Page 3979 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 1 December 2021
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inquire into and investigate breaches of the Fair Work Act;
take appropriate enforcement action;
perform our statutory functions efficiently, effectively, economically and ethically.
In short, they can look at this and they can provide advice on what is fair for our teachers. The Fair Work website states that they will examine cases involving work over maximum weekly hours. They state:
Maximum weekly hours forms part of the National Employment Standards (NES). The NES apply to all employees covered by the national workplace relations system, regardless of any award, agreement or contract.
That is the topic at hand—our teachers regularly working above their maximum weekly hours and burning out. Fair Work also makes this point:
We don’t represent employers or employees. Our aim is to help everyone understand and follow the law.
That is what is required here—for everyone, including this government, to understand and follow the law. The Fair Work Ombudsman is the exact, correct place to provide advice on this matter, impartially, fairly and fully.
I will conclude today with these quotes from teachers, as they are the ones who will be affected most by this decision today. These are the quotes:
I experience daily, and nightly, concerns around funding this school. We are rapidly expanding … have so many new educators, so many part time positions and absolutely no ability to reduce the need for split classes.
Thank you for knowing this is a dire need …
Classroom teaching is absolutely full on and beyond hard work. There is not enough time to manage all the demands.
Only a few months ago, when I moved a motion regarding the Liberals’ strategy for education, Greens and Labor members said there was no need for any review and that everything was fine. They congratulated themselves and attacked the Canberra Liberals.
Now is not the time for attacks. Now is the time for this government, for the Labor Party and the Greens, who claim repeatedly to represent workers and to represent teachers, to stand up for the teachers who struggle every day, in every class, in every school in our ACT education system.
A review by the Fair Work Ombudsman is legitimate, it is impartial and, most of all, it will give us an answer. It will be removed from politics and it will tell us how we can treat our teachers fairly. I would think that is what we all want in this place—for
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