Member Federal Election Briefing

Vote#1 for Education

The issues canvassed during the election lead-up have been broad, ranging from pork-barreling, to visionary, to mean spirited and socially regressive.
The IEUA federal executive has highlighted a range of educational, social and industrial issues of particular importance to a progressive education union serving members predominantly in the non-government school sector.

In essence the IEUA sees as core issues in its jurisdiction

School funding model funded for 2018—19 and onwards
Commitment to fund and index Students With Disabilities
Appropriate and adequate funding to Early Childhood Education
AITSL – representation of both IEUA and AEU on AITSL board and AITSL committees
Access to high quality, affordable continuing education
Right of union to apply for “system” enterprise bargaining
Lawful industrial action in “system” enterprise negotiations
Maintenance of current paid parental leave provisions
Right to return to part time work after parental leave
Paid domestic/family violence leave
Priority for indigenous health, education and well being
Humane treatment of Asylum seekers
Requirement on all state governments to meet funding co-commitment funding levels (SA has done this)

These constitute “The Ask” (linked below) which was put to the political parties. The ALP (linked below) and Senator Glenn Lazarus (linked below) replied in a timely manner with the Greens (linked below) only replying recently. The LNP Coalition has not replied.

Whilst recognising that members should and will make their own decisions for their own reasons, I offer the following comments for consideration. When balancing the responses, it is important to bear in mind that the party making the promises will need to have the numbers in both houses. As entertaining as it has been, governing without a workable majority potentially undermines delivery on comprehensive and longer term policy. The LNP Coalition must fail the big test of school funding. On balance the ALP would pip the Greens on the ability to govern and the Xenophon team risks fragmenting into a disparate rabble like the Palmer (dis)United Party did. The Australian Liberty Alliance is antithetical the multi-cultural Australia celebrated in our sector.

See below for links to documents mentioned and various employer, parent & union analyses and commentaries.

Regards
Glen Seidel
Secretary

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