We are the teachers who refuse to be victims of the Northern Territory Education Department, and refuse to break our promise to the Indigenous parents who asked us for help. (
Anyone thinking of teaching in a Northern Territory government school, should read this.
WE CHALLENGE THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO SUE US IF ANY CLAIM WE MAKE IS UNTRUE
We name the DET employees involved and offer them the chance to answer our questions. We will even post their responses on this website for all to see
Why Teach in the Territory when:
- A 2005 health inspector's report recommended immediate testing of suspected asbestos and Indigenous kids were said to have been tossing pieces about -- and there is no record of any testing taking place. Over one month later documents show that the material in question was still lying on the school grounds. We weren’t told about the report's existence – it was found lying in a back room.
- When confronted with this 3-year-old report and after promising prompt action, DET refused to tell me if my family and the children I had a duty of care over had been exposed to asbestos, my wife and I were blacklisted, and 63 days passed before an inspector went to the school – just 2 days after our claims appeared in the Darwin media. DET’s explanation – it was none of my business and they had trouble finding a contractor!
- DET’s investigation into our health and blacklisting claims was a sham. No one even talked to us or our witnesses; the then Education Minister Marion Scrymgour refused to discuss the issue – so we could not confirm that our school was safe.
- In The Weekend Australian of 19-20 April 2008, a DET spokesman “strenuously denied” my claims and said that all of the asbestos report’s recommendations were implemented. For 10-months, enquiries by an independent third party have been unable to confirm that any of the asbestos recommendations were conducted, due to missing documents and wiped computer files.
- To get rid of us after raising these and other concerns, DET claimed that my wife and I were incompetent to teach Indigenous students – without telling us for 8-months. For 15-months my wife has been deemed incompetent to teach at remote schools – yet DET refuses to elaborate. For 15-months DET has deemed myself incompetent to work with Indigenous children in remote schools, yet has failed to provide a single specific example. How is this possible?
- DET can sabotage your career – even if you try to teach overseas. Read how they’re sabotaging ours.
- We can prove that we were blacklisted – yet there’s nothing we or the Teacher’s Union or the Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment can do about it. See our Blacklisting page.
- Why risk teaching in remote Territory schools that are filled with asbestos, when DET ignored our asbestos concerns and admits that they refused to discuss the matter with us? All I wanted to know was – had my wife and kids and the children I had a responsibility to protect, been exposed to asbestos? Then CEO Margaret Banks and Education Minister Marion Scrymgour dismissed our pleas without even talking to us or seeing our evidence. Would this have happened if the same threat had been identified in an urban school or if the Ministers' son or daughter had attended the school? Is it worth risking your health?
- Most Australian schools have asbestos – that’s not the issue. How many schools were built over an asbestos burial site and had a health inspector recommend immediate testing of suspected asbestos that kids were said to have been playing with – and when we raised the issue, DET refused to tell us if our school was safe, and we were blacklisted without our knowledge.
Education Department CEO Gary Barnes and Marion Scrymgour are in hiding, refusing to deny any of the statements below. Why? If they do, they will lose their jobs.
1. When I enquired as to whether our school was safe from asbestos, DET refused to tell me.
2. DET did not tell my wife or I that we had been listed as incompetent remote school teachers for 8-months – and during that time DET claimed they were trying to find remote jobs for us. Our Group Principal was not even told.
3. We asked Marion Scrymgour to investigate whether my wife and I had been blacklisted. The investigation findings, in the form of a vague letter, failed to mention that this was indeed true.
4. Within days of asking Marion Scrymgour to investigate our health and safety concerns – a letter was sent to Immigration stating that DET would not be offering us any teaching positions, and was sent without our knowledge – even before an investigation was untaken.
5. All confirming evidence that the asbestos was cleaned up from Alekarenge School in 2005 – is missing.
6. The pretend investigation that Marion Scrymgour oversaw, failed to interview us, look at our evidence or interview our witnesses – and when we pointed this out and asked for an urgent meeting – Ms Scrymgour refused to meet with us.
7. On 10 November 2008 my wife asked Charles Darwin University to enquire as to why she could not gain work as a teacher. DET responded by saying it was because there were no jobs. A week later when forced to reply in writing, DET said she was an incompetent remote school teacher.
We also charge that DET officials have fabricated responses.
–Fabricating responses. Pretend investigations. These are serious charges. Why doesn't Marion Scrymgour, Paul Henderson or Gary Barnes make a public statement denying each of them or call for a transparent investigation to clear up this mess?
Answer – because they're all true – and the last thing they want is a real investigation. Their strategy is to ignore it and hope it goes away. Not this time.
