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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 11 Hansard (20 October) . . Page.. 3351 ..

MR STEFANIAK: Well, it is, Mr Berry. I think it is indicative of a commitment to try to reach an agreement with the union and with bursars, and to negotiate in good faith. As I have indicated, the CPSU had the opportunity to test this decision in the commission. I understand that case was withdrawn with less than four hours' notice. Now, it looks at this stage that we may have agreement in principle on the major points of a new working structure for bursars, and we would expect to hear from the bursars to finalise this. I would hope by the end of this week, and if not that early, then next week, Mr Berry.

Mr Berry: Back-pay them, Bill; then you will not have to worry about it.

MR STEFANIAK: Well, Mr Berry, we have heard that the CPSU paid bursars who were taking industrial action, so you might like to check that as well.

Mr Berry: What, strike pay?

MR STEFANIAK: Yes. I am not too sure what it was, but I understand they certainly paid for them. So I would wonder, even if your motion was successful, whom we would actually pay it to.

Mr Speaker, it is important to note that the new structure recognises the additional skill development that has become necessary, and the increased levels of school board management. Importantly, the main sticking point for the department - the hours of duty of the bursars - has been resolved, Mr Speaker. This new structure puts bursars who were basically part time, by doing about 6.5 hours a week, onto a full-time basis.

There are a number of conditions which will be in these awards, and it looks like an agreement has been reached. Basically, bursars will go to full-time awards, and that is something for all the parties to agree, and I understand that is pretty close. The new structure establishes two tiers of office managers in primary schools, with salaries increasing in line with the skills and qualifications that bursars in individual schools need to do their jobs. And those levels are linked to the ASO 4 and the ASO 5 level. Along with that, based on productivity and efficiency, there are some trade-offs, because they will be working full time and they will have four weeks' annual leave. But there are arrangements where they can purchase additional leave should the demands of their work and their personal requirements allow it.

We now have a pretty good result, and it would be a great pity, when we are so close, for Mr Berry to politically grandstand and completely cloud the very important issues at hand and effectively to call on this Government to breach a Federal law. I would reiterate, Mr Berry, that bursars are valued members of staff. They fulfil important roles in the running of our schools. It is important they have work conditions and a career structure in line with the importance of their work, and with their skills and qualifications.

Whilst, Mr Berry, compared with other bursars interstate and in the Catholic system, they were pretty well paid beforehand, we have recognised the additional work they do. We want to give them a better career structure, because clearly there are some very capable people there who might want to advance into other areas of the Public Service.

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