❓ The Minister for Education and Training outlines the salary possibilities for first-year teachers under the government's enterprise bargaining agreement offer, including potential increases and allowances for remote or difficult-to-staff schools, while addressing concerns about the structure of the teaching profession and ongoing negotiations with the State School Teachers Union.
AnsweredQoN 902Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Under the State Government’s current teachers’ enterprise bargaining agreement offer, what are the salary possibilities for a first-year teacher? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of this question and his interest in good educational outcomes for his electorate. We are in the process of negotiating with the State School Teachers Union of WA over its EBA. The Government put an offer to the teachers union of three per cent, plus other non-salary components, and it rejected that offer over the weekend. This is an interesting process in which to be involved. Yesterday I spoke to teachers in Newman and in other areas of Western Australia. It is important to outline to the public of Western Australia, members of Parliament, schoolteachers and also people in school communities just what the offer that the Government has put on the table will actually mean. The member for Geraldton raised a query about a graduate or first-year teacher in government schools this year. As of today, that graduate teacher will be earning $38 288 per annum, unless he or she is in a school that attracts an additional allowance, such as a remote school or a difficult-to-staff school. With the Government’s offer of three per cent, plus three per cent, plus three per cent, plus the annual increments that accrue to teachers because of years in the classroom, in three years - that is, in July or August 2006 - the graduate teacher of today in his or her fourth year of teaching will be earning $49 683. That is an increase from today of 29.7 per cent, which I think most would consider to be a very significant step up in financial return for any person, and is substantially in advance of the kinds of salaries that many graduates in other professions can expect to receive. In recent days, members of Parliament may have seen examples of the sorts of salary levels graduates and other professions can attract, especially in their early years. It is possible for a graduate teacher to earn significantly more than the standard rate of $38 288. If a graduate teacher is prepared to go to a difficult-to-staff school, such as Meekatharra District High School, the teacher will earn $44 577 in his first year out of university. That is inclusive of other allowances. Three years from today, in August 2006, the same teacher in the same school - provided he or she remained teaching in that school - will earn $57 487. That is a 28.96 per cent salary increase from today. It is a very significant increase. Further to that, the remote teaching service has even better incentives for teachers. A first-year graduate teacher working in a remote school, such as the Burringurrah Remote Community School, earns $55 519, inclusive of allowances. The salary will increase to $66 914 by 2006. That is a 20.5 per cent increase in salary over three years. Not many people would consider $66 914 to be an inadequate salary. In addition to the salary increments and allowances available for remote, district and difficult-to-staff schools - as well as new country incentive areas - the offer put forward by the Government allows the potential for teachers to earn good salaries. The difficulty with the EBA negotiations is the structure of the profession itself. Because of the age profile, 9 860 teachers who have been in the system for more than eight years are now at the top of the standard salary band. That is the area the Government is trying to work on constructively with the State School Teachers Union of WA. The Government has put forward a very good offer. It allows the 9 860 teachers to increase their salaries through professional development and study; in other words, they will have to return something to the system in order to receive a salary increment. The system will reward excellence and effort. The package proposed is very good. The Government does not intend to become involved in a protracted, ugly dispute with the State School Teachers Union. The complicating factor in the process is that the President of the State School Teachers Union is also the state President of the Australian Education Union, which has made a decision to take national action on 17 September. That complicates the process of achieving a deal in advance of that date. The State School Teachers Union is very well led; it is driving a very hard bargain for its members. The Government has put a very good offer on the table and I am confident we can come to a mutually agreeable resolution soon.