A sad day for Australia

While I am not necessarily a political person, I am extremely disappointed with what's happening in the Australian government right now. Yes, I was one of those people that voted Kevin Rudd in - I don't think there's a problem with that. However, I'm not necessarily a Labor supporter.

Growing up, my parents always preached about the importance of taking an interest in politics as politicians are the ones who shape our nation. They were stout Democrat supporters but never pushed their beliefs onto my sister and I. While I used to like what the Democrats stood for, I haven't heard much from them lately (hence the vote for Ruddy).

I am extremely disappointed that the Labor Party would out a leader who was so far ahead of the Liberals. While I definitely don't support all the policies the party has implemented, I voted for Ruddy as head of the Labor Party because I thought he would be the better person for the job.

Don't get me wrong - I am extremely happy that we have a female Prime Minister at long last. However, I am not a supporter of Julia Gillard after the MySchools debacle. I do not support transforming our kids into statistics from the NAPLAN test results. I do not support the bullying and intimidation that the party showed towards the Teacher's Union after the lack of consultation with the Education departments over the MySchools website.

However, I am in a tricky position. I dislike Tony Abbott tremendously. I think if he was elected as Prime Minister, our country would be transformed into a nanny state. Workchoices would be back (with an obvious name change) and we would all be forced into individual contracts. With Julia Gillard at the helm of the Labor Party, I think the Liberals will be voted in because the voting public wouldn't have the trust in the Labor Party anymore.

I hate this as a teacher because the Education department will only sign teachers up during the school term. That means we're unemployed during holidays, hence no pay. While many people believe teaching is an easy job because we work 9 - 3 with lots of holidays, it is definitely not like that. Holidays are the times where we have to plan, mark, write assessment items, and generally catch up with stuff we haven't had time to do during the school term. Teachers are required to get to school at 7am, and don't leave the school until well after 5pm most days. There are staff meetings, extra curricular activities, bus duties, departmental meetings, year meetings, plus professional development days. We don't get paid for these things. If individual contracts are brought in, there is the chance that some teachers won't plan during holidays, meaning that kids won't get the best education, and won't meet key standards for life. This is a huge worry for me as a passionate teacher.

How are you all feeling about the change of leadership?