1
00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,160
Speaker 1: What we do know is that throughout this week or yesterday,

2
00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:06,320
Speaker 1: we learned that eighty six percent of teachers voted on

3
00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:10,280
Speaker 1: the Northern Territory government's latest payoffer and have knocked it back.

4
00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:13,040
Speaker 1: Joining me on the line to tell us more is

5
00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:17,079
Speaker 1: Michelle Airs from the Northern Territory Australian Education Unions Branch.

6
00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:21,600
Speaker 1: She is indeed the president. Good morning to you, Michelle.

7
00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:22,000
Speaker 2: Good morning Katie.

8
00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:25,599
Speaker 1: Michelle. What are teacher saying to you about this ballot

9
00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:28,160
Speaker 1: that was rolled out and the reasons why eighty six

10
00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:29,720
Speaker 1: percent of them have knocked it back?

11
00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:33,720
Speaker 2: Well, I think it's fairly clear with eighty six percent

12
00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:36,640
Speaker 2: of a no vote that they are not interested in

13
00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:41,160
Speaker 2: a wage free that there were several issues with that offer,

14
00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:43,440
Speaker 2: and I think the last time I was on speaking

15
00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:45,639
Speaker 2: to you we covered off on some of them, one

16
00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:48,960
Speaker 2: of them being really didn't adjust for cost of living increases,

17
00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:53,920
Speaker 2: but also there was just a lot of disparity across

18
00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:57,959
Speaker 2: the wage the wage levels, and although the government gave

19
00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:01,160
Speaker 2: us some indications of the funding might be coming from,

20
00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:04,480
Speaker 2: there was still a lack of clarity around that and

21
00:01:04,520 --> 00:01:07,160
Speaker 2: it just felt like a really rush thing. So safe

22
00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:10,360
Speaker 2: to say the teachers they weren't a fan of this,

23
00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:12,600
Speaker 2: and we at the union were right knock back.

24
00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:15,720
Speaker 1: So Michelle, do you think that the message is getting

25
00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:16,960
Speaker 1: through to the government.

26
00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:22,000
Speaker 2: Well, I'd hope that it is, Katie. This is the

27
00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:25,480
Speaker 2: second time that the teachers have voted. Really it's the

28
00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:28,520
Speaker 2: third offer if you consider the first offer with one

29
00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:34,120
Speaker 2: thousand dollars increases that the government increased that. You know

30
00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:37,000
Speaker 2: they offered last year one thousand dollars bonuses, and then

31
00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:39,560
Speaker 2: this year but ten thousand dollars worth of bonuses, and

32
00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:43,119
Speaker 2: then now this new offer but still bonuses, but still

33
00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:47,920
Speaker 2: a wage freeze. And yeah, if I was the government,

34
00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:49,800
Speaker 2: I'd be sitting there going, okay, we need to go

35
00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:52,240
Speaker 2: back and look at our fiscal policy. Now it's obviously

36
00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:54,280
Speaker 2: not working for our Northern Territory public service.

37
00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:58,600
Speaker 1: So what's next from your perspective, From the union's perspective.

38
00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:02,320
Speaker 2: That'll be a conversation with the government. There's very little

39
00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:06,200
Speaker 2: that the OCPE, so the Commission of for Public Appointment,

40
00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:12,560
Speaker 2: can do, unless cabinets choose to adjust the wage of policy. Really,

41
00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:16,200
Speaker 2: it's the government policy and the OCPE is bound. So

42
00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:18,160
Speaker 2: we put the ball in their court. They need to

43
00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:20,880
Speaker 2: meet and I'd say that it's pretty critical that they

44
00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:23,720
Speaker 2: do it soon because it's term three. Oh actually we're

45
00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:27,359
Speaker 2: on term three holiday. Yes, this is when teachers they've

46
00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:29,239
Speaker 2: got a break from teaching and they're sitting down going

47
00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:31,640
Speaker 2: where am I going to work next year? So we

48
00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:34,480
Speaker 2: really need to see something happening here, and we need

49
00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:35,480
Speaker 2: to see it happening fus.

50
00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:38,520
Speaker 1: Yeah, this is the thing, like you've just said, obviously,

51
00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:41,440
Speaker 1: school holidays for kids and teachers at this point in time,

52
00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:44,560
Speaker 1: and there needs to be some decisions made now. We

53
00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:47,120
Speaker 1: had the Minister Paul Kirby on the show yesterday and

54
00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:50,480
Speaker 1: you know, the government sort of keeps saying, look, we're

55
00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:54,640
Speaker 1: we're at the table, we're discussing this with the different unions.

56
00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:57,560
Speaker 1: We're talking about it, but it doesn't seem as though,

57
00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:00,200
Speaker 1: you know, there's a conclusion that's sort of going to

58
00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:03,040
Speaker 1: to come any time in a real hurry.