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question and his interest in good educational outcomes for his electorate. We are in the process of negotiating with the State School Teachers Union of WA over its EBA. The Government put an offer to the teachers union of three per cent, plus other non-salary components, and it rejected that offer over the weekend. This is an interesting process in which to be involved. Yesterday I spoke to teachers in Newman and in other areas of Western Australia. It is important to outline to the public of Western Australia, members of Parliament, schoolteachers and also people in school communities just what the offer that the Government has put on the table will actually mean. The member for Geraldton raised a query about a graduate or first-year teacher in government schools this year. As of today, that graduate teacher will be earning $38 288 per annum, unless he or she is in a school that attracts an additional allowance, such as a remote school or a difficult-to-staff school. With the Government’s offer of three per cent, plus three per cent, plus three per cent, plus the annual increments that accrue to teachers because of years in the classroom, in three years - that is, in July or August 2006 - the graduate teacher of today in his or her fourth year of teaching will be earning $49 683. That is an increase from today of 29.7 per cent, which I think most would consider to be a very significant step up in financial return for any person, and is substantially in advance of the kinds of salaries that many graduates in other professions can expect to receive. In recent days, members of Parliament may have seen examples of the sorts of salary levels graduates and other professions can attract, especially in their early years. It is possible for a graduate teacher to earn significantly more than the standard rate of $38 288. If a graduate teacher is prepared to go to a difficult-to-staff school, such as Meekatharra District High School, the teacher will earn $44 577 in his first year out of university. That is inclusive of other allowances. Three years from today, in August 2006, the same teacher in the same school - provided he or she remained teaching in that school - will earn $57 487. That is a 28.96 per cent salary increase from today. It is a very significant increase. Further to that, the remote teaching service has even better incentives for teachers. A first-year graduate teacher working in a remote school, such as the Burringurrah Remote Community School, earns $55 519, inclusive of allowances. The salary will increase to $66 914 by 2006. That is a 20.5 per cent increase in salary over three years. Not many people would consider $66 914 to be an inadequate salary. In addition to the salary increments and allowances available for remote, district and difficult-to-staff schools - as well as new country incentive areas - the offer put forward by the Government allows the potential for teachers to earn good salaries. The difficulty with the EBA negotiations is the structure of the profession itself. Because of the age profile, 9 860 teachers who have been in the system for more than eight years are now at the top of the standard salary band. That is the area the Government is trying to work on constructively with the State School Teachers Union of WA. The Government has put forward a very good offer. It allows the 9 860 teachers to increase their salaries through professional development and study; in other words, they will have to return something to the system in order to receive a salary increment. The system will reward excellence and effort. The package proposed is very good. The Government does not intend to become involved in a protracted, ugly dispute with the State School Teachers Union. The complicating factor in the process is that the President of the State School Teachers Union is also the state President of the Australian Education Union, which has made a decision to take national action on 17 September. That complicates the process of achieving a deal in advance of that date. The State School Teachers Union is very well led; it is driving a very hard bargain for its members. The Government has put a very good offer on the table and I am confident we can come to a mutually agreeable resolution soon.
I thank the member for some notice of this question and his interest in good educational outcomes for his electorate. We are in the process of negotiating with the State School Teachers Union of WA over its EBA. The Government put an offer to the teachers union of three per cent, plus other non-salary components, and it rejected that offer over the weekend. This is an interesting process in which to be involved. Yesterday I spoke to teachers in Newman and in other areas of Western Australia. It is important to outline to the public of Western Australia, members of Parliament, schoolteachers and also people in school communities just what the offer that the Government has put on the table will actually mean. The member for Geraldton raised a query about a graduate or first-year teacher in government schools this year. As of today, that graduate teacher will be earning $38 288 per annum, unless he or she is in a school that attracts an additional allowance, such as a remote school or a difficult-to-staff school. With the Government’s offer of three per cent, plus three per cent, plus three per cent, plus the annual increments that accrue to teachers because of years in the classroom, in three years - that is, in July or August 2006 - the graduate teacher of today in his or her fourth year of teaching will be earning $49 683. That is an increase from today of 29.7 per cent, which I think most would consider to be a very significant step up in financial return for any person, and is substantially in advance of the kinds of salaries that many graduates in other professions can expect to receive. In recent days, members of Parliament may have seen examples of the sorts of salary levels graduates and other professions can attract, especially in their early years. It is possible for a graduate teacher to earn significantly more than the standard rate of $38 288. If a graduate teacher is prepared to go to a difficult-to-staff school, such as Meekatharra District High School, the teacher will earn $44 577 in his first year out of university. That is inclusive of other allowances. Three years from today, in August 2006, the same teacher in the same school - provided he or