- 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
