More than half the public school teachers in the western metropolitan region are on contract, according to a new survey.
The Australian Education Union’s (AEU) Victorian branch surveyed 1043 teachers and found 58 per cent were on fixed-term contracts and 50 per cent did not see themselves teaching for more than 10 years.
AEU Victorian branch president Meredith Peace said more needed to be done to improve teachers’ job satisfaction.
“We’re calling on the major political parties to value the teaching profession and commit to reducing the number . . . on contract employment,” Ms Peace said.
“Our figures from Western metro show contract teaching is becoming too commonplace. That’s too many teachers consistently having to reapply for their jobs.
“These teachers are the future of our profession and should not be treated with disregard, given the important work they do.”
Ms Peace also said Victorian students were “currently funded $1881 less than the national average and this is impacting on the decisions principals make in relation to staff and programs and support for students”.
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A spokeswoman for Education Minister Martin Dixon said the prime consideration for principals when determining the make-up of their staff was students’ learning outcomes.
“The Victorian government is committed to reducing the number of fixed-term teachers, but only where it does not prevent principals from putting the best teachers in our classrooms,” the spokeswoman said.
“Virtually all industries employ a portion of their workforce on contracted positions. This is vital to ensure flexibility and sensible management of a workforce.”
The spokeswoman contradicted the survey figures and said that as of June this year, more than four out of five teachers were permanently employed. This had remained consistent for 10 years, she said.
On student funding, the spokeswoman said the Napthine government was investing $9.2 billion in school education in 2014 –
$1 billion more than the former Labor state government spent in its last budget.
“These false assumptions of the AEU demonstrate that the union does not understand the reality of education in Victoria,” she said.
“The Napthine government fought long and hard for the best deal for Victorian students under the Better Schools Funding agreement – an agreement the AEU wanted signed regardless of the outcome.”