she remained teaching in that school - will earn $57 487. That is a 28.96 per cent salary increase from today. It is a very significant increase. Further to that, the remote teaching service has even better incentives for teachers. A first-year graduate teacher working in a remote school, such as the Burringurrah Remote Community School, earns $55 519, inclusive of allowances. The salary will increase to $66 914 by 2006. That is a 20.5 per cent increase in salary over three years. Not many people would consider $66 914 to be an inadequate salary. In addition to the salary increments and allowances available for remote, district and difficult-to-staff schools - as well as new country incentive areas - the offer put forward by the Government allows the potential for teachers to earn good salaries. The difficulty with the EBA negotiations is the structure of the profession itself. Because of the age profile, 9 860 teachers who have been in the system for more than eight years are now at the top of the standard salary band. That is the area the Government is trying to work on constructively with the State School Teachers Union of WA. The Government has put forward a very good offer. It allows the 9 860 teachers to increase their salaries through professional development and study; in other words, they will have to return something to the system in order to receive a salary increment. The system will reward excellence and effort. The package proposed is very good. The Government does not intend to become involved in a protracted, ugly dispute with the State School Teachers Union. The complicating factor in the process is that the President of the State School Teachers Union is also the state President of the Australian Education Union, which has made a decision to take national action on 17 September. That complicates the process of achieving a deal in advance of that date. The State School Teachers Union is very well led; it is driving a very hard bargain for its members. The Government has put a very good offer on the table and I am confident we can come to a mutually agreeable resolution soon.
The member for Geraldton raised a query about a graduate or first-year teacher in government schools this year. As of today, that graduate teacher will be earning $38 288 per annum, unless he or she is in a school that attracts an additional allowance, such as a remote school or a difficult-to-staff school. With the Government’s offer of three per cent, plus three per cent, plus three per cent, plus the annual increments that accrue to teachers because of years in the classroom, in three years - that is, in July or August 2006 - the graduate teacher of today in his or her fourth year of teaching will be earning $49 683. That is an increase from today of 29.7 per cent, which I think most would consider to be a very significant step up in financial return for any person, and is substantially in advance of the kinds of salaries that many graduates in other professions can expect to receive. In recent days, members of Parliament may have seen examples of the sorts of salary levels graduates and other professions can attract, especially in their early years. It is possible for a graduate teacher to earn significantly more than the standard rate of $38 288. If a graduate teacher is prepared to go to a difficult-to-staff school, such as Meekatharra District High School, the teacher will earn $44 577 in his first year out of university. That is inclusive of other allowances. Three years from today, in August 2006, the same teacher in the same school - provided he or she remained teaching in that school - will earn $57 487. That is a 28.96 per cent salary increase from today. It is a very significant increase. Further to that, the remote teaching service has even better incentives for teachers. A first-year graduate teacher working in a remote school, such as the Burringurrah Remote Community School, earns $55 519, inclusive of allowances. The salary will increase to $66 914 by 2006. That is a 20.5 per cent increase in salary over three years. Not many people would consider $66 914 to be an inadequate salary. In addition to the salary increments and allowances available for remote, district and difficult-to-staff schools - as well as new country incentive areas - the offer put forward by the Government allows the potential for teachers to earn good salaries. The difficulty with the EBA negotiations is the structure of the profession itself. Because of the age profile, 9 860 teachers who have been in the system for more than eight years are now at the top of the standard salary band. That is the area the Government is trying to work on constructively with the State School Teachers Union of WA. The Government has put forward a very good offer. It allows the 9 860 teachers to increase their salaries through professional development and study; in other words, they will have to return something to the system in order to receive a salary increment. The system will reward excellence and effort. The package proposed is very good. The Government does not intend to become involved in a protracted, ugly dispute with the State School Teachers Union. The complicating factor in the process is that the President of the State School Teachers Union is also the state President of the Australian Education Union, which has made a decision to take national action on 17 September. That complicates the process of achieving a deal in advance of that date. The State School Teachers Union is very well led; it is driving a very hard bargain for its members. The Government has put a very good offer on the table and I am confident we can come to a mutually agreeable resolution soon.
