A WA parliamentary question addresses TAFE teacher workloads, comparing them to other states and inquiring about government plans to reduce class sizes and teaching hours. The response clarifies differences in lecturing hours across states due to industrial agreements and ongoing negotiations.

AnsweredQoN 330Legislative Assembly
Asked
26 September 2002
Portfolio
Training

QuestionView source ↗

(b) has this average increased, or decreased over the last five years; (c) is it true that our TAFE teachers have 27 percent more class contact hours that TAFE teachers in other States; (d) if so, what is the reason for this higher workload; and (e) what the Government intends to do to reduce class numbers and teaching hours in our TAFE system?
(c) is it true that our TAFE teachers have 27 percent more class contact hours that TAFE teachers in other States; (d) if so, what is the reason for this higher workload; and (e) what the Government intends to do to reduce class numbers and teaching hours in our TAFE system?
(d) if so, what is the reason for this higher workload; and (e) what the Government intends to do to reduce class numbers and teaching hours in our TAFE system?
(e) what the Government intends to do to reduce class numbers and teaching hours in our TAFE system?
(c) There are different maximum lecturing hours for TAFE lecturers in each State. There is no standard definition of what duties comprise ‘lecturing’. A TAFE lecturer in Western Australia who delivered the maximum number of lecturing hours each week (23) for the maximum number of weeks in which lecturing can occur in a year (40) would deliver 920 lecturing hours. This is approximately 27 percent more hours than a lecturer in the Australian Capital Territory can deliver (720). (d) TAFE lecturers’ hours of work are different across the States because they are subject to different industrial awards and enterprise bargaining agreements. The current WA TAFE lecturers’ certified agreements were collectively negotiated with the Australian Education Union (AEU) and registered in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission in 2000. The lecturers’ current hours arrangements were agreed between the TAFE employers and the AEU and endorsed by a large majority of lecturers in ballots in 1996 and 2000. (e) TAFE employers and the AEU are currently negotiating a new certified agreement for TAFE lecturers for when the current agreements expire at the end of 2002. The AEU has included a reduction in lecturing hours as part of the Log of Claims it served on the employers. TAFE employers will continue to negotiate in good faith for a certified agreement that provides appropriate benefits to both TAFE lecturers and the State’s public sector vocational education and training colleges.
(d) TAFE lecturers’ hours of work are different across the States because they are subject to different industrial awards and enterprise bargaining agreements. The current WA TAFE lecturers’ certified agreements were collectively negotiated with the Australian Education Union (AEU) and registered in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission in 2000. The lecturers’ current hours arrangements were agreed between the TAFE employers and the AEU and endorsed by a large majority of lecturers in ballots in 1996 and 2000. (e) TAFE employers and the AEU are currently negotiating a new certified agreement for TAFE lecturers for when the current agreements expire at the end of 2002. The AEU has included a reduction in lecturing hours as part of the Log of Claims it served on the employers. TAFE employers will continue to negotiate in good faith for a certified agreement that provides appropriate benefits to both TAFE lecturers and the State’s public sector vocational education and training colleges.
(e) TAFE employers and the AEU are currently negotiating a new certified agreement for TAFE lecturers for when the current agreements expire at the end of 2002. The AEU has included a reduction in lecturing hours as part of the Log of Claims it served on the employers. TAFE employers will continue to negotiate in good faith for a certified agreement that provides appropriate benefits to both TAFE lecturers and the State’s public sector vocational education and training colleges.

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
28 November 2002
Responded by
Minister for Training
Response time
63 days
(a)-(b) Information about average class sizes is not used as a statistical measure within the TAFE network and is, therefore, not systematically collected. The class size for any given course depends on a range of factors including occupational health and safety standards, the capacity of the facilities, the mode of study and is determined by each college within the individual program area.
(c) There are different maximum lecturing hours for TAFE lecturers in each State. There is no standard definition of what duties comprise ‘lecturing’. A TAFE lecturer in Western Australia who delivered the maximum number of lecturing hours each week (23) for the maximum number of weeks in which lecturing can occur in a year (40) would deliver 920 lecturing hours. This is approximately 27 percent more hours than a lecturer in the Australian Capital Territory can deliver (720).
(d) TAFE lecturers’ hours of work are different across the States because they are subject to different industrial awards and enterprise bargaining agreements. The current WA TAFE lecturers’ certified agreements were collectively negotiated with the Australian Education Union (AEU) and registered in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission in 2000. The lecturers’ current hours arrangements were agreed between the TAFE employers and the AEU and endorsed by a large majority of lecturers in ballots in 1996 and 2000.
(e) TAFE employers and the AEU are currently negotiating a new certified agreement for TAFE lecturers for when the current agreements expire at the end of 2002. The AEU has included a reduction in lecturing hours as part of the Log of Claims it served on the employers. TAFE employers will continue to negotiate in good faith for a certified agreement that provides appropriate benefits to both TAFE lecturers and the State’s public sector vocational education and training colleges.

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