AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR THE DEFENCE OF GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS - D.O.G.S.

PRESS RELEASE 129#.

5 December 2005

ARE PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS AWARE THAT THE HEAD OF VICTORIAN

INSTITUTE OF TEACHING IS AN

EX-ASIO OFFICER ?

CONGRATULATIONS TO RECENTLY ELECTED PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER

REPRESENTATIVES WHO LAMBASTED

VICTORIAN INSTITUTE OF TEACHING

Susan Maria Halliday, the Chair of the Victorian Institute of Teaching has entries in the Who's Who in Australia for 2000 and 2004, 

 which indicates that she was an Intelligence Officer ASIO in the years 1984-1986.

Of further interest is her declaration that she was Assistant Director of the Business Council of Australia 1995-1998.

DOGS congratulate the recently elected public secondary teacher representatives on VIT, Brendan Murray and Michael Charles Lester  who, before their election issued the following statements:

Brendan T. Murray:

"The VIT is irrelevant and a sham. It has offended teachers with its intimidating money grab, (regardless of teaching commitments), the onerous and unnecessary accreditation process, and its silence in the face of political attacks on the state system. Of further concern is its contentious role in teacher sackings, its frequently inept dealings with enquiries and registrations and its sheer lack of value for those teachers who are already registered. The V.I.T. is little more than cosy club for self serving education bureaucrats that has  become drunk on its legislative authority and self importance. It is a burden to teachers, not a benefit. I and fellow candidate Mick Lester ( State Secondary) will represent dissatisfied teachers by encouraging far greater scrutiny of its activities, working ultimately towards dismantling the V.I.T. and ending the resented registration fees. Start curtailing this imperious parasite by voting 1 Murray and 2 Lester."

Michael Charles Lester:

"The stand-out achievement for the Institute and for the profession in Victoria has been the emergence of a new professional culture among teachers" ( Andrew Ius, CEO VIT from 2004 Annual Report). Nonsense! If not for the professionalism and hard work of teachers in the state secondary system, public education would have collapsed long ago. Sadly the VIT is an irrelevant body to most teachers because it fails to deal with the real issues that concern members - the necessary resources to perform our work effectively and a professional body that publicly counters the politicians and commentators who seek to destroy universal education through constant attacks on the state system and teachers. We are not the problem; we are the solution.! If elected, I will work towards making the VIT a body that really does promote the profession of teaching. Vote 1 Michael Lester and 2, Brendan Murray."

THE REALLY GOOD NEWS:

These two public school supporters got elected to represent public school secondary teachers on the VIT !

THE FURTHER GOOD NEWS:

The ex-ASIO Chairperson is unimpressed with these two good folk.

Susan Halliday is reported in The Age November 7, 2005. p. 7 as  saying:

" Council members were legally obliged to work within the VIT legislation."

The Age further indicated that, since their election the VIT has told Brendan T. Murray and Michael Charles Lester that public comments must go through Ms Halliday.

This is a very real question .

DOGS wish Brendan T. Murray and Michael Charles Lester a long interesting career on the private/ public school conglomeration known as the V.I.T. Their battle is strategically important since Kosky is proposing in a White Paper yet another private/public statutory authority above the Education Department which will effectively hand our State schools over to private operators.

For further discussion on these matters, listen to 3CR, 855 on the am dial

at

12.30 p.m. next Saturday.