In addition to the salary increments and allowances available for remote, district and difficult-to-staff schools - as well as new country incentive areas - the offer put forward by the Government allows the potential for teachers to earn good salaries. The difficulty with the EBA negotiations is the structure of the profession itself. Because of the age profile, 9 860 teachers who have been in the system for more than eight years are now at the top of the standard salary band. That is the area the Government is trying to work on constructively with the State School Teachers Union of WA. The Government has put forward a very good offer. It allows the 9 860 teachers to increase their salaries through professional development and study; in other words, they will have to return something to the system in order to receive a salary increment. The system will reward excellence and effort. The package proposed is very good. The Government does not intend to become involved in a protracted, ugly dispute with the State School Teachers Union. The complicating factor in the process is that the President of the State School Teachers Union is also the state President of the Australian Education Union, which has made a decision to take national action on 17 September. That complicates the process of achieving a deal in advance of that date. The State School Teachers Union is very well led; it is driving a very hard bargain for its members. The Government has put a very good offer on the table and I am confident we can come to a mutually agreeable resolution soon.
The Government does not intend to become involved in a protracted, ugly dispute with the State School Teachers Union. The complicating factor in the process is that the President of the State School Teachers Union is also the state President of the Australian Education Union, which has made a decision to take national action on 17 September. That complicates the process of achieving a deal in advance of that date. The State School Teachers Union is very well led; it is driving a very hard bargain for its members. The Government has put a very good offer on the table and I am confident we can come to a mutually agreeable resolution soon.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question and his interest in good educational outcomes for his electorate. We are in the process of negotiating with the State School Teachers Union of WA over its EBA. The Government put an offer to the teachers union of three per cent, plus other non-salary components, and it rejected that offer over the weekend. This is an interesting process in which to be involved. Yesterday I spoke to teachers in Newman and in other areas of Western Australia. It is important to outline to the public of Western Australia, members of Parliament, schoolteachers and also people in school communities just what the offer that the Government has put on the table will actually mean. The member for Geraldton raised a query about a graduate or first-year teacher in government schools this year. As of today, that graduate teacher will be earning $38 288 per annum, unless he or she is in a school that attracts an additional allowance, such as a remote school or a difficult-to-staff school. With the Government’s offer of three per cent, plus three per cent, plus three per cent, plus the annual increments that accrue to teachers because of years in the classroom, in three years - that is, in July or August 2006 - the graduate teacher of today in his or her fourth year of teaching will be earning $49 683. That is an increase from today of 29.7 per cent, which I think most would consider to be a very significant step up in financial return for any person, and is substantially in advance of the kinds of salaries that many graduates in other professions can expect to receive. In recent days, members of Parliament may have seen examples of the sorts of salary levels graduates and other professions can attract, especially in their early years. It is possible for a graduate teacher to earn significantly more than the standard rate of $38 288. If a graduate teacher is prepared to go to a difficult-to-staff school, such as Meekatharra District High School, the teacher will earn $44 577 in his first year out of university. That is inclusive of other allowances. Three years from today, in August 2006, the same teacher in the same school - provided he or she remained teaching in that school - will earn $57 487. That is a 28.96 per cent salary increase from today. It is a very significant increase. Further to that, the remote teaching service has even better incentives for teachers. A first-year graduate teacher working in a remote school, such as the Burringurrah Remote Community School, earns $55 519, inclusive of allowances. The salary will increase to $66 914 by 2006. That is a 20.5 per cent increase in salary over three years. Not many people would consider $66 914 to be an inadequate salary. In addition to the salary increments and allowances available for remote, district and difficult-to-staff schools - as well as new country incentive areas - the offer put forward by the Government allows the potential for teachers to earn good salaries. The difficulty with the EBA negotiations is the structure of the profession itself. Because of the age profile, 9 860 teachers who have been in the system for more than eight years are now at the top of the standard salary band. That is the area the Government is trying to work on constructively with the State School Teachers Union of WA. The Government has put forward a very good offer. It allows the 9 860 teachers to increase their salaries through professional development and study; in other words, they will have to return something to the system in order to receive a salary increment. The system will reward excellence and effort. The package proposed is very good. The Government does not intend to become involved in a protracted, ugly dispute with the State School Teachers Union. The complicating factor in the process is that the President of the State School Teachers Union is also the state President of the Australian Education Union, which has made a decision to take national action on 17 September. That complicates the process of achieving a deal in advance of that date. The State School Teachers Union is very well led; it is driving a very hard bargain for its members. The Government has put a very good offer on the table and I am confident we can come to a mutually agreeable resolution soon.
