The Gillard Labor Government today announced new funding to start the delivery of Australia's first national system of pay bonuses for around 25,000 of our best teachers. A great chance in life starts with a great education and one of the best ways to get a great education is to have exceptional teachers.
Whether students dream of going on to learn a trade, go to university or straight into a job every one relies on the skill and experience of their classroom teachers. The budget will deliver on Labor's election commitment and provide $425 million over the next four years of the $1.3 billion initiative to ensure every classroom teacher in the country is eligible for a bonus payment. This would mean around one in ten teachers will receive a bonus - about $8,100 for those with most experience and around $5,400 for a teacher in the first few years of their career. The first bonuses will be based on performance in the 2013 school year and paid in early 2014. Prime Minister Julia Gillard visited Turner Primary School in Canberra and said that this reward for our top teachers is another plank in the Gillard Governments' commitment to ensure every child gets the best possible education no matter what their background or where they live. She said that nobody would deny that our teachers are vital to ensuring that our kids get a great start and that while few are in teaching for the money most people in our community would agree we should reward our best teachers. We know that independent research conducted as recently as this year shows that a system of meaningful appraisal and feedback for teachers can increase their effectiveness by 20 to 30 per cent. The method of assessing a teacher's performance, the Australian Teacher Performance Management Principles and Procedures will be fair and equitable. It is expected to include a range of evidence such as:
* Lesson observations
* Student performance data (including NAPLAN and school based information that can show the valued added by particular teachers)
* Parental feedback
* Teacher qualifications and professional development undertaken.
The Principles and Procedures will build on the first national Professional Standards for Teachers delivered by the Gillard Government earlier this year The Government has already embarked on reforms to better reward quality classroom teachers through the existing Teacher Quality National Partnership and our reforms have been making a difference:
* In New South Wales, a new category of Highly Accomplished teachers are already working in schools in disadvantaged areas and being rewarded for their hard work and high performance with six figure salaries.
* Victoria is trialling models of school-based and teacher-based rewards in government and independent schools including an annual bonus to top performing teachers.
Rewards for Great Teachers in every school delivers on the next stage of our commitment to recruit, train, retain and reward great teachers. This Gillard Government has made education a centrepiece of its agenda. It has already delivered new facilities including new language classrooms, science labs, libraries and school halls in every school in the country. In many cases the first new buildings in decades. The Government has also delivered over 413,000 computers and is on track to provide every secondary student in year 9 and above with access to a computer by the end of this year as promised. The Government is also rolling out the Trades Training Centre program so every secondary student will have access to a centre. Treasurer Wayne Swan said that although this will be a tough budget the Government will deliver on its election promises. He said that the Government will ensure that like families, we live within our means and direct our funding where it is most needed and can do the most good for all Australians. School Education Minister Peter Garrett said that in addition to the unprecedented investment in infrastructure and an almost doubling of school funding after years of Coalition neglect, the Gillard Government had embarked upon the largest reform of the school system in the nation's history. He said that for the first time Australia has a single national curriculum, teachers have consistent national professional standards and parents can view the progress and finances of their child's school on MySchool. Further information on the program can be found at www.deewr.gov.au