Teachers Registration Board of the Northern Territory
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Edition 1, May 2005

A Message from the Chair

Registration is now a reality for teachers in all NT schools. The Teacher Registration Act was passed with bipartisan support in August 2004 and came into effect on 1 February this year, bringing the NT into line with all Australian states.

The 12 member Board was faced with the challenge of scrutinising all applications, as summarised by the hard-working TRB staff under the leadership of the Interim Director, Dr Suzanne Parry. We now know what we’d always suspected: that the NT has a highly qualified, very experienced teaching force because the Act required full applications from all teachers in both the public and private sectors. Our expectation of a base number of 3000 registrations to be processed has been far exceeded.

On behalf of the Board, I must express our thanks to our office team, Sue Estbergs, Kathy Goed, Sylvia Smalios and the support staff, who worked long hours and fielded myriad phone calls to achieve this result.

The next challenge for the Board is already upon us in the work to prepare professional standards for teachers. You can read more about this later in the newsletter.

Other challenges set by the Act will be to develop the Code of Ethics, to advise on pre-service teacher education courses, to liaise with NT DEET on professional development priorities for the profession, and to research and promote best practice. We are conscious of the need to prioritise this work and also of the need to engage all teachers in the debates which will inevitably arise. It’s our profession, our Board and our responsibility.

We are looking forward to an exciting future for teaching in the Territory.

Jean Memery

Board members

Members are appointed for up to 4 years. The 12 members, responsible to the Minister, have been appointed by the Administrator. They are:

  • Ms Jean Memery, Teacher, DEET – Chair
  • Ms Karen Blanchfield, Association of NT School Educational Leaders – Deputy Chair
  • Ms Melodie Bat, Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education
  • Mr Steve Carter, Council of Government School Organisations
  • Mr Andrew Foster, NT Independent Education Union
  • Dr William Griffiths, Catholic Education Office
  • Ms Natalie Hyde, Association of Independent Schools NT
  • Mr John Sarev, NT Joint Council of Professional Teaching Associations
  • Mr Rod Smith, Australian Education Union NT Branch
  • Ms Didamain Uibo, Indigenous teacher, DEET
  • Ms Helen Webber, Australian Education Union NT Branch, remote schools
  • Ms Iris Yee, Charles Darwin University

At a Glance

You may be interested to know that, to date:

  • the Board has approved 3880 applications for registration and 85 applications for authorisation to employ an unregistered person
  • 412 teachers were registered under the mutual recognition provision
  • 74% of applicants were female and 26% were male

Our sincere thanks to …

  • teachers
  • principals
  • employers

For their support in the initial registration of all teachers in NT schools. The holiday period added an extra challenge to this huge task and open channels of communication enabled the deadline to be met. With such commitment the business of the Teacher Registration Board is off to a very professional start.

Where are you?

Did you know that you have a statutory responsibility to keep the Board informed in writing of any change in your personal details, including your postal address. A form is available for downloading from the website for this purpose.

Renewal of registration

An annual registration fee of $60 is due by 31 December each year. This fee is tax deductable. You will receive a renewal notice and will be given the option to renew your registration for up to 5 years. No documents are required for renewal but you will be required to update your statutory declaration. Do remember, though, that we cannot contact you if we do not have your correct address.

If your registration card is lost or damaged you will need to apply in writing for a replacement. A form is available for downloading from the website. A $20 processing fee applies.

On our website

The website www.trb.nt.gov.au is being updated regularly as it is intended as a key communication tool. Scheduled Board meetings will be listed and the business and workings of the Board will be outlined and updated. Please visit the website regularly:

  • About the TRB
  • Meet the Board
  • Meet the Staff
  • Teacher Registration Act
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Publications
  • Forms
  • Registration Information
  • Contact Us
  • Links

Professional standards

As part of its role to promote quality teaching in the NT the Board has established a cross-sector working party on professional standards for teachers. Professional standards have been a national issue for several years now and NT teachers have been involved in the establishment of national subject-specific standards in areas such as Science, Mathematics and English teaching. The Ministerial Council for Employment, Education and Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) has set a framework for professional standards and the working party has already begun to map the standards already applied in the NT, with a view to engaging teachers in setting standards which are relevant to the complexity of teaching in the Territory. If you are interested in knowing more and participating in this work the TRB website will continue to chart the progress of this project.

Contact

Postal: GPO Box 1675 Darwin NT 0801
Phone: 61 8 8999 5964
Email: trb@nt.gov.au
Website: www.trb.nt.gov.au

Classic Catches

TRB, Good Morning
Good Morning I would like to check the status of my application
What is your name please?
**********
Sir, I’ve checked the database and we don’t seem to have any record of you
Yes, that’s because I haven’t sent my application yet…
Where can I collect an application form?
We are located on the 10 th Floor of the Mitchell Centre (the Coles Complex)
I’ll be there in half an hour

This client drove to the Coles Complex and was a bit confused to find only a two- storey building. She went home and told her daughter that she spent a good hour driving around looking for the Mitchell Centre or any building in the CBD with over three floors.

Her daughter laughed and explained:
Mum, the Mitchell Centre is in Darwin! You drove around Alice Springs CBD!!!

(Thanks for sharing that - we had a good laugh too.)