❓ The WA Minister for Education criticizes the federal minister's performance-based pay proposals for teachers, highlighting concerns about AWAs and potential wage cuts, while promoting the state's existing system and advocating for support for teachers in remote areas.
AnsweredQoN 265Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TEACHERS - PERFORMANCE-BASED PAY 265. Ms J.A. RADISICH to the Minister for Education and Training: What are the implications for Western Australia of the federal education minister’s latest brainwave regarding performance pay for teachers based on student results? Mr M. McGOWAN
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Swan Hills for the question and I congratulate the Leader of the National Party. I was wondering why he was looking so old, but the reason has become plain! The state government has a very sensible and reasonable policy on performance-based pay for teachers. We reward teachers in an easily verifiable way that reflects their talents and is easily understood by the teaching workforce. Unfortunately, the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training keeps coming out with thought bubbles that she has borrowed from Texas and Tennessee in the deep south of America, where they have not worked. She rolls out these ideas around the country by which she suggests we should consult children about what their teachers should be paid and we should survey members of the community about what their teachers should be paid. However, she has not come out with any concrete proposal, bar one; namely, she said that we should offer Australian workplace agreements to the teaching workforce throughout Australia. The tens of thousands of teachers in our education system in Western Australia should be put onto AWAs, according to the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training. AWAs are now the love that dare not speak its name. A year ago the federal minister said that she wanted our teaching workforce to work under Australian workplace agreements. When she put this idea to the federal Treasurer, he said that he would not provide an additional cent for this program in state schools around the country. He said that teaching, and pay for teachers, was a matter for the state government. When Ms Bishop, the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training was asked about that, she said the following on Lateline on 11 April - . . . if you had a performance pay model that paid some teachers more and other teachers less, well then it could be accommodated within current funding levels. That is code for “some teachers in our state school system would receive a wage cut”. If the federal minister wants to argue that teachers in our state school system should have a wage cut, I will leave that to her. She is on record as saying, firstly, that they should be on AWAs and, secondly, that some of them should receive a pay cut. My view is that we have a sensible system of performance-based pay. Our primary focus should be to reward those teachers who teach in difficult locations and schools. I recently visited a school in Jigalong, and a range of other schools in the state’s north west. I have a lot of sympathy for teachers who go to distant and remote locations. If the commonwealth government wanted to do something to help our teaching workforce, it would assist teachers who do the hard yards in places distant from the metropolitan area with higher education contribution exemptions.
TEACHERS - PERFORMANCE-BASED PAY
What are the implications for Western Australia of the federal education minister’s latest brainwave regarding performance pay for teachers based on student results? Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for Swan Hills for the question and I congratulate the Leader of the National Party. I was wondering why he was looking so old, but the reason has become plain! The state government has a very sensible and reasonable policy on performance-based pay for teachers. We reward teachers in an easily verifiable way that reflects their talents and is easily understood by the teaching workforce. Unfortunately, the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training keeps coming out with thought bubbles that she has borrowed from Texas and Tennessee in the deep south of America, where they have not worked. She rolls out these ideas around the country by which she suggests we should consult children about what their teachers should be paid and we should survey members of the community about what their teachers should be paid. However, she has not come out with any concrete proposal, bar one; namely, she said that we should offer Australian workplace agreements to the teaching workforce throughout Australia. The tens of thousands of teachers in our education system in Western Australia should be put onto AWAs, according to the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training. AWAs are now the love that dare not speak its name. A year ago the federal minister said that she wanted our teaching workforce to work under Australian workplace agreements. When she put this idea to the federal Treasurer, he said that he would not provide an additional cent for this program in state schools around the country. He said that teaching, and pay for teachers, was a matter for the state government. When Ms Bishop, the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training was asked about that, she said the following on Lateline on 11 April - . . . if you had a performance pay model that paid some teachers more and other teachers less, well then it could be accommodated within current funding levels. That is code for “some teachers in our state school system would receive a wage cut”. If the federal minister wants to argue that teachers in our state school system should have a wage cut, I will leave that to her. She is on record as saying, firstly, that they should be on AWAs and, secondly, that some of them should receive a pay cut. My view is that we have a sensible system of performance-based pay. Our primary focus should be to reward those teachers who teach in difficult locations and schools. I recently visited a school in Jigalong, and a range of other schools in the state’s north west. I have a lot of sympathy for teachers who go to distant and remote locations. If the commonwealth government wanted to do something to help our teaching workforce, it would assist teachers who do the hard yards in places distant from the metropolitan area with higher education contribution exemptions.
Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for Swan Hills for the question and I congratulate the Leader of the National Party. I was wondering why he was looking so old, but the reason has become plain! The state government has a very sensible and reasonable policy on performance-based pay for teachers. We reward teachers in an easily verifiable way that reflects their talents and is easily understood by the teaching workforce. Unfortunately, the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training keeps coming out with thought bubbles that she has borrowed from Texas and Tennessee in the deep south of America, where they have not worked. She rolls out these ideas around the country by which she suggests we should consult children about what their teachers should be paid and we should survey members of the community about what their teachers should be paid. However, she has not come out with any concrete proposal, bar one; namely, she said that we should offer Australian workplace agreements to the teaching workforce throughout Australia. The tens of thousands of teachers in our education system in Western Australia should be put onto AWAs, according to the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training. AWAs are now the love that dare not speak its name. A year ago the federal minister said that she wanted our teaching workforce to work under Australian workplace agreements. When she put this idea to the federal Treasurer, he said that he would not provide an additional cent for this program in state schools around the country. He said that teaching, and pay for teachers, was a matter for the state government. When Ms Bishop, the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training was asked about that, she said the following on Lateline on 11 April - . . . if you had a performance pay model that paid some teachers more and other teachers less, well then it could be accommodated within current funding levels. That is code for “some teachers in our state school system would receive a wage cut”. If the federal minister wants to argue that teachers in our state school system should have a wage cut, I will leave that to her. She is on record as saying, firstly, that they should be on AWAs and, secondly, that some of them should receive a pay cut. My view is that we have a sensible system of performance-based pay. Our primary focus should be to reward those teachers who teach in difficult locations and schools. I recently visited a school in Jigalong, and a range of other schools in the state’s north west. I have a lot of sympathy for teachers who go to distant and remote locations. If the commonwealth government wanted to do something to help our teaching workforce, it would assist teachers who do the hard yards in places distant from the metropolitan area with higher education contribution exemptions.
I thank the member for Swan Hills for the question and I congratulate the Leader of the National Party. I was wondering why he was looking so old, but the reason has become plain! The state government has a very sensible and reasonable policy on performance-based pay for teachers. We reward teachers in an easily verifiable way that reflects their talents and is easily understood by the teaching workforce. Unfortunately, the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training keeps coming out with thought bubbles that she has borrowed from Texas and Tennessee in the deep south of America, where they have not worked. She rolls out these ideas around the country by which she suggests we should consult children about what their teachers should be paid and we should survey members of the community about what their teachers should be paid. However, she has not come out with any concrete proposal, bar one; namely, she said that we should offer Australian workplace agreements to the teaching workforce throughout Australia. The tens of thousands of teachers in our education system in Western Australia should be put onto AWAs, according to the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training. AWAs are now the love that dare not speak its name. A year ago the federal minister said that she wanted our teaching workforce to work under Australian workplace agreements. When she put this idea to the federal Treasurer, he said that he would not provide an additional cent for this program in state schools around the country. He said that teaching, and pay for teachers, was a matter for the state government. When Ms Bishop, the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training was asked about that, she said the following on Lateline on 11 April - . . . if you had a performance pay model that paid some teachers more and other teachers less, well then it could be accommodated within current funding levels. That is code for “some teachers in our state school system would receive a wage cut”. If the federal minister wants to argue that teachers in our state school system should have a wage cut, I will leave that to her. She is on record as saying, firstly, that they should be on AWAs and, secondly, that some of them should receive a pay cut. My view is that we have a sensible system of performance-based pay. Our primary focus should be to reward those teachers who teach in difficult locations and schools. I recently visited a school in Jigalong, and a range of other schools in the state’s north west. I have a lot of sympathy for teachers who go to distant and remote locations. If the commonwealth government wanted to do something to help our teaching workforce, it would assist teachers who do the hard yards in places distant from the metropolitan area with higher education contribution exemptions.
