The Hon. PENNY SHARPE: My question is addressed to the Minister for Education and Training. Will the Minister update the House on measures to give schools more of a say when filling teacher vacancies?

The Hon. JOHN DELLA BOSCA: School communities around New South Wales are being given more of a say when filling teacher vacancies in public schools. This is a change parents and principals have told us they wanted. It allows schools to select the qualified teacher that best suits their school. This is an additional option. The existing transfer system remains and many schools will continue to use it. The incentive transfer system—which helps us staff remote schools—remains untouched. Advertising will only be an option when there is no teacher in a remote region wishing to transfer. A meeting of Teachers Federation members today voted to strike late next month for 24 hours unless agreement can be reached. I hope agreement can be reached—but there is a fundamental point of difference here.

The Government believes schools should be given more of a say. I know teachers are genuine in their concerns. That is why I have put a series of safeguards in place, including agreeing with a federation proposal for working groups to examine the implementation of the policy. I hope the federation will agree to participate because it is the federation's idea and it is a very good one. I assure teachers and the House that if there are unintended consequences that emerge from the new policy then it will be modified. I also assure teachers that this has nothing to do with anything previously introduced in Victoria, in Western Australia or anywhere else. It is not part of a change to school budgets, it is not giving principals power to hire and fire: there is no secret agenda. This is a simple change based on a premise that teachers, principals and parents usually agree on: that each school is different and each school has unique needs. A number of regional newspapers have, off their own bat, gone to their local teachers and principals for their unvarnished views. I want to provide some of those quotes without embarrassing each person by name. This is a selection:

I was intrigued to see the wide range of applicants and I thought that was very refreshing. The teacher who was selected was one who was able to meet the needs of the school and the students and our special needs on top of that.

It means teachers can apply for positions they want to and won't be locked out of the interview process.

We have a high population of indigenous children and we need to have teachers with that cultural awareness.

A further quote:

I think it would be a very good policy, eventually across the State, once people sit back and start to use it.

And further:

Some people just aren't suited to teaching in country areas, and principals should be able to choose the best person for the job.

The department and the Government will continue to speak with the federation—as we have since last year—about this matter. I want to avoid any disruption to schools and to families but this debate is worth having. It is modest change to improve public education. Principals support the policy, and I think in time it will be overwhelmingly supported by teachers. It will help bring new graduates into the profession and it will allow experienced teachers to apply for more positions. I hope the New South Wales Teachers Federation accepts the Government's genuine position that the policy will be modified if there are unintended consequences. It will strengthen public education and strengthen the teaching profession.