Home About the IEU About the IEUA Branch Contact Details IEUA Archives News IEU in the news IEU in the news - Canberra Times - Fears funding cuts loom for private schools, 8 Sept 2011 Gonski review should recognise fundamental funding basics Policy & Submissions Submissons IEU Submissions Submission to Productivity Commission inquiry - School Workforce Policies IEU Policies The IEUA Speaks Education IEU Education Accomplished Teaching Pay and conditions IEU Industrial Wages Report Publications Independent Education magazine Social Justice Human Rights & Equity Australia needs a new approach to asylum seekers and refugees Indigenous Education Watch Education Watch Education Watch - US study finds teacher bonuses not the answer. EI 6th World Congress Grant news - IEU welcomes new round of successful Solar Schools program Cooperation Not Competition RSS Get news via an RSS feed		2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 School Funding Review Pay Equity Inquiry - 2 September IEUA believes that the single greatest factor impeding achievement of equal pay in Australia has been the failure to carry out the investigations of the nature and value of women's work. Unless this is done, pay equity will never be achieved writes Assistant Secretary Christine Cooper in the IEUA submission to the Pay Equity Inquiry. more Pyne Urged to Support Bill Immediately - 4 December 2008 IEUA Federal President Dick Shearman urges members to email federal Opposition Education spokesperson Mr Christopher Pyne MP to immediately support the Schools Assistance Bill. more 144,000 Jobs at Risk - 1 December 2008 The Senate must immediately pass the Schools Assistance Bill without further delay or put at risk over 144,000 jobs in the non-government school sector, writes Chris Watt, Federal Secretary of the Independent Education Union of Australia. more IEUA Challenge to COAG Ministers - 27 November 2008 Ministers at this weekend's COAG meeting need to seize the opportunity and commit adequate resources, a supportive and collegial environment and professional compensation for teachers to continue to develop quality teaching in Australian schools writes IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt more Australian parents warned by New York parents - 25 November 2008 Despite chancellor Klein's positive spin-doctoring the fact is that New York school parents don't think his model is all that flash, writes IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt. more Still A Long Way to Go - 25 November 2008 "While the Rudd Labor Government's new industrial laws stops the rot of WorkChoices and begins to turn the tide there is still a significant volume of 'workers rights' yet to be returned. This legislation is but a small step in the right direction" says IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt more Klein's NY model not right for Australia - 24 November 2008 While the New York model of ranking schools might sound attractive to some, first-hand experiences of front-line educators reveal a flawed system in which students with greatest need attract least support, writes IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt. more Children Can't Afford Another ABC - 18 November 2008 The Federal Government should provide free early childhood education and greater subsidies to enable not-for-profit centres to fill the gaps left by ABC Learning, says Chris Watt, Federal Secretary of the Independent Education Union of Australia, the early childhood education union. more Schools Assistance Bill - 17 November 2008 The Federal Government's Schools Assistance Bill requires urgent passage, says IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt, to ensure certainty for workers employed in non-government schools. more National Paid Parental Leave Supported - 14 November 2008 The IEUA strongly supports the establishment of a national system of paid support for the primary care giver writes IEUA Assistant Federal Secretary Christine Cooper in the union's submission to the Productivity Commission Paid Parental Leave - Support for Parents with New Born Children. more School Funding Requires Certainty - 16 October 2008 "In the current economic climate, now is the time for certainty, not for political point scoring" said Chris Watt, Federal Secretary of the Independent Education Union of Australia. more World Teachers Day 2008 - Teachers Matter! - 4 October 2008 Governments the world over must address the dramatic shortage of qualified teachers if they are to meet the social and economic challenges of the knowledge society, according to Education International, the global union federation representing 30 million teachers around the world. more Early Childhood Education - 23 September 2008 The IEUA has forwarded its submission to the Productivity Agenda Working Group on the proposed National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care, which will provide high quality education and care to all Australian children and give parents more information about their child care centre or preschool. more Council of Pacific Education - 12 September 2008 The 18th Biennial Conference and Roundtable