The state government has a very sensible and reasonable policy on performance-based pay for teachers. We reward teachers in an easily verifiable way that reflects their talents and is easily understood by the teaching workforce. Unfortunately, the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training keeps coming out with thought bubbles that she has borrowed from Texas and Tennessee in the deep south of America, where they have not worked. She rolls out these ideas around the country by which she suggests we should consult children about what their teachers should be paid and we should survey members of the community about what their teachers should be paid. However, she has not come out with any concrete proposal, bar one; namely, she said that we should offer Australian workplace agreements to the teaching workforce throughout Australia. The tens of thousands of teachers in our education system in Western Australia should be put onto AWAs, according to the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training. AWAs are now the love that dare not speak its name. A year ago the federal minister said that she wanted our teaching workforce to work under Australian workplace agreements. When she put this idea to the federal Treasurer, he said that he would not provide an additional cent for this program in state schools around the country. He said that teaching, and pay for teachers, was a matter for the state government. When Ms Bishop, the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training was asked about that, she said the following on Lateline on 11 April - . . . if you had a performance pay model that paid some teachers more and other teachers less, well then it could be accommodated within current funding levels. That is code for “some teachers in our state school system would receive a wage cut”. If the federal minister wants to argue that teachers in our state school system should have a wage cut, I will leave that to her. She is on record as saying, firstly, that they should be on AWAs and, secondly, that some of them should receive a pay cut. My view is that we have a sensible system of performance-based pay. Our primary focus should be to reward those teachers who teach in difficult locations and schools. I recently visited a school in Jigalong, and a range of other schools in the state’s north west. I have a lot of sympathy for teachers who go to distant and remote locations. If the commonwealth government wanted to do something to help our teaching workforce, it would assist teachers who do the hard yards in places distant from the metropolitan area with higher education contribution exemptions.
TEACHERS - PERFORMANCE-BASED PAY
What are the implications for Western Australia of the federal education minister’s latest brainwave regarding performance pay for teachers based on student results? Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for Swan Hills for the question and I congratulate the Leader of the National Party. I was wondering why he was looking so old, but the reason has become plain! The state government has a very sensible and reasonable policy on performance-based pay for teachers. We reward teachers in an easily verifiable way that reflects their talents and is easily understood by the teaching workforce. Unfortunately, the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training keeps coming out with thought bubbles that she has borrowed from Texas and Tennessee in the deep south of America, where they have not worked. She rolls out these ideas around the country by which she suggests we should consult children about what their teachers should be paid and we should survey members of the community about what their teachers should be paid. However, she has not come out with any concrete proposal, bar one; namely, she said that we should offer Australian workplace agreements to the teaching workforce throughout Australia. The tens of thousands of teachers in our education system in Western Australia should be put onto AWAs, according to the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training. AWAs are now the love that dare not speak its name. A year ago the federal minister said that she wanted our teaching workforce to work under Australian workplace agreements. When she put this idea to the federal Treasurer, he said that he would not provide an additional cent for this program in state schools around the country. He said that teaching, and pay for teachers, was a matter for the state government. When Ms Bishop, the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training was asked about that, she said the following on Lateline on 11 April - . . . if you had a performance pay model that paid some teachers more and other teachers less, well then it could be accommodated within current funding levels. That is code for “some teachers in our state school system would receive a wage cut”. If the federal minister wants to argue that teachers in our state school system should have a wage cut, I will leave that to her. She is on record as saying, firstly, that they should be on AWAs and, secondly, that some of them should receive a pay cut. My view is that we have a sensible system of performance-based pay. Our primary focus should be to reward those teachers who teach in difficult locations and schools. I recently visited a school in Jigalong, and a range of other schools in the state’s north west. I have a lot of sympathy for teachers who go to distant and remote locations. If the commonwealth government wanted to do something to help our teaching workforce, it would assist teachers who do the hard yards in places distant from the metropolitan area with higher education contribution exemptions.
Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for Swan Hills for the question and I congratulate the Leader of the National Party. I was wondering why he was looking so old, but the reason has become plain! The state government has a very sensible and reasonable policy on performance-based pay for teachers. We reward teachers in an easily verifiable way that reflects their talents and is easily understood by the teaching workforce. Unfortunately, the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training keeps coming out with thought bubbles that she has borrowed from Texas and Tennessee in the deep south of America, where they have not worked. She rolls out these ideas around the country by which she suggests we should consult children about what their teachers should be paid and we should survey members of the community about what their teachers should be paid. However, she has not come out with any concrete proposal, bar one; namely, she said that we should offer Australian workplace agreements to the teaching workforce throughout Australia. The tens of thousands of teachers in our education system in Western Australia should be put onto AWAs, according to the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training. AWAs are now the love that dare not speak its name. A year ago the federal minister said that she wanted our teaching workforce to work under Australian workplace agreements. When she put this idea to the federal Treasurer, he said that he would not provide an additional cent for this program in state schools around the country. He said that teaching, and pay for teachers, was a matter for the state government. When Ms Bishop, the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training was asked about that, she said the following on Lateline on 11 April - . . . if you had a performance pay model that paid some teachers more and other teachers less, well then it could be accommodated within current funding levels. That is code for “some teachers in our state school system would receive a wage cut”. If the federal minister wants to argue that teachers in our state school system should have a wage cut, I will leave that to her. She is on record as saying, firstly, that they should be on AWAs and, secondly, that some of them should receive a pay cut. My view is that we have a sensible system of performance-based pay. Our primary focus should be to reward those teachers who teach in difficult locations and schools. I recently visited a school in Jigalong, and a range of other schools in the state’s north west. I have a lot of sympathy for teachers who go to distant and remote locations. If the commonwealth government wanted to do something to help our teaching workforce, it would assist teachers who do the hard yards in places distant from the metropolitan area with higher education contribution exemptions.