59
00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:08,160
Speaker 2: Look again, the balls in their court. The thing that

60
00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:11,680
Speaker 2: needs to change in order for us to see people

61
00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:15,760
Speaker 2: paid properly in the Northern Territory and to have rates

62
00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:18,600
Speaker 2: of pay that will help us to attract and that's

63
00:03:18,639 --> 00:03:21,160
Speaker 2: really the big thing right now. People are going to

64
00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:23,480
Speaker 2: leave at this point from the Northern Territory. We don't

65
00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:26,359
Speaker 2: know how many yet, but we always have a fairly

66
00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:28,760
Speaker 2: high turnover at the end of the year. Right now,

67
00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:30,520
Speaker 2: what the government needs to be sitting down and looking

68
00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:33,200
Speaker 2: at is how are we going to staff classrooms next year?

69
00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:35,800
Speaker 2: How are we going to attract new teachers here in

70
00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:40,000
Speaker 2: the middle of this nationwide teacher shortage. And honestly, the

71
00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:42,040
Speaker 2: answer is they need to sit down in their cabinet

72
00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:45,160
Speaker 2: room and revise this pay free policy.

73
00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:48,400
Speaker 1: Michelle, what is the worst that will happen if teachers

74
00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:53,320
Speaker 1: don't secure what you deem fair pay.

75
00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:56,280
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a really good question, Katie. It's one of

76
00:03:56,280 --> 00:04:00,800
Speaker 2: those it's difficult, difficult to really tell without seeing a

77
00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:03,640
Speaker 2: situation play out, but my guess would be that we'll

78
00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:10,320
Speaker 2: see a great number of teachers leaving for jobs in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane,

79
00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:14,320
Speaker 2: places where they're offering some pretty decent money now, money

80
00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:17,560
Speaker 2: that wasn't on the table before, and there's jobs are plenty,

81
00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:21,320
Speaker 2: and so what's going to happen is the government aren't,

82
00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:26,800
Speaker 2: in my opinion, going to let classroom go without teachers,

83
00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:29,640
Speaker 2: so it will end up costing the government more in

84
00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:31,840
Speaker 2: the long run to then have to throw heaps more

85
00:04:31,839 --> 00:04:34,360
Speaker 2: money on the table in order to attract people here,

86
00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:37,479
Speaker 2: you know, in in emergency circumstances.

87
00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:39,400
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I mean this is the thing. The kids

88
00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,000
Speaker 1: can't go back to school next year and not have teachers,

89
00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:44,920
Speaker 1: so they're going to need to do something. And you know,

90
00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:46,720
Speaker 1: the rest of us are already sort of like, if

91
00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:49,320
Speaker 1: you're a parent, you're planning what school your kids are

92
00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:51,280
Speaker 1: going to next year, if they're you know, if they're

93
00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:53,240
Speaker 1: going up to middle school or high school and that

94
00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:56,240
Speaker 1: kind of thing. So parents are already planning what they're

95
00:04:56,279 --> 00:04:59,640
Speaker 1: doing for next year, no doubt. Teachers are starting to

96
00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:02,000
Speaker 1: plan what they're going to do for next year. And

97
00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:04,200
Speaker 1: I think the longer that these things sort of lingers,

98
00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:05,800
Speaker 1: the harder it's going to get.

99
00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:09,359
Speaker 2: Yeah, and look, the government have been the whole time

100
00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:11,800
Speaker 2: making it about fiscal policy. Right, they want to build

101
00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:14,520
Speaker 2: us Oh I can't remember the number, but certain billion

102
00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:17,520
Speaker 2: dollar economy by twenty thirty. Well, I've been asking our

103
00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:20,680
Speaker 2: teachers how many of you are currently teaching a child

104
00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:23,640
Speaker 2: who's going to be in the workforce in twenty thirty.

105
00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:28,240
Speaker 2: Like this is more than just about the here and

106
00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:30,480
Speaker 2: now of the government can save some money we need

107
00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:33,280
Speaker 2: to be looking at the long term consequences, and that's

108
00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:36,240
Speaker 2: I speak from education. But those long term consequences come

109
00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:38,680
Speaker 2: out of help, they come out of power, water, they

110
00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:40,839
Speaker 2: come out of corrections and justice and all the other

111
00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:43,440
Speaker 2: areas that are covered by our public service. And so

112
00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:45,880
Speaker 2: it's really confusing to me that the government are sticking

113
00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:47,960
Speaker 2: by this if we save a little bit of money now,

114
00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:50,080
Speaker 2: we'll be able to build this strong economy, when it

115
00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:53,159
Speaker 2: seems clearly obvious to me that if we don't have

116
00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:55,520
Speaker 2: teachers in classrooms next year, we've got no hope of

117
00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:56,640
Speaker 2: building a strong economy.

118
00:05:56,920 --> 00:05:59,920
Speaker 1: Well, Michelle, as the President of the Northern Territories said,

119
00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:02,800
Speaker 1: dedication Union, I really appreciate your time this morning. Please

120
00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:04,560
Speaker 1: thank you very much for having a chat with us,

121
00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:07,839
Speaker 1: and please keep us up to date as things progress.

122
00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:10,000
Speaker 2: Thank you, Katie, thank you