Last Friday the NSWPPA Executive, along with many of you, attended the NSW Teachers Federation Conference. We were in the room to hear the newly elected Deputy Premier | Minister for Education Hon. Prue Car, Federal Minister for Education Jason Clare, and Teacher Federation President Angelo Gavrielatos open by acknowledging the challenges ahead by identifying the key election commitments.

Minister Car’s messaging and commitment to action was on three fronts: -

• Salaries
• Workload and conditions
• Insecure work and permanency in the workforce.

Again, I heard Minister Car state ‘pay is a function of respect’. She continued by committing to rebuild the trust and demonstrate respect for those in the education workforce.

She spoke to wage maintenance for those principals’ who securing positions at one classification retaining that classification for their tenure and the school only being reclassified if necessary, when the position becomes vacant and advertised at the new classification. This announcement has   l o n g   been advocated for by the NSWPPA Executive. This is a significant announcement for our job security and recognition of what’s right and just. I acknowledge the commitment the PPA Executive has invested in this space on behalf of our colleagues. There is much work to be done in Principal Classification – this is a small but significant piece of work.

The Minister spoke to the review of the Behaviour Strategy |IER Reform and framed it around the environment required in schools to feel safe to teach in and deliver structured focused learning. The behaviour and suspension policies will be reviewed.

Of significance too, after 30 years of campaigning, both State and Federal Education Ministers publicly agreed that their commitment was to deliver on the full 100% SRS. We are optimistic we will see this reflected in the next agreement.

A | Secretary Murat Dizdar was in the room in this session as were members of the NSWSPC Executive. There is no doubt there is much to do and it will take time – the commitment to action has been announced. We will be at the table in the initial stages on all fronts as stated by the A | Secretary. That work has already commenced.

There was a real sense of hope and optimism in the room – Minister Prue Car was given a standing ovation.