World Teachers’ Day
Wednesday 1 November 2023
Ms CLANCY (Elder) (12:30): I move:
That this house—
(a) acknowledges that World Teachers' Day—which is also known as International Teachers' Day—was recognised on Friday 27 October 2023;
(b) recognises and thanks teachers for the important role they play in shaping the next generation of South Australians; and
(c) acknowledges the vital and inspirational role teachers play in providing quality education in a range of settings and to a diverse range of community members.
Established in 1994, World Teachers' Day commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the recommendation concerning the status of teachers in 1966 by the International Labour Organization and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
This international instrument outlines the rights and responsibilities of educators ranging from early childhood to vocational and tertiary education. The recommendation also provides guidance for governments, employers, trade unions and other stakeholders to establish effective legislation and policies for our teachers.
Internationally, the anniversary of the signing of this recommendation is actually celebrated on 5 October, but given that this date typically falls in school holidays Australia celebrates World Teachers' Day on the last Friday in October. So, just as I did last year, on Friday I loaded up my boot with cakes from local business The Cake Hut and I headed to each of the schools in my electorate, as well as three across the border—so do not tell the member for Badcoe or the member for Unley—to celebrate the teachers who provide so much to our community.
People often ask me what a typical day for me looks like in this job, and aside from sitting days, which are a little bit the same, I do say that no other day is the same. I get the opportunity to do so many different things and meet with so many different people. Every day is different, and I tell you what, a day where I get to drive around my electorate sharing a little love and catching up with teachers, as well as SSOs, when I turn up as I drop off cakes is right up there with one of the best kind of days.
While this house recognises and thanks all teachers in South Australia, I would particularly like to recognise and thank the teachers of Clovelly Park Primary School, Colonel Light Gardens Primary, Edwardstown Primary, St Anthony's, St Bernadette's, St Therese, Suneden, Westbourne Park, Cabra, Hamilton Secondary, Mitcham Girls, Sacred Heart College Middle School, Springbank Secondary, Unley High and Black Forest.
It has been an absolute pleasure to visit each of these schools on multiple occasions now since my election last year, and I can honestly say that we have some of the most dedicated and talented educators working so incredibly hard to teach, support, nurture and shape our next generation.
I have also greatly appreciated the opportunity to host students from most of the primary schools in my electorate for a tour of Parliament House and being genuinely in awe of just how knowledgeable these students are about the functioning and processes of parliament. They genuinely know more about this place than many adults. This is a reflection not only of our brainy students but also their dedicated teachers. I appreciate that not everyone is quite as interested or engaged with the political process as most of us here but the more engaged and a part of our electoral system that our community is only makes for stronger representation in this place. I will be forever grateful to teachers in our community for their efforts in making civics education fun and interactive for our students.
We know that students thrive in great learning environments and this government is committed to providing teachers with work environments which empower them to best support their students. In my electorate of Elder, we are progressing with election commitments at Edwardstown Primary, Westbourne Park Primary and Clovelly Park Primary, with building works at Westbourne Park scheduled to begin shortly.
Teachers and school staff are connected in the community like few other professions are and play a pivotal role in making our patch of South Australia an even better place. In acknowledging World Teachers' Day, we must not just recognise and thank our teachers, we must also recognise that more needs to be done and is being done to support our teachers.
Action must be taken to reduce the workload of educators and to ensure our schools are supported to address increasing student complexity. That is why in our first year the Malinauskas Labor government has taken steps to address this, including a $50 million investment to provide 100 full-time equivalent mental health and learning support staff, and a $28 million investment to fund an autism inclusion teacher in every public primary school.
We know the first 1,000 days of a child's life are crucial to their brain and social development. Prior to the last state election, nearly a quarter of South Australian five year olds had started behind their developmental milestones, nearly the highest proportion of all states. Clearly, we need to do better. That is why we promised the people of South Australia prior to coming to government that we would establish the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care. Not only have we established this commission in our first 18 months of government, but the royal commission led by the Hon. Julia Gillard has released its final report.
Typically, royal commissions are established to inquire into a problem or when something has gone wrong. This royal commission was different. Rather than looking at the mistakes of the past, the royal commission heard expert evidence and the experience and views of families to provide advice to our government on delivering a high-quality early years system that is fit for the future.
In August, we announced work would begin immediately on delivering the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care, which will see our state becoming a national leader in early childhood development and improving the lives of thousands of children. This Malinauskas Labor government will begin this work by adopting the very first recommendation in the report by setting an ambitious target to reduce the rate of South Australian children entering school developmentally vulnerable from 23.8 per cent to 15 per cent within 20 years, well below the national average of 22 per cent.
Work has also begun on expanding preschool and out-of-school hours care in South Australia, starting with an initial investment of $70 million with more to come.
Our government has also started implementing a further 12 recommendations in the report, including:
commencing the rollout of universal three-year-old preschool in 2026, to be completed by 2032;
prioritising the 1,000 most vulnerable children in the state;
becoming the first Australian state to provide up to 30 hours of preschool per week for the most vulnerable three and four year olds;
starting a trial of out-of-hours care in government-run preschools in 2024;
centralising management of OSHC in government schools under the Department for Education, improving quality and access, and modernising OSHC qualification requirements;
expanding child development checks to achieve maximum possible participation;
establishing an early childhood workforce fund; and
legislating a new office for early childhood development.
Also in support of this work, our government will make an initial commitment of $50 million towards the first tranche of required infrastructure works and $20 million towards starting to implement the recommendations, including:
$7 million for the Education Standards Board so that every childhood education and care provider is assessed and rated at least every three years;
$2.4 million towards the establishment of a new office for early childhood development; and
$1.7 million for the out-of-hours care trials at preschools in 2024.
Along with material and social conditions, teachers play one of the most important roles in the educational outcomes of our students. I am sure we can all share a story of a teacher who shared skills and knowledge beyond the curriculum that we draw upon today.
My year 10 English teacher who is actually now one of my constituents but I still cannot call him by his first name because he will always be Mr Eaton, helped me to think critically and clearly when dealing with emotionally charged content while still maintaining compassion and feeling. He was a teacher who managed to find this beautiful balance with us, establishing himself as the person in charge as the teacher but also fostering mutual respect between us all that made his lessons are joy. It is a lot easier to learn when we feel respected and supported.
I also want to take the chance to thank Miss Six's year 1 teacher, Miss Paige, who is so loved—I sometimes feel like Miss Six would rather stay with her all day and night than come home—as well as her reception teacher, Miss Kerry, who made that first year of school, which was I think more scary for us as parents than for her, so much easier.
I also want to thank every single teacher in our community and across the state and say thank you to all the teachers who do not make the students feel weird when they accidentally call them mum. In closing, I want to thank every teacher in the country, in the world, for your work in shaping the next generation of South Australians. I commend this motion to the house.
