Union backs teachers planning to walk off job to protest for children’s freedom on Nauru
The State Opposition has called on the Government to stop teachers walking out of the classroom to attend an asylum seeker protest, saying it sets a “dangerous precedent”.
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OPPOSITION Leader Deb Frecklington has called on the State Government to stop the state’s teacher from walking out of the classroom to an attend an asylum seeker protest.
The LNP leader insisted the classroom was no place for politics, and said the protest was politically motivated.
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“The people that suffer are our kids who are there to learn and our teachers who are there to teach,” she said.
“Annastacia Palaszczuk needs to start looking after the children of this state and not just becoming, or increasingly beholden, to the union movement.”
LNP industrial relations and education spokesman Jarrod Bleijie said the Premier and Education Minister Grace Grace should slap down the Queensland Teachers’ Union.
“The dangerous precedent being set here is any political issue that any teacher in Queensland wants to strike about in the future this government will endorse,” he said.
“With NAPLAN on the decline, our results in decline, Queenslanders can
least afford that.”
Mr Bleijie described Ms Grace’s response to the strike as flippant.
EARLIER:
EDUCATION Minister Grace Grace has come out on the attack under questioning by the State Opposition over union plans to back teachers to attend an asylum seeker protest.
Ms Grace butted heads with the State Opposition in State Parliament this morning as LNP members sought to drill Labor Ministers over the union’s position on the protest plans during Question Time.
State Opposition leader Deb Frecklington seized on the issue during her first question to the Government, asking Ms Grace, who is also the Industrial Relations Minister, whether she would “put our children’s education first and stop this politically motivated and illegal strike.”
Ms Grace slammed the line of questioning as “union bashing hysteria” and disputed that the protest plans would disrupt school classes.
“Unlike those opposite I actually talk to the union involved in the matter. It’s sort of the first thing you do when you hear of a possible action taking place,” she said.
“What I’ve heard is this is a matter that will only affect a handful of students. Only a handful of schools are participating in the action and while this Government supports the cause it would be our preference that any action is taken in teachers’ own time.
“The action is programmed to take place at 2.30pm. Most of these schools finish at 2.30pm. (This will) only affect high school, if any (schools).
“I can guarantee you 100 per cent... their learning will be affected and that we will be the shining star when it comes to education..”
Undeterred, the LNP pushed on, with the deputy Opposition Leader Tim Mander landing a follow-up question on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
“Given the Education Minister’s refusal to stop the Queensland Teacher’s Union planned illegal and politically motivated strike, will the Premier intervene to put children’s education before union activism in our schools?” Mr Mander asked.
Ms Palaszczuk responded to say that it was her strong view “that classes are not disrupted” but that people were entitled to their “strong, passionate” views.
“People in this state are allowed to have strong views and passionate views,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“We don’t gag them and we don’t cut their funding. But the Minister for Education’s strong view and my strong view is that this not occur during school hours.”
The LNP later used Question Time to again zero in on Ms Grace over the issue, with LNP industrial relations spokesman Jarrod Bleijie asking whether she would use her powers to block the protest plans.
In her response, Ms Grace said the teachers were educators that felt passionately “about the wellbeing and support of schools” and had joined 350 other schools throughout Australia in calling for the children of Nauru to come to Australia.
“As educators and feeling very passionately about this, they have decided that if the Federal Government does not bring them home by a particular date, they are saying they will support and join those other 350 organisations to take action throughout Australia and we support their cause,” she said.
She also accused the LNP of hypocrisy after yesterday seizing on the Queensland Teachers’ Union support for its party policy on airconditioning for schools.
OVERNIGHT: QUEENSLAND TEACHERS TO STRIKE OVER ASYLUM SEEKERS
QUEENSLAND teachers plan to walk out of classrooms next week to attend an asylum seeker protest.
The walkout has sparked a slapdown from Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan, who said parents expected teachers who were paid to teach to “actually teach”.
The Queensland Teachers Union will back any teachers who want to walk off the job next Tuesday to protest for the freedom of the remaining refugee children and their families on Nauru.
The Federal Government cannot take action against the action, as teachers are employed by the Queensland Government and are not covered by the Commonwealth Fair Work Act.
The planned “walk-off” will take place at 2.30pm “if the children and their families have not been released from Nauru”.
It could cause chaos at schools, which will need to organise supervision for students or have parents pick up their children early.
The protest is despite suggestions all children will be off Nauru by the end of the year.
Mr Tehan questioned why a non-workplace issue was the subject of industrial action.
“What people do in their spare time is their own business, but parents and hardworking taxpayers expect that, when teachers are being paid to teach, they actually teach,” he said.
“Partisan politics should be played outside of school time.”
It is the latest overtly political action from the QTU not related to schooling, after it earlier this year backed the Eureka Stockade flag being put in schools in solidarity with the militant CFMMEU.
Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace is seeking advice from the department regarding the situation.
QTU boss Kevin Bates said protesters would work with the school’s principal to ensure they had the capacity to deal with teacher absences.
“The Federal Education Minister doesn’t employ any teachers. We’re sick and tired of federal politicians thinking they have a right to intervene in education, which is a state issue,” he said.
“I would emphasise that if the children come off Nauru there will be no action next Tuesday.”
He said the total number of teachers participating and schools affected would be determined once ballots had been held by members at the end of the week.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week said there were less than 30 children remaining on Nauru.
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