2023-02-22
NSW Greens education spokesperson responds to government’s education performance pay announcement and reports on the inequality in our education system.
Greens Member for Ballina and GNSW spokesperson for Education, Tamara Smith said:
“The Coalition’s plan to ‘future-proof education’ will only see the retention crisis get worse.
“With 10,000 public school teachers needed in NSW over the next decade, and an extreme teacher shortage across the state in the thousands, it is ludicrous that the Perrottet government's answer is performance pay for a few hundred teachers.
“Do your homework, Perrottet.
“The Premier is completely missing the bigger picture - without a focus on ensuring our schools are fully resourced, and teachers being adequately remunerated across the board, children are the ones who will suffer.
“We need to ensure that no matter your postcode you’re able to go to a school that is fully resourced and with teachers who are adequately remunerated and given the respect they deserve.
“Governments have a responsibility to recruit, respect and retain teachers in our public schools. After handing teachers a real wage cut of 6 per cent, and standing by while teachers leave the profession in droves, this government has quite simply failed our kids.
“The major parties must commit to immediately giving all NSW public school teachers a minimum 15% pay rise plus inflation over the next 2 years in order to retain our precious public educators in the profession. Paying a few hundred teachers a bit more will not touch the sides of the teacher shortage.
“This government has failed to produce a workforce strategy in their twelve, long years in government and have no idea how many teachers are even needed over the next decade,” Ms Smith said.
“Teachers have told us through direct action that “Thanks is not enough” to attract and retain the professional teaching force we need across public education in NSW.
“Saying thanks and tinkering with the edges of the crisis in education won’t fix teacher shortages - properly addressing pay and conditions for all of our teachers will,” she said.
“The Gallop Inquiry led by teachers told us that we need a minimum extra 11,000 teachers in NSW over the next 10 years due to significant increase in student enrolments and teacher shortage will worsen.
“The Department of Education’s own research tells us that NSW public school teachers are overworked and underpaid,” Ms Smith said.
Greens NSW Education Policy: https://greens.org.au/nsw/education2023