of COPE was held in Fiji on 18-22 August. The theme was Improving the status of teachers and promoting children's rights to a quality education. The Communique can be read here. more ABCC's inappropriate power - 9 September 2008 The ABCC has been given extraordinary powers that exceed even those given to police in investigating major crimes. The ABCC's powers cannot even be described as police powers because they go far beyond what the police have been given. (excerpt from Prf George Williams address to the National Press Club) more Public Reporting School Performance - 29 August 2008 There has been a flurry of commentary following the Prime Minister's address to the National Press Club where he canvassed 'new rules' for schools. And yet the Prime Minister's 'revolutionary' agenda is not really all that novel. IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt looks at the issues that need to be acknowledged and addressed. more Let's Get School Accountability Right - 28 August 2008 Unless we get school accountability right we run the very real risk of perpetuating the same negative outcomes that have been experienced in other countries as a consequence of 'public reporting' writes IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt. more Sex Discrimination Act Inquiry - 13 August 2008 In its submission to the Inquiry into the Effectiveness of the Commonwealth Sex Discrimination Act, the IEUA calls for the strengthening of provisions within the Act to empower HREOC to enquire into regulate ,monitor and enforce legislative responsibilities to prevent systemic discrimination and promote equality more Student Reporting and School Development - 11 August 2008 There is no question that 'what works' in different schools should be shared, especially when it comes to critical areas like literacy and numeracy. But we must not forget that the central purpose of student assessment in schools is to gather, analyse and reflect on evidence in order to make informed and consistent judgments aimed at bringing about improvement in student learning more Accomplished Teaching - 4 August 2008 The development of an integrated career structure for teachers that recognizes and rewards accomplished teachers should reflect the work currently underway in Australia around accomplished teacher standards, including the work of teacher registration authorities and subject associations. more Building Industry Watchdog Denies Human Rights - 30 July 2008 Another 18 months of the Building Industry Watchdog will only provide for further potential of denial of human rights. Building workers don't need a review, they need rights like all other Australians, writes IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt. more National OHS Review - 25 July 2008 The IEUA submission to the National OHS Review strongly argues that the Federal Government's review of Australia's OHS laws must deliver the highest standards of protection for workers and supports the submission made by the ACTU more World Indigenous People's Conference - 23 July 2008 The triennial World Indigenous People's Conference will this year be held in Melbourne, with more than 4000 participants from over 18 countries expected to attend. The IEUA is co-hosting a pre-conference seminar. more Time for a Genuine Big Step - 20 June 2008 Early Childhood Teachers must be paid the same rates of pay, and should be entitled to the same working conditions, as primary school teachers, writes IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt. more Paid Maternity, Paternity and Parental Leave - 30 May 2008 The IEUA strongly supports the establishment of a national system of paid support for the primary care giver funded by government and employers. While recognising the ILO standard for a minimum of 14 weeks, the IEUA believes that a longer period of leave is more appropriate in providing time for the care of the mother's wellbeing and care and support for the development of the child and thus supports six months (26 weeks) of paid leave. more Quality Education For All - 29 May 2008 The IEUA welcomes the commitment by the Federal Education Minister to a conversation about education in Australia to ensure that all students, irrespecitve of where the live or which school system they attend, have access to quality education and quality teaching. more Indigenous Education - Funding Comments Nonsense - 23 May 2008 It is patently untrue to say that Aboriginal students in government schools have their funding capped at 70 per cent less than those in non-government schools, writes IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt more Budget Targets Indigenous Education - 15 May 2008 "Increased resources and support are a long overdue national priority in indigenous education and the 2008 budget announcements are a welcome sign that the government is prepared to back up its Apology statement" said IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt more Funding for Early Childhood Teachers - 14 May 2008 "We know that good quality early child care and education sets the right foundation for children's further development," said Chris Watt, Federal