News and Reviews
Libs and Nats attack pay rise for 925 local teachers
Libs and Nats attack pay rise for 925 local teachers
The Minns Labor Government is calling on the Liberals and Nationals to end their repeated attacks on NSW’s hard-working teachers after a senior Liberal MP dismissed the teacher shortage crisis as a “fairytale”.
The Liberals and Nationals have repeatedly refused to support making NSW public school teachers the highest paid in the country, with Opposition MPs trying to block a motion in the NSW Parliament to recognise the historic pay rise.
In an attempt to gag parliamentary debate, the former Treasurer Matt Kean accused the Minns Labor Government of “caving in” to teachers and said the teacher shortage crisis was a “fairytale” and “an invented problem”.
This is a slap in the face for the 925 hard-working teachers in the Lismore Electorate.
When the Liberals and Nationals left office, they left a blowout in the number of teacher vacancies across NSW in their wake. In Lismore the number of vacancies skyrocketed by 310% leaving many local schools stretched and causing classes to merge.
By the time the former Liberals and Nationals left office teacher resignations were outstripping retirements, the number of teachers leaving within five years had reached a peak and thousands of students were taught in merged or cancelled classes.
The Liberals and Nationals have ramped up their attacks on teachers in recent days by demanding NSW educators be more productive, with the Deputy Nationals Leader Bronnie Taylor telling local radio “when you get a pay rise, you normally need to do a bit more”.
“Where are the productivity gains? And where’s the benefit?”, the Deputy Nationals Leader told radio station 2CC on Tuesday.
“Wage increases with no productivity gains; no one can run a business like that”.
The demands for NSW’s burnt-out teachers to work harder were backed by other senior Liberal MPs including the Shadow Treasurer Damien Tudehope
Shadow Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Justin Clancy, whose Albury seat has 792 teachers, denied it was a problem in NSW.
The Minns Labor Government’s once-in-a-generation uplift in salaries will help address the state’s teacher shortage crisis and ensure NSW has the teachers it needs to improve student outcomes.
Previously, teachers in NSW were constrained by the former Liberal National Government’s now defunct wages cap, degrading their pay to among the worst in the nation and creating a teacher shortage crisis.
In fact, under the former Government, for the first time in recent memory, teacher resignations outstripped retirements in NSW.
In an attempt to gag parliamentary debate, the former Treasurer Matt Kean accused the Minns Labor Government of “caving in” to teachers and said the teacher shortage crisis was a “fairytale” and “an invented problem”.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said:
“The Liberals and Nationals need to stop their attacks on our teachers who have felt undervalued and demoralised for far too long.
“As a community we need to value teachers and the vital role they play in educating our children.
“The disgraceful comments by Liberals and Nationals MPs that over-worked teachers need to work harder, are not only outright wrong, but are insulting and potentially harmful.
“We need to do everything we can to retain all our committed, hard-working teachers, not drive more of them out of the classrooms.
“The Minns Labor Government believes our teachers deserve a significant uplift in their salaries and is committed to supporting them in their work to improve educational outcomes for NSW students.”
The Minns Labor Government is calling on the Liberals and Nationals to end their repeated attacks on NSW’s hard-working teachers after a senior Liberal MP dismissed the teacher shortage crisis as a “fairytale”.
Member for Lismore, Janelle Saffin said:
“Earlier this week I put out a statement welcoming the pay rise as a huge fillip for the teaching profession in our state after a dire 10 years which saw teachers quitting in droves by the time we won office.
“To see this feral response by members of the State Opposition is nothing short of a disgrace, given their shameful neglect of public education while they were in power.
“We want to allow teachers to get on with the job of teaching our children with the knowledge that we are backing them in.”
For more Education news, click here.
New development planned for Woolgoolga Retirement Village
Woolgoolga and District Retirement Village Ltd are taking steps to add a collection of modern retirement residences and amenities to their village in High Street. They are in the early phase of planning a new development to be called Callisto Coastal Retirement.
Sasha Andrews, Chief Executive Officer of Woolgoolga and District Retirement Village Ltd is excited about the plans. “We are very proud to be adding Callisto Coastal Retirement to our community.” Ms Andrews said. “We are part of a great community in a fantastic location and aim to set the benchmark for premium retirement living in Woolgoolga.”
At this early stage, they are keen to get input from the local community of future residents to help create the perfect coastal retirement. A Feedback Forum is being offered to eligible potential residents aged 55+, providing an opportunity to learn more, convey their thoughts, ideas and insights around design and services, features, amenities and priorities.
The new development has the support of the Board of Directors of the not-for-profit, community owned organisation. Chairperson, Ian Wade said “Woolgoolga and District Retirement Village has played an important role in the community for many years and we want to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of our seniors for years to come. We have a great opportunity to provide quality retirement living, built with future residents in mind.”
A community Feedback Forum is planned for Tuesday 7 May. For details and to register to attend, go to the website here. For more on the Woolgoolga Retirement Village, visit here.
For more Coffs Harbour news, click here.
Memory Run Walk Jog – My Way Lismore
Albert Park Baseball Grounds
Keen Street Lismore
8am Sunday 19th May 2024
Join a fun community activity to fundraise and raise dementia awareness. Last year, more than 10,000 people walked, jogged and ran in cities and towns across Australia for people impacted by dementia. Dementia awareness
Lismore events include a 10km run, a 5km jog/walk or a 1km walk so that the day is inclusive of all levels of physical ability.
There will be information stalls providing details of supports, local resources and services to help those impacted by dementia, as well as food and drinks.
Form a team from your workplace, local club, friends or family (dress up to make it fun!) and enter the 1km walk, 5km jog/walk or a 10km run. Get lots of sponsors!
To register a team or take part as an individual go to:
www.memorywalk.com.au/event/lismore-myway
Dementia awareness
Currently, dementia is the leading cause of death in women and overall, it is the second leading cause of death for all Australians. In 2024, it is estimated that more than 1.6 million people in Australia are involved in the care of someone living with dementia.
Dr Jones says ‘The ageing population in the Northern Rivers is growing at an exponential rate. Our region is one of the highest ageing communities in NSW and this comes with increasing rates of those impacted by dementia in our community. I’m quite keen to see that we adopt more preventable approaches against dementia in our region’. Dementia awareness
Dr Jones says ‘There are many things we can do to prevent dementia or delay your risk of developing dementia. Adopting healthy lifestyle habits, in particular regular exercise can make a significant difference’.
“We encourage the whole community to come together, not only to raise money for
Dementia Australia, but also to exercise together and to fight this disease” says Dr Jones.
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