SENATOR ANTHONY Johnson, Opposition spokesman on education, has called on the Senate to request that Auditor-General Adrian Strachan conduct a thorough investigation into the methods and systems involved in paying teachers.
In a resolution tabled in the Senate on December 12, Senator Johnson also called for the Auditor-General to subsequently recommend measures which will reduce the likelihood of a recurrence of the widely publicised overpayments to teachers and the Government's attempts to recover the funds.
COLLECTION OF OVERPAYMENTS
"Be it further resolved that this Honourable Senate request the Ministry of Education immediately cease the collection of alleged overpayments where the conditions of estoppel may be applied," he said.
In law, he said, the principle of estoppel restrains employers from recovering overpayments to workers if the action was no fault of the employee, if the action took place over an extended period of time and if the action resulted in the employee making new significant commitments.
Senator Johnson, who is also the leader of Opposition business in the Senate, further called for restitution to be made to all vocational teachers who were specifically trained for their jobs, but who have been reclassified "to their disadvantage" since 1995.
He also said that there have been reports that overpayment and underpayment are constant features of the system of payment to members of the teaching profession.
