Teachers Dispute

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (15:26): Tomorrow, thousands of teachers will support a half-day stoppage in support of their enterprise bargaining negotiations. The decision to take strike action is a decision that no teacher would take lightly. Teachers have been trying to negotiate for better conditions for many months, but have hit a brick wall with the Marshall Liberal government. The Marshall Liberal government has failed to negotiate in good faith and failed to reach an agreement. This Liberal government has failed teachers, parents and students by allowing negotiations to lapse to this point. The Liberal government allowed the enterprise bargaining process to stall. Indeed, they went one step further and flagged their plans to peel back conditions and funding protections.

Teachers are concerned about class sizes, resources for special needs children, job security, and attracting and retaining teachers in country schools. In failing teachers, the Marshall Liberal government has also failed parents and students. The decision to take industrial action is a decision that no teacher would take lightly but, after a long period of negotiation that has broken down, their hands are being forced. Tomorrow's strike should not have happened. It is happening because the Marshall Liberal government has failed to negotiate in good faith.

Parents of students will now suffer inconvenience. In the community, and certainly on this side of the chamber, we know that teachers are hardworking and dedicated. We also know that they will advocate for the best conditions and funding for every school and every student. The community trusts and respects teachers, and trusts what they have to say. Teachers are in our schools and preschools every day. They know what their school needs and they know what their students need. A world-class and well-resourced education system is pivotal for a lifetime of success and wellbeing for our children.

The former Labor government understood this to be the case, doubling investment in South Australian public schools during our time in office. The former Labor government also stood up for South Australian families by fighting the federal Liberal government's cuts to schools. I understand that a section of the current enterprise agreement, called 'The Commitment', which details funding agreements and conditions that schools and preschools rely upon, is under threat. If this section of the agreement is removed, how can teachers trust the Marshall Liberal government that funding levels will remain the same?

It is disappointing to see that the matter has now reached this point and that teachers feel they have no choice but to take industrial action. The Marshall Liberal government needs to act now in the interests of our children and our community. It is the core responsibility of any state government to ensure that children and young people are supported and that any child who walks through the gates of one of our public preschools or schools has the same funding and support opportunities.

The government needs to listen to what teachers have to say. If they are calling for support to meet the needs of students, the Marshall Liberal government must negotiate and consider these requests. Teachers look after the most precious things in our lives. Every day, we allow them to look after our children—to educate them, bring them up during the day and ensure that they work in a very safe and healthy environment. The least the government can do as a government is to provide them with the respect they deserve and the resources they need to make sure they can do the job that is so important to every one of us in this room, this country and this world, which is to look after our children.