❓ A Member of Parliament questions the Minister for Education and Training regarding the regional incentive framework for staffing remote schools, expressing concerns about pay equity and staff retention. The Minister defends the framework and outlines existing incentives.
AnsweredQoN 1279Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
EDUCATION —
REGIONAL INCENTIVE FRAMEWORK
1279. Hon COLIN de GRUSSA to the Minister for Education and
Training:
I refer to question without notice
1182, asked last week.
(1) Is the minister aware that the funding will mean
level 3 staff may potentially be on a higher district allowance that
will be more than what existing staff, such as deputy principals, are paid at
some of the schools?
(2) Are any incentives, on top of existing measures,
being provided to current staff at remote, rural and regional schools to
ensure that they do not leave in search of better pay conditions?
(3) I ask again:
will the minister please table the regional incentives framework used to
identify the schools most in need of staffing support in 2023?
REGIONAL INCENTIVE FRAMEWORK
1279. Hon COLIN de GRUSSA to the Minister for Education and
Training:
I refer to question without notice
1182, asked last week.
(1) Is the minister aware that the funding will mean
level 3 staff may potentially be on a higher district allowance that
will be more than what existing staff, such as deputy principals, are paid at
some of the schools?
(2) Are any incentives, on top of existing measures,
being provided to current staff at remote, rural and regional schools to
ensure that they do not leave in search of better pay conditions?
(3) I ask again:
will the minister please table the regional incentives framework used to
identify the schools most in need of staffing support in 2023?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. I appreciate the member's interest in this
matter, but I think the question reflects
that he did not listen to any of the public comments I made at the time that
all current and new staff at those schools in 2023 will receive the new
attraction and retention initiative. I am also not sure that he listened when I
said that there was no document; the framework was a series of different
indices that were used together to come up
with the list of those schools most at risk of not being able to staff
properly. Nevertheless —
(1) New and
existing teachers and school administrators with a teaching load will be
eligible to receive the attraction and retention payment. It is expected that
all school administrators in these schools will have teaching responsibilities
throughout the year.
(2) Rural,
regional and remote schools have professional and financial incentives in
addition to the attraction and retention initiative, such as permanency,
additional leave, and country teaching program and remote teaching service
allowances.
(3) The regional
incentives framework model was developed using metrics weighted according to
certain indicators. The framework identified schools experiencing acute
staffing shortages in the 2021 and 2022 school
years as an evidence-based predictor of the schools most likely at risk of a teacher
shortage in 2023 . Eligible schools have been classified based on the
accessibility and remoteness index of Australia; staff movements and previous
use of flying squad relief; the average number of applications per advertised
process; the index of community socio-educational advantage; and existing
financial incentives.
some notice of the question. I appreciate the member's interest in this
matter, but I think the question reflects
that he did not listen to any of the public comments I made at the time that
all current and new staff at those schools in 2023 will receive the new
attraction and retention initiative. I am also not sure that he listened when I
said that there was no document; the framework was a series of different
indices that were used together to come up
with the list of those schools most at risk of not being able to staff
properly. Nevertheless —
(1) New and
existing teachers and school administrators with a teaching load will be
eligible to receive the attraction and retention payment. It is expected that
all school administrators in these schools will have teaching responsibilities
throughout the year.
(2) Rural,
regional and remote schools have professional and financial incentives in
addition to the attraction and retention initiative, such as permanency,
additional leave, and country teaching program and remote teaching service
allowances.
(3) The regional
incentives framework model was developed using metrics weighted according to
certain indicators. The framework identified schools experiencing acute
staffing shortages in the 2021 and 2022 school
years as an evidence-based predictor of the schools most likely at risk of a teacher
shortage in 2023 . Eligible schools have been classified based on the
accessibility and remoteness index of Australia; staff movements and previous
use of flying squad relief; the average number of applications per advertised
process; the index of community socio-educational advantage; and existing
financial incentives.
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