I thank the member for some notice of this question and his interest in good educational outcomes for his electorate. We are in the process of negotiating with the State School Teachers Union of WA over its EBA. The Government put an offer to the teachers union of three per cent, plus other non-salary components, and it rejected that offer over the weekend. This is an interesting process in which to be involved. Yesterday I spoke to teachers in Newman and in other areas of Western Australia. It is important to outline to the public of Western Australia, members of Parliament, schoolteachers and also people in school communities just what the offer that the Government has put on the table will actually mean. The member for Geraldton raised a query about a graduate or first-year teacher in government schools this year. As of today, that graduate teacher will be earning $38 288 per annum, unless he or she is in a school that attracts an additional allowance, such as a remote school or a difficult-to-staff school. With the Government’s offer of three per cent, plus three per cent, plus three per cent, plus the annual increments that accrue to teachers because of years in the classroom, in three years - that is, in July or August 2006 - the graduate teacher of today in his or her fourth year of teaching will be earning $49 683. That is an increase from today of 29.7 per cent, which I think most would consider to be a very significant step up in financial return for any person, and is substantially in advance of the kinds of salaries that many graduates in other professions can expect to receive. In recent days, members of Parliament may have seen examples of the sorts of salary levels graduates and other professions can attract, especially in their early years. It is possible for a graduate teacher to earn significantly more than the standard rate of $38 288. If a graduate teacher is prepared to go to a difficult-to-staff school, such as Meekatharra District High School, the teacher will earn $44 577 in his first year out of university. That is inclusive of other allowances. Three years from today, in August 2006, the same teacher in the same school - provided he or she remained teaching in that school - will earn $57 487. That is a 28.96 per cent salary increase from today. It is a very significant increase. Further to that, the remote teaching service has even better incentives for teachers. A first-year graduate teacher working in a remote school, such as the Burringurrah Remote Community School, earns $55 519, inclusive of allowances. The salary will increase to $66 914 by 2006. That is a 20.5 per cent increase in salary over three years. Not many people would consider $66 914 to be an inadequate salary. In addition to the salary increments and allowances available for remote, district and difficult-to-staff schools - as well as new country incentive areas - the offer put forward by the Government allows the potential for teachers to earn good salaries. The difficulty with the EBA negotiations is the structure of the profession itself. Because of the age profile, 9 860 teachers who have been in the system for more than eight years are now at the top of the standard salary band. That is the area the Government is trying to work on constructively with the State School Teachers Union of WA. The Government has put forward a very good offer. It allows the 9 860 teachers to increase their salaries through professional development and study; in other words, they will have to return something to the system in order to receive a salary increment. The system will reward excellence and effort. The package proposed is very good. The Government does not intend to become involved in a protracted, ugly dispute with the State School Teachers Union. The complicating factor in the process is that the President of the State School Teachers Union is also the state President of the Australian Education Union, which has made a decision to take national action on 17 September. That complicates the process of achieving a deal in advance of that date. The State School Teachers Union is very well led; it is driving a very hard bargain for its members. The Government has put a very good offer on the table and I am confident we can come to a mutually agreeable resolution soon.
