Coddington Deborah: State Sector Amendment Bill (No 3) — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee Third Reading 
Coddington Deborah: State Sector Amendment Bill (No 3) — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:616;Page:12188] 
DEBORAH CODDINGTON (ACT) 
: 
 We are now on to the title of the State Sector Amendment Bill (No 3). The title reminds us what this Government really thinks of teachers in terms of being professional. What other group of professionals has to march up and down the street to get a pay rise? Why do we continue to treat teachers like this when they have the most important job? This Government would not tolerate it if accountants or lawyers had to march up and down the street to get a pay rise. But who taught the accountants and lawyers to be accountants and lawyers? Teachers are the most important group of professionals in the country yet we insist on treating them with a collective herd mentality by bringing them under the control of the State Services Commissioner. 
Brian Donnelly said: “National left it in a bad situation so all we are doing is making it worse.” That is like saying: “Six sleeping pills are bad for you so go and take the whole bottle.” Why not throw this whole bill out start all over again and go back to removing State control of teachers? This legislation is like saying: “This is bad but let’s make it worse.” and it will not improve the situation at all. Members have heard speakers say that the bill will guarantee there will not be any more strikes. There will be more strikes—of course there will be more strikes. This bill will not prevent any strikes. As soon as there is unionised labour there are strikes. 
People who came to the Education and Science Committee said that when teachers were still being paid by boards of trustees who chose to pay them it was an incentive for them to go on strike. What an insult to those teachers. As I said earlier in this debate I was on a board of trustees that elected not to pay the teachers who went on strike. Those teachers still went on strike because they felt they were striking for a principle. We might have agreed with it or we might not have but the teachers still were honourable in their beliefs and their purposes. Not being paid did not mean that teachers decided not to go on strike the next time there was a strike or a rolling stoppage. 
This bill will be a nightmare. Just thinking about the rolling stoppages and the requirements under this bill for boards of trustees to inform the State Services Commission of the names of all those who choose not to go on strike is a total nightmare. It is a one-size-fits-all bill. It is the “Punish the Teachers Bill” which has been introduced to try to reduce the fiscal risk to boards of trustees and the State but it will not do that at all. If independent schools can take the risk why should State school boards of trustees not be able to take the risk too? That is why they are independent. They do not need to be brought under the control of the State Services Commissioner. 
I heard someone from United Future say that this is different because it is taxpayers’ money. Taxpayers’ money also goes into paying teachers at independent schools and integrated schools but we are not bringing them under the control of the State Services Commissioner. 
Stephen Franks 
: Not yet. 
DEBORAH CODDINGTON 
: As Stephen Franks said not yet. It is probably on its way and I probably should not speak too loud because they will be next—certainly integrated schools will be. They are already under the Minister’s beady eye to be brought into the State sector. 
We trust those boards to make decisions on whether to pay their teachers if they go on strike. Why should we not trust the boards of State schools to make the same decision? It is a non sequitur to argue that it is not taxpayers’ money because it is a certain amount of taxpayers’ money. 
This State Sector Amendment Bill (No 3) that we are passing through under urgency is the Minister’s way of punishing teachers for embarrassing him before the last election. Mark my words: teachers will be out on the street again before the next election unless we have an early one when the Government gets wind of it.