New Policy to Put Teachers in Classrooms

BY OLIVIA DILLON

The state government has introduced a new pathway, which could see aspiring Hunter teachers walking into the classroom after just twelve months.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said under the new policy, the time to complete a masters degree for post-graduate students will be halved from two years to one, after the length of the course was seen as a deterrent for would-be teachers.

Since 2011 almost 100,000 teachers have joined the force, however the policy comes as part of a continued attempt to combat teaching shortages across the Hunter and the country.

The pathway will be available from 2024, and is expected to help build the teaching force with more mid-career professionals. 

The streamlining of the course will only be available to those studying to become a secondary teacher, with a revamped primary teaching course to be available by 2026.

Hunter nurses say budget commitments aren't enough to solve healthcare crisis

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Hunter nurses are slamming the NSW Government's new health spending and budget commitments, with concern it won't fix the healthcare crisis.

The Premier yesterday announced a $4.5 billion recruitment drive to find 10,000 new nurses, doctors, and other staff over the next four years, with $1.76 billion of that dedicated to paramedic personnel and new stations.

The wage increase cap for public sector workers will also be lifted from 2.5 to 3 percent, and then to 3.5 percent the year after.

The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association has been pushing for a 4.75 percent increase, however, still below inflation, which currently sits at 5.1 percent.

Dominic Perrottet has described the offer as "fair and reasonable", having to balance the interests of unions and the Government's financial bottom line.

But John Hunter Branch Secretary Rachel Hughes says it's insulting to nurses.

"Was it fair and responsible for all the bonuses that the state politicians got?" she said. "Bonuses between $5,000 and $160,000 each, while we struggled to get what we were entitled to with pay rises over the last two years."

"Where does this fair and responsible come in with the community and the patients that we're concerned about? Is he?"

The Government's also handing out a $3,000 payment to all public health workers, to say thanks for their work on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The union maintains, however, the Government's failed to meet their major demands, and the recruitment drive

Ms Hughes says the Premier is "tone-deaf" when it comes to their real concerns.

"Our biggest request was ratios to make it safer for patients and nurses, and we also asked for a pay rise that reinstated the pay cuts and freezes we'd had over the pandemic," she said.

"Unfortunately he failed to deliver on either of those."

"There will be further action. The response from the Government is just not enough."

Image credit: NSW Nurses and Midwives Association.