The Board is delighted to announce that on 9 May the Teacher Registration (Northern Territory) Legislation Amendment Bill 2019 was passed in the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory.
The changes to the legislation will contribute to our robust and responsive teacher registration system in the Territory. As such, the legislation serves to protect students, while maintaining public confidence in the teaching profession.
The key changes to the legislation include:
- Streamlining administrative processes or operations of the Board
- Strengthening the Board’s powers for disciplinary proceedings and decision making
- Increasing openness and transparency, and availability of information, regarding the Board’s operations and decision making
- Clarifying the information that the Board must be notified of by individuals, employers and other government agencies, and when information can be shared by the Board
- Confirming the Board’s responsibility to support and recognise quality teaching and educational leadership
- Providing efficient and cost effective recourse for decisions made by the Board
- Contemporising the legislation to align with community needs and expectations, and enabling flexibility in dealing with evolving issues affecting teacher registration
The passage of the Bill reflects months of work, with the review of the legislation commencing in late 2017. The Board will continue to consult with stakeholders to operationalise the changes, in particular to assist teachers and employers to understand their obligations under the legislation.
The involvement of the education sector has been crucial to further developing a strong, contemporary legislative framework for the registration of teachers, and I wish to once again thank our stakeholders for providing valuable feedback in informing the legislative review process.