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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 8 Hansard (19 August) . . Page.. 2841 ..

MR PRATT (continuing):

Does this government expect teachers to believe that it cannot afford to pay them more when the territory is in a sound financial position? Let me compare the recent pay offer for teachers with the 10.5 per cent pay increase received by public servants over a 12-month period.

Ms Gallagher: Eighteen months.

MR PRATT: I stand corrected. Public servants received a 10.5 per cent pay increase over an 18-month period, which resulted in a lot of despondent teachers. Teachers, who are important public servants, have been offered less than half the pay increase that has been given to other public servants. I refer to managing departments and running operations-the principle of resources being allocated to the coalface versus the administrative tail. The government announced an allocation of about $130 million for enterprise bargaining agreements in its total departmental budget.

Members questioned the minister about that allocation at the estimates committee hearings in July. It seems to me that the lion's share of that budgetary allocation has gone to departmental public servants, not to teachers and immediate support staff, which is where I believe it should have gone. I refer also to the question of parity and the need to avoid the loss of teachers to other jurisdictions. The education union has long been arguing for parity with teachers across the border.

Ms Gallagher: Borders.

MR PRATT: The minister is quite right in her reference to borders. This pay offer has failed to give teachers that parity. It potentially means that the ACT risks losing teachers across the borders and overseas. This government could do more. I, members of the community and members of the teacher's union who have made representations to me, cannot understand why Labor constantly spruiks the importance of public education when it does not intend to deliver to some of the most important people in the system. It is about time that this government acknowledged the value of our teachers-those at the forefront of public education in this territory.

Sitting suspended from 6.29 to 8.00 pm.

MR PRATT: Mr Speaker, I continue with the principle that the government has announced in its total departmental budget an EBA resource of about $130 million. It would seem that the lion's share of that has gone to departmental public servants and not to teachers and their immediate support staff, which is where it should have gone. Mr Speaker, that is outrageous. The territory's scarce resources need to be focused where they matter-in the classroom, not in the bureaucracy.

Mr Speaker, the education unit has long been arguing for parity with teachers across the border. This offer fails to give them that parity and potentially means the ACT risks losing teachers across the border or, even worse, overseas.

Mr Speaker, the government can do more. I can't understand, nor can the community understand, why it hasn't, when Labor constantly talks about the importance of public education. Well, it's about time this government showed that it values those at the forefront of public education and its implementation-our teachers.

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