Latest news

IEU member Krystina Dawe attended the Australia and New Zealand Education Law Association (ANZELA) Conference last month in Sydney as a part of the IEU Women in Leadership group. The group is an IEUA initiative to develop women into leadership roles within the Union movement by providing opportunities for women to participate in and gain a better understanding of the role of the Union in the Industrial sphere.

The ANZELA Conference was attended by a range of professionals from the fields of both Education and Law who spoke about different aspects of their field and how they overlap. As someone who works in education I was most interested in the legalities behind decision making, inclusive practices, and ways to keep staff and students safe. Many of the presentations included practical aspects, however, it was equally interesting to hear from speakers who addressed more sensitive topics such as the findings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The diversity of speakers and topics is what makes ANZELA such a valuable and unique form of professional engagement. The sessions, which included a panel of guest who were asked questions, allowed for productive dialogue between those in education and those in law. This gave insight into the different perspectives of the same situation.

Key concepts that stood out for me from the presentations:

• • Just when you think you know something, you need to look at it another way to come at situations from different perspectives.
• • The experiences of those in the leadership positions were very engaging. Hearing about the challenges that these leaders face daily and the ways in which they make their decisions varied quite dramatically. The impact of having one stable person in the early years being a predictor of success later in life stood out amongst many of the speakers. How does this translate to the role of educators? What affect am I currently having on those in my care/classroom/school?
• • I was challenged to examine my own practices and ideas surrounding risk management, the use of social media, current terminology and authentically inclusive school practices.
• • I was surprised by the number of people who had a career in either law or education and, for whatever reason, had changed to the other. Those I spoke with who had made this career change found that the familiarity with the other area came to be great benefit to their current area of expertise.