’ Union of WA has acknowledged the state government’s removal of its fixed $1,000 wages cap in the Mid-Year Economic Review. The move comes after intense lobbying by the union movement.

International Women's Day is a global day that celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

‘Every school. Every child.’ public school funding campaign launches today

​In this edition of Western Teacher read about building on the key wins secured for SSTUWA members following the March State Election; the banning of NAPLAN performance results publishing; proposed laws that could mandate classroom lesson content and more.

Government funding for private schools increased by six times that for public schools since 2009-10 according to new research by Save Our Schools. SOS National Convenor, Trevor Cobbold, said the heavy bias against public schools is grossly unfair.