Vic teachers take action June 19
Date: 30 May 2001
Victorian teachers believe the State Budget has failed to invest to adequately invest in public education
The Trades Hall Council Executive has strongly supported the concerns of the Australian Education Union over the recent State Budget. The Executive expressed its unanimous support for the June 19 Stopwork and Community Rally. Each affiliate of the Trades Hall will urge its delegates and members to attend.
In particular the Trades Hall Council Executive was concerned that efforts to rebuild public education, particular in Upper Primary, Secondary Schools and TAFE was not
maintained in this year's state budget. Trades Hall Council Secretary Leigh Hubbard said:
"While the capital expenditure in schools and TAFEs is welcomed we really need more
teachers in the classroom. The AEU sought a very modest amount in this year's budget,
totalling less than $50 million. In the context of a proposed budget surplus of $510 million the unions approach was very responsible and the government's approach is hard to fathom".
Mr Hubbard said that the union movement was particularly concerned about the attacks
on the AEU and its President Mary Bluett. "The Executive condemned the Premier's
statements that the union had gone missing in action during the Kennett years. Our
experience is that the AEU had a very proud history during the Kennett years, taking
action on no less than 33 occasions - 18 of these directly against the Kennett government education or budget policies. To say that the AEU was missing in action is ludicrous, given that it was the AEU which almost single handedly made public
education a major election issue in 1999. The government should be thankful that the hard work of the AEU was a major factor in the demise of the Kennett government."
Leigh Hubbard also said that the Trades Hall acknowledged the positive approach of the
budget towards health, science and technology, infrastructure and transport, but that
made the budget decisions around education even harder to understand. "The government proposes a $509 million budget surplus in the next financial year and every credible commentator believes that the final figure will be much higher than that. For the sake of $40 million the government has risked not only union, but community anger, on
the issue of public education. The Trades Hall calls on the government to hold immediate
talks with the AEU and as Secretary I would be willing to play a role in bringing the parties together. This stand off is ludicrous from everybody's point of view".
For further information
| Contact: |
Mary Bluett, AEU
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| Union: |
Victorian Trades Hall Council - OHS Unit
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| Fax: |
03 9418 4999
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| WWW: |
http://www.vthc.org.au
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