The member for Geraldton raised a query about a graduate or first-year teacher in government schools this year. As of today, that graduate teacher will be earning $38 288 per annum, unless he or she is in a school that attracts an additional allowance, such as a remote school or a difficult-to-staff school. With the Government’s offer of three per cent, plus three per cent, plus three per cent, plus the annual increments that accrue to teachers because of years in the classroom, in three years - that is, in July or August 2006 - the graduate teacher of today in his or her fourth year of teaching will be earning $49 683. That is an increase from today of 29.7 per cent, which I think most would consider to be a very significant step up in financial return for any person, and is substantially in advance of the kinds of salaries that many graduates in other professions can expect to receive. In recent days, members of Parliament may have seen examples of the sorts of salary levels graduates and other professions can attract, especially in their early years. It is possible for a graduate teacher to earn significantly more than the standard rate of $38 288. If a graduate teacher is prepared to go to a difficult-to-staff school, such as Meekatharra District High School, the teacher will earn $44 577 in his first year out of university. That is inclusive of other allowances. Three years from today, in August 2006, the same teacher in the same school - provided he or she remained teaching in that school - will earn $57 487. That is a 28.96 per cent salary increase from today. It is a very significant increase. Further to that, the remote teaching service has even better incentives for teachers. A first-year graduate teacher working in a remote school, such as the Burringurrah Remote Community School, earns $55 519, inclusive of allowances. The salary will increase to $66 914 by 2006. That is a 20.5 per cent increase in salary over three years. Not many people would consider $66 914 to be an inadequate salary. In addition to the salary increments and allowances available for remote, district and difficult-to-staff schools - as well as new country incentive areas - the offer put forward by the Government allows the potential for teachers to earn good salaries. The difficulty with the EBA negotiations is the structure of the profession itself. Because of the age profile, 9 860 teachers who have been in the system for more than eight years are now at the top of the standard salary band. That is the area the Government is trying to work on constructively with the State School Teachers Union of WA. The Government has put forward a very good offer. It allows the 9 860 teachers to increase their salaries through professional development and study; in other words, they will have to return something to the system in order to receive a salary increment. The system will reward excellence and effort. The package proposed is very good. The Government does not intend to become involved in a protracted, ugly dispute with the State School Teachers Union. The complicating factor in the process is that the President of the State School Teachers Union is also the state President of the Australian Education Union, which has made a decision to take national action on 17 September. That complicates the process of achieving a deal in advance of that date. The State School Teachers Union is very well led; it is driving a very hard bargain for its members. The Government has put a very good offer on the table and I am confident we can come to a mutually agreeable resolution soon.
In addition to the salary increments and allowances available for remote, district and difficult-to-staff schools - as well as new country incentive areas - the offer put forward by the Government allows the potential for teachers to earn good salaries. The difficulty with the EBA negotiations is the structure of the profession itself. Because of the age profile, 9 860 teachers who have been in the system for more than eight years are now at the top of the standard salary band. That is the area the Government is trying to work on constructively with the State School Teachers Union of WA. The Government has put forward a very good offer. It allows the 9 860 teachers to increase their salaries through professional development and study; in other words, they will have to return something to the system in order to receive a salary increment. The system will reward excellence and effort. The package proposed is very good. The Government does not intend to become involved in a protracted, ugly dispute with the State School Teachers Union. The complicating factor in the process is that the President of the State School Teachers Union is also the state President of the Australian Education Union, which has made a decision to take national action on 17 September. That complicates the process of achieving a deal in advance of that date. The State School Teachers Union is very well led; it is driving a very hard bargain for its members. The Government has put a very good offer on the table and I am confident we can come to a mutually agreeable resolution soon.
The Government does not intend to become involved in a protracted, ugly dispute with the State School Teachers Union. The complicating factor in the process is that the President of the State School Teachers Union is also the state President of the Australian Education Union, which has made a decision to take national action on 17 September. That complicates the process of achieving a deal in advance of that date. The State School Teachers Union is very well led; it is driving a very hard bargain for its members. The Government has put a very good offer on the table and I am confident we can come to a mutually agreeable resolution soon.
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