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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 10 Hansard (25 September) . . Page.. 3729 ..

MRS CROSS (continuing):

career. There is a fear that males are sitting ducks in schools, as they can be accused of abuse. Unfortunately, even an accusation is dealt with as meaning the person is guilty.

Any accusation of abuse against a teacher is devastating for the future career of that person. Whilst this may be appropriate if the accusation is accurate, it is upsetting that in this area, as a society, we seem to have lost our ideal of "innocent until proven guilty".

We need to get the message through to males that they need not worry, and that teaching is a wonderful profession. We need males in our schools to provide balance, appropriate role models, mentoring-especially for adolescent boys-and, of course, a male perspective on the academic curriculum. If they approach the job in the way it is expected and the way they have been trained, then they will make a positive contribution to the education system.

The second of the main reasons for the gender imbalance is that of status and pay. Along with many others, I have noticed that, over the years, occupations which become womanised-meaning that many more women move into these occupations-tend to be slowly downgraded in status and remuneration.

This does not mean the pay is reduced. It simply means that other professions or occupations move faster with pay rises-with the end result being that the female-type occupations inevitably end up with a relatively lesser pay level. Many men still believe they are worth more money than women. I have often heard young men say that they would not go into teaching, as the pay is lousy. The minister alluded to that earlier.

There is the other problem of the status of teachers in the community. These days, teachers are often blamed for all of society's ills. Teachers have enormous responsibility for the general education of students. Whenever there is a problem, there are calls for improvements in the education system. There is a constant smattering of blame, and teachers wear the guilt this causes. As a result, a profession that was once held in high esteem by the community is now often viewed in a negative light, which is a great pity.

I have friends who say that, at social occasions, they are embarrassed to admit they are teachers. This is disgraceful and totally unwarranted. This adds to the major problem of encouraging males into the teaching area. We, as a community, need to work together to help upgrade the teaching profession.

I understand from the minister's comments that there are many efforts being made within the education system to do that. We need to fund education appropriately, and I understand that is being done. We need to publicise teaching in a positive light and, most importantly, we need to thank our teachers for their efforts and the contributions they have made. Hopefully, with a more positive approach by the community to teachers, more males will consider entering the profession. For a really great education system, this is what we need and want.

From my experiences, having lived in Europe and worked in Asia, it was a real contrast for me to see-not only growing up but also in my adult life-the diametrically opposed opinions of the teaching profession in those countries, how things became in Australia and how it is today.

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