The ACT Branch has three new life members: Jacqueline Agius, Roger Amey and Zuzette Fahey.
Life membership is conferred in recognition of a person’s exemplary contribution to the Union’s affairs and to education generally. Jacqui, Roger and Zuzette had their life memberships officially conferred at a ceremony that took place at the Victorian Trades Hall on 23 February as part of the 2024 AEU Federal Conference. Jacqui and Zuzette were present to accept their awards in person. An opportunity for ACT members to celebrate the honour that has been bestowed on Roger, Jacqui and Zuzette will be provided later this year. Edited scripts from the conferral ceremony are provided below.
Jacqui Agius worked in the AEU ACT Branch between 2015 and 2020, a relatively short time in the context of a life membership application. But the significance of Jacqui’s contribution has been so exceptional and enduring, that it is thoroughly deserving of the award of life membership.
Jacqui’s work at the AEU changed the work health and safety culture in our schools. It was my privilege to work with Jacqui as she led a campaign against workplace violence, taking on the entrenched culture that said it was okay for teachers and support staff to be hit, kicked, bitten, sworn at and spat on during their work. Her advocacy led to the largest enforceable undertaking ever agreed between an Australian employer and work safety regulator at the time. No longer is workplace violence something that teachers and school assistants have to accept as part of the job.
But as much as Jacqui’s work succeeded in improving safety in our schools, it also exposed weaknesses in the way that the ACT’s laws and regulator protected worker safety, especially in the public sector. Issues like a regulator that had little independence from government, or a lack of attention to psychological safety were core concerns not just for AEU members, but for all workers in the ACT.
It seems inevitable, then, that Jacqui left the AEU in 2020 to become the ACT’s Work Health and Safety Commissioner. Jacqui had the courage to be more than just a critic – she was willing to solve the problems herself.
As WHS commissioner, Jacqui has walked the talk. She has been fiercely independent, even taking on the ACT’s parliamentarians when they failed to demonstrate adequate care for the safety of Legislative Assembly staff. Moreover, the ACT now has a work safety regulator that understands psychosocial hazards and is willing to take action to protect workers from psychological harm. When
Worksafe ACT issued a prohibition notice to an ACT Public School in 2022 over issues including psychological hazards and understaffing, it triggered the investment of millions of dollars to improve work safety culture in our schools.
Jacqui’s legacy lives on inside the ACT Branch office. I was lucky enough to work with Jacqui as the ACT branch built an entirely new culture of member advocacy, where members can now expect support from someone who understands how to use the industrial relations system and the law, but also understands education workers and their workplaces.
Hundreds of current and former AEU members have known the strength that comes with having Jacqui in their corner. She continues to show that she is dedicated to improving the lives of workers, of women, and helping us all in our constant struggle towards justice. She embodies all that we believe in at the AEU – the value of public education, solidarity, and the right of everyone to have work that is dignified and safe from harm.
From his student activist days, throughout his stellar teaching career and into retirement, Roger continues to make an exemplary contribution to the AEU ACT Branch. His motivation comes from his unwavering commitment to protecting the future for young people and ensuring the wellbeing of future generations. He has been a proud AEU member his entire career. He is a long standing member of Branch Council, the Branch’s longest serving Vice-President and has been member of Branch Executive for 25 years.
Roger’s fiery commitment to unionism and passion for public education is constantly on show during meetings of Branch Council. When Roger stands to speak, members listen. Irrespective of the issue or circumstance, his arguments remain centred in the values he holds dear. He speaks from the heart in rallying members to fight to improve the future of our young people, our students, and is just as ardent in demanding that teachers have fair remuneration and decent conditions.
He insists that ACT public schools should have adequate resources and safe learning environments. His messages remain timeless: to use our collective conscience to promote the benefits of public education; and to galvanise our collective strength to ensure the wellbeing of future generations.
While Roger has witnessed considerable changes to union engagement and activism over the years, his enduring message to members has trademark clarity and serves to keep our union strong.
He has recruited, supported and mentored countless members. He inspires others through his words and actions. He demonstrates how to stand firm with grace, dignity and integrity.
Notably, Roger’s contribution has always been in a voluntary capacity, and entirely focused on the collective interests of the branch. He has been generous in his support of all branch officers with whom he served, acting as a trusted mentor and comrade who excels in the art of gentle correction in the best traditions of a valued critical friend. Despite his leadership in the Branch, he never seeks out limelight or power for himself, but is always generous in wearing risk on behalf of other members and helping democratic accountability thrive in our organisation.
In his 25 years on branch executive, Roger has been a rock for the branch. He is a tower of strength and stability with a core of compassion and commitment to securing a better future for our young people based on his absolute belief in the benefits of public education.
Roger retires from his long service as a teacher and a union leader having made huge positive impacts on the ACT schools he has served in, the public education system he has fought for, and the union Branch that he has helped to lead.
I am honoured to pay tribute to Zuzette Fahey in recognition of her commitment to public education, unionism and reconciliation. Over a lengthy career with the ACT Education Directorate, Zuzette has worked tirelessly to promote opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, while also being an advocate, mentor and confidante for staff.
Creating connections between students, their families and the school community is one of Zuzette’s great legacies. Zuzette’s community gatherings are not to be missed. In part, due to the catering – which she has usually prepared herself, showcasing her most recent experiments with native ingredients. But also because of the atmosphere that she creates. Zuzette has an ability to put everyone at ease, creating environments where students proudly showcase their achievements and extended family members burst with pride.
The significance of these occasions is not lost on power brokers. Zuzette has an uncanny ability to cut through protocols for inviting VIP guests (by which I mean, to ignore those protocols without consequence). As a result, students and their family members have had the opportunity to engage with many a Minister or Director-General, often times to the surprise of school leaders present.
The commitment Zuzette shows to supporting students is just as evident in her interaction with staff. She works hard to keep Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colleagues connected and has been the ACT’s longstanding representative on Yalukit Yulendj. During her tenure, union membership among ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members increased by record amounts.
Yalukit Yulendj has also been the beneficiary of Zuzette’s inclusive approach to valuing all individuals and bringing out their best. Yalukit Yulendj members credit Zuzette for challenging inherited meeting practices and transforming meetings into culturally respectful spaces.
Zuzette has been indispensable to improving the cultural integrity of the ACT Branch. Her commitment to collective wellbeing makes her a natural unionist. She is always available to guide AEU leaders to make better decisions for everyone, and her candid but kind advice helps us work ever more effectively in deep solidarity with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members.
Beyond school life, Zuzette is a director of the Canberra and District NAIDOC Aboriginal Corporation and until recently was an Elder in the circle sentencing court. Her community service has been recognised through her nomination for an ACT volunteer of the year award. Zuzette has recently left the Education Directorate to work in the ACT criminal justice system. While she is sorely missed by the AEU ACT branch, in her new role Zuzette continues to do what she does best: set up individuals for success and nurture community.