What we will do if elected

Jarvis and Anita have a clear plan of what we want to do to if elected to improve the union’s standing and make it a more effective organisation in advocating for and representing educators.

• Provide united leadership – Anita and Jarvis are the only candidates running as a team for the full-time officer (FTO) positions. We have a shared vision of what we want to achieve, and will work in a complementary manner to ensure the union responds to the threats facing our members and public education in a strong, articulate and consultative manner. This will involve building a collective leadership beyond the two Full-Time Officer positions, by ensuring we build the capacity of Executive and other representative bodies such as regional councils, to improve the responsiveness of the union as a whole.
• Give members a voice – a common frustration voiced by members about the union’s recent troubles is that they didn't feel listened to. Jarvis and Anita are committed to rebuilding the union’s democratic structures – we will take personal responsibility for ensuring that regional officers and sub-branch delegates are supported and provided with training to carry out their duties.
• Build the union – our membership density (percentage of eligible teaches who are members in the union) is much lower than other branches. Although we have the added difficulty of high turnover in remote areas, this is a challenge that needs to be addressed head-on. One reason for the problem is that little attention has been paid in recent years to recruitment and retention.  This is an area which can be addressed through better support of sub-branch delegates, training and targeted recruitment campaigns. We would also propose a differentiated and simplified fee structure, particularly for short-term contract teachers, to overcome obstacles to recruitment.
• Improve the union’s financial position – we will conduct an audit of all current expenses. The previous administration was spending money at an unsustainable rate. The union needs a strong financial foundation to be an effective campaigning and representative organisation. We will ensure resources are being channelled into where they are most needed and most effective - building campaigns and providing support to members.
• Strengthen communication – Jarvis has already taken big steps in this area as president through the weekly email bulletin and use of social media. We would further develop the initial efforts in this area to make sure members feel valued and included and that they are helping to drive union policy and action. Areas we would focus on include improving the quality of the Territory Educator as a professional and industrial journal, and overhauling the website to make it a more attractive and accessible first point-of-contact for prospective members, as well as a site for sub-branch reps and members to quickly and easily access relevant resources and campaign materials.

Please don't hesitate to get in touch with this to ask questions about our plan for the union. Email jarvisandanita@gmail.com.

Why we are running for the AEU NT leadership

• Calm, determined leadership
• Understanding of the big picture
• Campaign experience
• Willingness to listen
• Balancing remote and urban perspectives

Jarvis Ryan and Anita Jonsberg are running as a team in the AEU NT elections for the two Full-Time Officer (FTO) positions: president and secretary. The president and secretary are responsible for the day-to-day running of the union and, as members of the 19-person Executive, play a leading role in managing the union’s finances, determining its strategic priorities and providing services to members.

As all teachers know, our union has been through a damaging crisis. There was a breakdown of trust between the Executive and the broader membership, and a perception that personal interests were put ahead of the interests of the union and its members. Much of the goodwill and momentum that were built up during the Stop the Cuts campaign was squandered, and the union was left in a weak position to meet the many challenges confronting us, notably an unresolved EBA dispute and policy challenges such as the introduction of global budgeting and Independent Public Schools, and the implementation of the Indigenous Education Review recommendations.

With the union still in a vulnerable position, teachers need strong, united and strategic leadership to guide the union through this difficult period. As the only group running as a “ticket” in the FTO elections, Jarvis and Anita offer the best opportunity for consolidation, renewal and growth.

Neither Anita nor Jarvis were part of the Executive during the period of crisis; we shared the anger among much of the membership about the union losing its way. We are proud of the role we played as grassroots activists in building a strong voice for teachers and the public against government education cuts; Jarvis in Arnhem, Anita in Darwin.

Jarvis is currently the interim president of the AEU NT and has already taken a number of important steps to get the union back on track, such as improving communication with members with weekly email bulletins, restoring the functionality of Executive, and putting the union back on a campaign footing after months of paralysis.

As regional vice-president for the Arnhem Regional Council (ARC) in 2013, Jarvis helped co-ordinate a vibrant Stop the Cuts campaign, involving members and the community and garnering wide media publicity. ARC held a number of extremely successful local actions, including a mass meeting and two rallies. This year as regional president, Jarvis worked to build strong structures through regional teleconferences and bulletins to make sure members were connected.

As a teacher at Yirrkala School, Jarvis took a strong interest in Indigenous education policy, working closely with Yolngu educators and community leaders to promote Indigenous perspectives. He authored a union-endorsed submission to the Indigenous Education Review in consultation with Yirrkala AEU members.

Anita helped co-ordinate the mass mobilisations in Darwin against the government’s education cuts. She was elected as the chairperson of the Students Left Behind (SLB) union committee. Through the SLB Facebook page, the views of teachers and the union about the damaging impact of cuts to schools were able to reach a much wider audience, in the NT and beyond. Anita is a highly respected teacher with well over a decade of experience in the Territory.

Jarvis and Anita share a passion for education, a strong record as successful classroom teachers, the ability to communicate effectively with members, the media and the public, a capacity to think strategically and respond to the big challenges facing our union, and strong organisational and interpersonal skills.

We have a shared vision for how to strengthen our union and that is why we are running together. We ask for your support in the election by voting 1 for Jarvis for President and 1 for Anita for Secretary in the AEU NT elections. The ballot opens this Friday 12 September.

Authorised by J. Ryan, 3/8 Totem Rd, Coconut Grove NT 0811