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Katie Woolf spoke with Australian Education Union NT Branch President Jarvis Ryan · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now, yesterday you may have heard us catch up with
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: the Education Minister Lauren Moss and speak a little bit
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: more about teacher safety at Unbecomber, following on from concerns
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: being raised by the Education Union earlier in the week
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: about the safety of those that are working in the community.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Now we were told that there were situations at Unbercomber
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  Speaker 1: where some teachers that had their houses broken into on
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  Speaker 1: numerous occasions by intruders and again in some cases wielding
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: machetes and axes. No matter how you look at this,
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  Speaker 1: it's totally unacceptable that our teachers have had to go
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  Speaker 1: through this. Now joining us on the line right now
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  Speaker 1: is Jarvis Ryan from the Northern Territory Education Union. Good
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: morning to you, Jarvis.
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  Speaker 2: Good to be with you.
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  Speaker 1: Katie Jervis, how is this situation currently sitting after raising
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: those concerns earlier in the week.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I can tell you that the principle is no
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: longer on the island. She's been asked to leave the
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: island by the community there, which is disappointing because she
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: raised legitimate concerns about her safety and the response was
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  Speaker 2: no longer welcome here. Ultimately, we have no control over
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  Speaker 2: that as the community is not making someone welcome, then
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  Speaker 2: they need to leave. So we're focused on supporting her
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  Speaker 2: and on people who are still not feeling safe about
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  Speaker 2: negotiating for them to move elsewhere. So I know that
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  Speaker 2: the Land Council did make some comments about criticizing the
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  Speaker 2: position we took, but from our point of view, we're
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  Speaker 2: not seeking to get into dispute with the community of
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  Speaker 2: Unbecomber or with the Land Council. Our issue is about
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  Speaker 2: the employer, which is the Department of Education. In our view,
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  Speaker 2: there's a sort of normalized acceptance that this is just
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  Speaker 2: what you have to put up with when you work
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  Speaker 2: in remote communities, and in our view, it's very clear
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  Speaker 2: this is a safety issue. People should be able to
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  Speaker 2: sleep safely in their homes at night, they should not
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  Speaker 2: be subject to potential home intrusion, people with machetes of
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  Speaker 2: whatever age, And we just want to see a faster,
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  Speaker 2: more rapid response to these situations to really make them
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  Speaker 2: top priority about keeping keeping employees safe. And I'm told
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  Speaker 2: things are settled down somewhat Numbercomer in the last couple
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  Speaker 2: of days. But I would also point out that Unbecomer
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  Speaker 2: has been an issue of late but this is something
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  Speaker 2: we see crop up in different places around the territory sadly,
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  Speaker 2: quite commonly, and you know, it's a real challenge for us. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: we're talking about a workforce where we often have particularly
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  Speaker 2: single females living in these communities, and we do have
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  Speaker 2: concerns for their safety when these situations arise.
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: Javis, what kind of impact or what has been the
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: reaction from the other teachers based out there in Unbecomer
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: following on from the principle being asked to leave?
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: Well, look, we raised this issue at the in response
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: to concerns from our members. Last week I conveyed the
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: letter signed by six of our members asking to be relocated.
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  Speaker 2: In response to those concerns, I understand there are some
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  Speaker 2: people who are happy to remain there and they're not
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: They're not worried, they're not concerned. So you know, ultimately
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  Speaker 2: there is a decision people can make about that. Again,
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  Speaker 2: I just highlight the point that this community has actually
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  Speaker 2: cycled through quite a lot of principles in recent times,
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  Speaker 2: and we know there are challenges in these communities. The
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  Speaker 2: question often goes to people given enough support to manage
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  Speaker 2: in very difficult and trying circumstances. And the point I
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  Speaker 2: made this week as well is it's not just about education,
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: it's about police, it's about housing, it's about territory families.
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  Speaker 2: You know, there's actually a whole range of different levels
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  Speaker 2: of support that we need. So one of the challenges
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  Speaker 2: we've had at Unbecomer is there's no criticism of the
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  Speaker 2: police and that those officers that do a very fine
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  Speaker 2: job under difficult circumstances, they've often not had the means
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  Speaker 2: to be out with a continual presence in Unbecomer to
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  Speaker 2: deal with some of the challenges there. So I understand
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  Speaker 2: in response to us raising the flag this week that
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  Speaker 2: there's increased presence out there now people get cross from
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  Speaker 2: we go to the media. But I have to tell you, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: if we don't go to the media, we don't get
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  Speaker 2: the response. And it's sad that it has to come
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  Speaker 2: to that.
