VIC: Community walk held over preschools funding campaign

AAP General News (Australia)
08-19-2000
VIC: Community walk held over preschools funding campaign

By Andra Jackson

MELBOURNE, Aug 19 AAP - Preschool teachers, parents and children staged a community
protest walk in Melbourne's eastern suburbs this morning over the issue of preschool funding.

They walked through the streets of eastern suburban Ringwood as part of a four-week
community and industrial campaign to support a claim before the government for a new deal
for the state's preschools.

It was the first community walk in the campaign which is using a range of tactics to
highlight that "the state government is out of touch with ordinary Victorians on this
issue".

The teachers and parents carried placards to the office of Local MP and state opposition
education spokesman Phillip Honeywood.

The Australian Education Deputy Vice President (early Childhood) Shane Quinn told their
rally outside Mr Honeywood's office that the negotiations with the state government are
about two issues - teacher pay and "the inadequate" funding of the state's preschools.

"Funding is 35 per cent below the national average," she said.

The pay claim is for a catch up payment and parity with the state's school teachers,
based on the argument that preschool teachers hold the same qualifications.

The pay gap between the two groups of teachers is presently 30 per cent, Ms Quinn said.

"Preschool teachers suffer a significant loss of earnings when they chose to become
preschool teachers rather than school teachers."

The state government has offered the state's 1,800 preschool teachers - 65 per cent
of them part-timers - six per cent over two years and a lump sum payment of $1,400 for
full-time teachers.

Ms Quinn said any lessening of the gap with school teachers this might bring would
be lost in current salary negotiations teachers unions have launched for a 30 per cent
salary increase.

Ms Quinn said one parent who spoke at the rally summed up the mood of many parents
of being put in a position "of virtually having to run a small business.

"They want to be recognised as the child's mother rather than when they come into the
preschool, as its president, secretary, treasurer or someone involved in fund-raising."

Mr Honeywood told the group that parents in New South Wales paid three times higher
the amount of preschool fees than Victorian parents.

Ms Quinn disputed this saying it wasn't valid to compare Victoria's preschools to NSW's
day long care centres.

Mr Honeywood told AAP he offered to pass on petitions and to make sure they conformed
with parliament requirements.

Mr Honeywood declined to comment on the issues but said :"It is up to the Bracks government,
the government of the day to resolve this issue," he said.

The state's preschool teachers walked off the job last month and launched their claims
with a large state-wide public rally on July 27.

AAP aj/cd

KEYWORD: TEACHERS VIC

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