2021 News

25 November is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. This year's theme is “Orange the World: END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN NOW!”  On this day we call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.  We call on people everywhere to wear the colour orange and take action to end violence against women and girls in every community, at home, in public spaces, in schools and workplaces, during conflict and in times of peace. Violence against women and girls is among the most widespread and devastating human rights’ violations we face. A third of all women and girls [...]

Morrison’s Religious Discrimination Bill Enables Workplace Discrimination The Federal Government continues to polarise and disenfranchise the rights of IEU members who work in faith-based schools. On 25 November 2021, Prime Minister Scott Morrison introduced the Religious Discrimination Bill 2021. This is the third attempt by the Federal Government to amend religious discrimination legislation Do not be misled by the name of this Parliamentary Bill nor the rhetoric that accompanies its propose legislation.  This proposed legislation is purported to be protecting people from discrimination, instead it provides employers with new rights to discriminate.  The Religious Discrimination Bill 2021, if accepted will : [...]

Celebrating World Teachers' Day in Australia Deb James, IEUA President and IEU VICTAS Branch Secretary https://youtu.be/C6aP6qBuV2E

Australia’s education unions have thrown their support behind the School Strike for Climate movement, as students and supporters prepare for a national protest in advance of the Glasgow COP26 climate summit. The three unions, representing nearly 300,000 education workers, support this urgent call from students for a moratorium on new fossil-fuel projects, 100% renewable energy by the end of the decade and the funding of a just transition for fossil-fuel workers. A 2050 target is close to useless without a clear and credible plan to get there. That means cutting fossil-fuel subsidies and investing in the secure jobs of tomorrow, today. [...]

Teachers: Leading in crisis, re-imagining the future….. “Teachers have been absolutely outstanding during these incredibly hard times. Now is the time to stand together because together we have the power to effect real change in the world. We are the teaching and learning profession. If the world is to learn the lessons of the pandemic, teachers must take the lead.” (David Edwards, Education International General Secretary) On World Teachers’ Day, we celebrate and recognise the achievements of the teaching profession. Teachers are taking the lead in crisis to ensure all students can continue their education, under extraordinary circumstances. Teachers in preschool, [...]

Every day unions support members who have been sexually harassed at work According to the Australian Unions survey undertaken in 2018, two in three women and one in three men have experienced sexual harassment. There is a plan to make work safer, especially for women. The landmark Australian Human Rights Commission Respect@Work report has 55 recommendations to create stronger rights to eliminate sexual harassment. The Federal Government sat on this report for over a year before it was forced to act . A Bill was put before the Parliament, cherry-picking some recommendations but ignoring the very ones that would make the [...]

Equal Pay Day this year will be marking the 61 additional days from the end of the previous financial year that women must work to earn the same pay as men. In 2020, the number of additional days was 59. What Is Equal Pay Day? Equal Pay Day marks the additional days from the end of the previous financial year that women, on average, must work to earn the same as men earnt on average that year. It is a symbolic day that helps to raise awareness of the barriers women face in accessing the same financial rewards for their work [...]

The IEUA has made submission into the Quality Initial Teacher Review; particularly highlighting that quality initial teacher education cannot be supported in a situation where staff and schools are considerably time poor and struggling with inadequate resources Background Instead of engaging with IEU members on the issues significantly impacting the profession, the Federal Government has once again sought to make political gain from education policies. On 11 March 2021, the Hon Alan Tudge MP, Australian Government Minister for Education and Youth, delivered a speech which announced his intention to launch a review looking at the next evolution of reforms to initial [...]

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE IEUA, AEU and UWU call upon the Federal Government to prioritise access to vaccination for teachers, educators and support staff in schools and early learning centres to keep these frontline essential workers and those they educate safe. Teachers, Educators and Education Support Staff struggling to get access to vaccination has left schools and early learning centres unsafe, and society without a clear path out of the Covid-19 mess The unions called for the Minister, Greg Hunt, to prioritise access to vaccination for teachers, educators and support staff in schools and early learning centres to keep these frontline essential [...]

On 21 May, students will strike from school to call on the Federal Government to #FundOurFutureNotGas The IEUA has supported past School Strike 4 Climate actions and our members continue to share the deep concerns students have about the health of the planet and their anger at the inaction of policy makers Read more: IEU Speaks on Student Climate Strike 21 May.