Secretary Independent Education Union of Australia, the union representing early childhood teachers in the non-government sector. more School Funding Welcomed in Budget - 14 May 2008 The IEUA welcomes the certainty arising from the Federal Government's commitment to non-government school funding in the federal budget. more National Tests Reporting - 13 May 2008 The primary purpose of national testing should be to inform teaching-learning and provide advice to parents, not the creation of 'league tables' writes IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt. more National Testing Ban - 21 April 2008 The IEUA is calling on all teachers to impose a nationwide ban on the completion of the declaration of 'close relations' states Federal Secretary Chris Watt more Student Reporting - 16 April 2008 "The IEUA rejects ranking of students and schools according to test scores and in particular opposes the establishment of 'league tables' in any manifestation" writes IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt more Teacher Education Accreditation - 16 April 2008 While the establishment of an Australian Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education is worthy of consideration and reflects the need to further progress work already underway, Teaching Australia is not the appropriate body to represent teachers and principals on the Interim Council writes IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt. more Charter for Teachers - 31 March 2008 After consultation and consideration by its membership several years ago, the IEUA produced and distributed a Charter for Teachers that remains potent and relevant today more Teaching is not a Last Ditch Option - 28 March 2008 IEUA Federal Secretary writes that many school leavers with some of the highest tertiary entry scores continue to choose teaching as a career and he is fearful that the Opposition's latest comments are simply a political exercise at the expense of the profession. more Respect the Profession - 26 March 2008 IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt writes that "the future of the school funding debate and more broadly the structure and role of schools in our communities should be noted by considered opinions and not punctuated by the divisive debates of the past and should certainly not demean the profession" more White flight - from where? to where? - 26 March 2008 "There are monocultural public schools in largely 'white' areas and multicultural private schools. It is primarily about demographics not the public/private divide" writes IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt more A Breath of Fresh Air - 17 March 2008 The IEUA has long supported the need to reform the current federal government school funding arrangements. "Deputy Prime Minister Gillard's recent comments are a breath of fresh air" said Chris Watt IEUA Federal Secretary. more An Opportunity Not To Be Missed - 11 March 2008 The 2008 Federal Budget is a genuine opportunity to recast the funding of education programs based on inclusion, targeting need, educational research and reports writes IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt more International Women's Day - More Yet to be Done - 6 March 2008 One hundred years ago 15,000 women marched in the streets of New York City demanding shorter working hours, better pay and voting rights. more A Bouquet for School Teachers and Support Staff - 28 February 2008 The ABS figures on school enrolments in 2007 indicate a continuing trend of increased enrolments in the non-government school sector more An Education Revolution? - 13 February 2008 While the Federal Government has "named" its education agenda an "Education Revolution" a fundamental question might be: "is it?". IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt explores the issue in an article at Online Opinion. more Stolen Generations Apology - 11 February 2008 The Federal Government's Apology to the Stolen Generations is an important and necessary step in the Reconciliation process in this country says IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt more School Funding - Certainty, Transparency, Accountability - 6 February 2008 The recent report by Andrew Dowling from ACER argues that the arrangements for the funding of schools in Australia require urgent reform. The IEUA has long supported the need to reform the current federal government SES funding model says Chris Watt more Where are the Teachers? - 4 February 2008 Where are the experts from the chalkface on the National Curriculum Board? asks IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt more Accomplished Teachers - 22 January 2008 "Accomplished teachers in Australia deserve both recognition and reward for the outstanding quality of their work" said Independent Education Union Federal Secretary Chris Watt more Get Serious: Resource Indigenous Education - 18 January 2008 "Noel Pearson's plan to recruit both experienced teachers and graduates to work in disadvantaged Indigenous communities is worthy of support and should be made a national priority" says Independent Education Union Federal Secretary Chris Watt. more