Teachers across Tasmania’s public school system are set to boycott the upcoming NAPLAN tests, a significant escalation in industrial action by the Australian Education Union (AEU). This move comes as the union continues its push for improved pay and working conditions, with negotiations over a new enterprise agreement for teaching assistants proving particularly contentious.
The National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a standardised assessment administered annually to students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9. It comprises four distinct tests designed to measure literacy and numeracy skills. This year, Tasmanian students were scheduled to commence their NAPLAN testing from next Wednesday, with the testing window running from March 11 to March 23.
However, the AEU has declared an “total and indefinite” ban on the tests. This means its members will not administer any of the assessments, undertake any preparatory work, or cover classes to facilitate the testing process.
The rationale behind the NAPLAN ban
David Genford, President of AEU Tasmania, explained that the ban is not intended to disrupt student learning directly but rather to exert pressure on the state government. He argued that NAPLAN represents an additional workload for educators, primarily serving the government’s data collection needs, and that its impact on students is minimal.
“This is an example of extra workload that is put on staff, for the benefit of the government and the data that they want, [NAPLAN] doesn’t have a real impact on students,” Mr Genford stated.
Variability in testing disruption
The actual impact of the ban on students scheduled to sit the tests this month will vary significantly from school to school. This variation will be dictated by the proportion of union members at each institution.
“There’s going to be a lot of schools out there that don’t have enough non-union members to run the tests,” Mr Genford noted. “We’re going to see it vary from school to school, but I think it’s quite possible that you’re going to see students not sitting the tests at all.”
Mr Genford emphasised that union members would prefer to be focused on teaching rather than administrative tasks associated with NAPLAN.
“The effort that goes into NAPLAN simply isn’t worth the workload that’s been put on our teachers and even the pressure that’s put on our students,” he said. “We hear stories of students being stressed out about NAPLAN when really all it was ever meant to be is a snapshot of where your school is at and even where the state is at. But we’ve made it an individual test that puts pressure on kids, and that’s not ideal.”
Escalating tensions over pay and conditions
The NAPLAN ban is the latest in a series of industrial actions undertaken by the AEU in recent months, reflecting ongoing frustrations with stalled wage negotiations with the state government. Public sector unions have been engaged in protracted discussions with the government regarding a new pay agreement for an extended period.
In December, Tasmanian police secured a new wage package with the state government. This agreement included a 3 per cent pay rise for the first two years of the contract, followed by a 2.75 per cent increase in the third year, alongside adjustments to entitlements and allowances.
The AEU and other public sector unions have been offered a similar pay increase. However, they contend that the police agreement includes additional allowances and benefits that equate to an extra 1 per cent in remuneration, a benefit they are also seeking.
“There are hidden allowance payments, hidden costs, that have been given to the police, that are not being given to us,” Mr Genford explained. “All we’re asking for is something fair that we can take to our members. We’re open to how that gets matched so that our members get a 4 per cent pay rise in the first year. But at the moment, that is not what’s being put on the table.”
Addressing the “workload crisis”
Beyond salary concerns, the union is also demanding that the proposed new wage agreement address what it describes as a “workload crisis” within public schools.
“We need to make sure that what we do in these negotiations actually does address the violence we’re seeing in schools and the workloads that people are under,” Mr Genford asserted. “We can’t simply keep going the way that we are. We’ll continue to see people leave the profession. We’ll continue to see people not want to come to the state to take up teaching or to be a support staff member.”
Minister’s response and potential future actions
In response to the AEU’s decision, Tasmanian Education Minister Jo Palmer expressed disappointment regarding the union’s choice to engage in industrial action.
“Our top priority will be to ensure we can minimise disruption and the impact on student learning,” Ms Palmer stated. “We are committed to delivering fair and affordable agreements through respectful and constructive negotiations, as we have done with police, doctors, firefighters and education facility attendants.”
The AEU has warned that further industrial action, including potential school closures, could be on the horizon if an agreement is not reached.
“If the premier and treasurer don’t feel as though this is important, then we will see further strikes this month,” Mr Genford concluded.