I thank the member for Swan Hills for the question and I congratulate the Leader of the National Party. I was wondering why he was looking so old, but the reason has become plain! The state government has a very sensible and reasonable policy on performance-based pay for teachers. We reward teachers in an easily verifiable way that reflects their talents and is easily understood by the teaching workforce. Unfortunately, the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training keeps coming out with thought bubbles that she has borrowed from Texas and Tennessee in the deep south of America, where they have not worked. She rolls out these ideas around the country by which she suggests we should consult children about what their teachers should be paid and we should survey members of the community about what their teachers should be paid. However, she has not come out with any concrete proposal, bar one; namely, she said that we should offer Australian workplace agreements to the teaching workforce throughout Australia. The tens of thousands of teachers in our education system in Western Australia should be put onto AWAs, according to the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training. AWAs are now the love that dare not speak its name. A year ago the federal minister said that she wanted our teaching workforce to work under Australian workplace agreements. When she put this idea to the federal Treasurer, he said that he would not provide an additional cent for this program in state schools around the country. He said that teaching, and pay for teachers, was a matter for the state government. When Ms Bishop, the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training was asked about that, she said the following on Lateline on 11 April - . . . if you had a performance pay model that paid some teachers more and other teachers less, well then it could be accommodated within current funding levels. That is code for “some teachers in our state school system would receive a wage cut”. If the federal minister wants to argue that teachers in our state school system should have a wage cut, I will leave that to her. She is on record as saying, firstly, that they should be on AWAs and, secondly, that some of them should receive a pay cut. My view is that we have a sensible system of performance-based pay. Our primary focus should be to reward those teachers who teach in difficult locations and schools. I recently visited a school in Jigalong, and a range of other schools in the state’s north west. I have a lot of sympathy for teachers who go to distant and remote locations. If the commonwealth government wanted to do something to help our teaching workforce, it would assist teachers who do the hard yards in places distant from the metropolitan area with higher education contribution exemptions.
The state government has a very sensible and reasonable policy on performance-based pay for teachers. We reward teachers in an easily verifiable way that reflects their talents and is easily understood by the teaching workforce. Unfortunately, the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training keeps coming out with thought bubbles that she has borrowed from Texas and Tennessee in the deep south of America, where they have not worked. She rolls out these ideas around the country by which she suggests we should consult children about what their teachers should be paid and we should survey members of the community about what their teachers should be paid. However, she has not come out with any concrete proposal, bar one; namely, she said that we should offer Australian workplace agreements to the teaching workforce throughout Australia. The tens of thousands of teachers in our education system in Western Australia should be put onto AWAs, according to the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training. AWAs are now the love that dare not speak its name. A year ago the federal minister said that she wanted our teaching workforce to work under Australian workplace agreements. When she put this idea to the federal Treasurer, he said that he would not provide an additional cent for this program in state schools around the country. He said that teaching, and pay for teachers, was a matter for the state government. When Ms Bishop, the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training was asked about that, she said the following on Lateline on 11 April - . . . if you had a performance pay model that paid some teachers more and other teachers less, well then it could be accommodated within current funding levels. That is code for “some teachers in our state school system would receive a wage cut”. If the federal minister wants to argue that teachers in our state school system should have a wage cut, I will leave that to her. She is on record as saying, firstly, that they should be on AWAs and, secondly, that some of them should receive a pay cut. My view is that we have a sensible system of performance-based pay. Our primary focus should be to reward those teachers who teach in difficult locations and schools. I recently visited a school in Jigalong, and a range of other schools in the state’s north west. I have a lot of sympathy for teachers who go to distant and remote locations. If the commonwealth government wanted to do something to help our teaching workforce, it would assist teachers who do the hard yards in places distant from the metropolitan area with higher education contribution exemptions.
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