❓ Mr. Cook questions Premier Barnett regarding potential redundancies of education assistants, referencing conflicting statements made before and after an enterprise agreement. The Premier defends the need for reducing surplus positions due to a previous policy.
AnsweredQoN 535Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
EDUCATION ASSISTANTS — REDUNDANCIES —
PREMIER'S COMMENTS
535. Mr R.H. COOK to the Premier:
I refer to the Premier's comments yesterday in which he denied
that the hundred people he referred to who would be affected by the new forced
redundancy provisions included education assistants. Would the Premier please
explain his comments on ABC radio in December 2013, when asked about the
Workplace Reform Bill, when he said —
''It's a small number of people, perhaps 100
maybe � up to 200. That will not impact on members of United Voice.''
As the Premier knows, education assistants are represented by United
Voice. Why did the Premier enter into an enterprise agreement, just prior to
the state election, with education assistants that included a provision that
they would not be subject to forced redundancies if, as he said yesterday, it
was clear that we were reducing the number of teacher assistants?
PREMIER'S COMMENTS
535. Mr R.H. COOK to the Premier:
I refer to the Premier's comments yesterday in which he denied
that the hundred people he referred to who would be affected by the new forced
redundancy provisions included education assistants. Would the Premier please
explain his comments on ABC radio in December 2013, when asked about the
Workplace Reform Bill, when he said —
''It's a small number of people, perhaps 100
maybe � up to 200. That will not impact on members of United Voice.''
As the Premier knows, education assistants are represented by United
Voice. Why did the Premier enter into an enterprise agreement, just prior to
the state election, with education assistants that included a provision that
they would not be subject to forced redundancies if, as he said yesterday, it
was clear that we were reducing the number of teacher assistants?
AnswerView source ↗
As I said yesterday, the number of teacher assistants employed is
significantly above what is required. It was the policy of a previous
government to give permanency to teacher assistants regardless of whether the
child with a disability was still at the school. That has resulted in a surplus
number of teacher assistants. I do not think anyone expects people to be
employed on a permanent basis at a school where there is no job.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : The correspondence that went to teacher
assistants in the last few days explained the process and urged teacher
assistants, if they had not already done so, that if their position was
abolished, they should apply for redeployment and that every effort would be
made to redeploy them in the government sector. That is where the situation is
at.
significantly above what is required. It was the policy of a previous
government to give permanency to teacher assistants regardless of whether the
child with a disability was still at the school. That has resulted in a surplus
number of teacher assistants. I do not think anyone expects people to be
employed on a permanent basis at a school where there is no job.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : The correspondence that went to teacher
assistants in the last few days explained the process and urged teacher
assistants, if they had not already done so, that if their position was
abolished, they should apply for redeployment and that every effort would be
made to redeploy them in the government sector. That is where the situation is
at.
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