Page 2070 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 25 October 1989
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course is a decision which has been made by the school board.
Teacher Transfers
MR COLLAERY: My question is directed again to the Minister for Industry, Employment and Education, but I do not need a lengthy answer. Mr Whalan, is it true that under the so-called teacher mobility edict that has been brought forward by your Department of Education, 77 of our senior and most excellent teaching staff in the system have been identified for compulsory transfer and that 60 have been identified for transfer at relatively short notice? Is it true that 30 such persons affected have met and discussed the issues, that a delegation has gone off to the department, and that there is widespread concern amongst that very excellent, skilled, professional and dedicated group of senior teachers at this move? Would you assure the house that you will review that edict and put justice, consultation and equity ahead of other motives?
MR WHALAN: I thank Mr Collaery for the question and I promise to keep the answer no longer than the question. There is a proposal for a mobility program in the school system in the ACT for teachers who have served for long periods in one particular school. I understand that 30 of those teachers who have been identified as being potential transferees as a result of the mobility program have had a meeting. I did have a meeting with one of the teachers who attended that meeting and he outlined some of the concerns expressed by the teachers at that particular meeting.
The first point that I would like to emphasise is that this is a policy which was arrived at after extensive negotiation between the Education Department and the representative organisation of all teachers in the ACT government school system. That representative organisation is the ACT Teachers Federation. The ACT Teachers Federation in turn - and I have checked this - has had that policy endorsed by a general meeting of the ACT Teachers Federation. One can only assume then that this is a policy which is acceptable to the teaching profession in the ACT.
Minister's Fan Club
MR MOORE: My question is also directed to the Minister for Industry, Employment and Education, and I refer to the report by Marion Frith in today's Canberra Times about Paul Whalan fan club badges being provided to SES officers by the Department of Industry's PR section. Has the cost of these badges been charged to the expense of office allowance of the SES officers concerned, or has it been met by the department? If there has been any cost borne by the public purse in relation to this merry little joke, will
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