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  Speaker 1: And I would also think that realistically that's a last resort.
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  Speaker 1: You know, I've got family members that work in remote communities,
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  Speaker 1: not in education, but in the health sector, and you
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  Speaker 1: know the reality is that you don't people don't go
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: to the media. They also don't go to the union
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  Speaker 1: unless they are genuinely concerned about what's going on now.
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  Speaker 1: We had the we had the minister on the show
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  Speaker 1: yesterday and and you know, she had said that, you know,
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  Speaker 1: like she again had it seemed as though she and
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: the government had taken offense to one of the comments
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  Speaker 1: that you had made around around a particular policy that
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  Speaker 1: community led decision making process with one of the policies
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: that you know as one of their policies that they
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  Speaker 1: sort of hang their hats on. You know, what did
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  Speaker 1: you make of that commentary from the government, And you know,
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  Speaker 1: I'm ultimately I'm assuming that for you, all that you're
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  Speaker 1: concerned about right now is just the safety of those teachers.
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: That's right. And look, I mean I wrote a submission
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  Speaker 2: to the Department on the weekend where I think one
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  Speaker 2: of the most important things to improve education outcomes in
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  Speaker 2: remote communities is we do have to give those communities
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  Speaker 2: more ownership about make sure the curriculum is culturally appropriate
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: and relevant, and we increase our capacity to provide first
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: language instruction, bi lingual programs, all of those things. I
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  Speaker 2: guess my point was to say, it's all very well
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  Speaker 2: to have this high level agreement about local decision making,
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  Speaker 2: all the rest of it. When the reality on the
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  Speaker 2: ground is people can't sleep safely in their beds at night,
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  Speaker 2: I would say take a reality check and go We've
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: got to get these basic things right around making sure
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  Speaker 2: our workforce, our government workforce. These teachers are only going
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: in there because they want to make sure these kids
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  Speaker 2: get an education at every effort made to ensure that
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  Speaker 2: they're safe, and that when those concerns are raised, that
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  Speaker 2: they have dealt with as the highest priority and not
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: kind of a sort of normalized attitude of well, that's
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  Speaker 2: just what you have to put up with. I don't
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  Speaker 2: think that's good enough, and we've made it clear this
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  Speaker 2: week we're not going to stand for it. And I
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  Speaker 2: can tell you that our membership is very solidly behind
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  Speaker 2: that view. Our remote workforce, there's a lot of other stores,
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  Speaker 2: as we could tell that they want to know that
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  Speaker 2: they've got the backing of the Minister and the Department
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  Speaker 2: and the Chief Minister ultimately on this issue.
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: Jervis right now, how many teachers are based out of
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  Speaker 1: Unbecomber and how many are really thinking about, you know,
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: the need to relocate and to stay will in an
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: effort to stay safe.
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: Well as I said, the principal has departed this week.
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: One teacher and his family have helped negotiate a transfer
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: for them. For the others, at this stage, I can't say,
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: but obviously anyone who's continuing to be concerned about things
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: will support them around relocation if needed.
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: Well, it sounds like it's certainly a continuing situation at
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: this point in time. I really, you know, I do
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: hope that something is able to be sorted out. The
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: teachers are able to stay safe and obviously, you know,
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  Speaker 1: fundamentally those kids are able to be you know, to
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  Speaker 1: go to school and to obviously have their teachers there.
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: It must be really difficult, I think for it to
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  Speaker 1: get to this point because you know, ultimately teachers do
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: want to be able to do their jobs and educate
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  Speaker 1: the kids.
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  Speaker 2: That's exactly right, and that's what we all want. But
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  Speaker 2: there are also some important issues of safety that need
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: to need to be addressed.
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Java Shrian, always appreciate your time. Thank you so
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  Speaker 1: much for having a chat with us this morning, and
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  Speaker 1: we'll try to keep in contact to find out how
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  Speaker 1: this situation evolves.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks for your interest, Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you, Java Shrian. There the principal, Sorry, the President,
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: I should say of the Northern Territory Education Union