Education Minister Sue Ellery dismisses union concerns about teacher shortages in regional Western Australia

Education Minister Sue Ellery has dismissed concerns of a potential teacher shortage in the North West next year. The State School Teachers’ Union of Western Australia released a statement on Monday raising concerns the State Government’s public sector wages cap was impacting staffing numbers in regional Western Australia. The statement is part of SSTUWA’s campaign to have the cap, which limits wage increase to $1000 a year, scrapped and replaced with a 4 per cent increase when agreements expire this month. Education Minister Sue Ellery said she was not concerned about teacher numbers in regional areas. “Every year in term four this is when decisions are made about recruitment and placement of teachers for the following year. At this point in term four we are well ahead of where we were last year in filling identified vacancies,” she said, SSTUWA president Pat Byrne said there was no guarantee there would be a teacher in front of every classroom at the start of term one next year. “It can already be difficult to attract and retain teachers in regional and remote areas and the worsening teacher shortage is putting the education of our children at risk,” she said. Ms Byrne said the high wages offered by mining companies were luring young people to the resources sector. “With teachers’ wages higher in other parts of Australia and big wages on offer in the private sector, it’s little wonder the State Government is finding it hard to retain and attract public school teachers in the regions,” she said. Ms Ellery said all industries were facing a competitive labour market. “Teachers have a particular set of skills that they bring to their vocation. I’m confident the negotiations will continue in good faith,” she said. “It’s a tough market . . . but there are a range of measures that have been put in place to manage that including relief pools, casual pools, changes in recruitment of teachers who have been out of the system for a while and helping them get re-registered. “There are a range of programs in place and we are working through them in a methodical fashion and I am sure that we will get there.”