For everyone Safety matters: expanding our health & safety network

If you’re a health and safety represenatative (HSR) in a school, TAFE, or early childhood centre, often you are the only person in that role in your workplace. It can be lonely and confusing not having anyone to ask questions of or to help understand how to approach a particular issue. That’s where the AEU HSR Network comes in. 

Every AEU HSR will receive invitations from me, once or twice a term, to come along to a HSR Network meeting. Sometimes the meetings have guest speakers or presenters and sometimes they are forums for members to outline issues they have been working on and share their knowledge with other members. 

So far this year, the network has had presentations on gendered violence and on bullying. These meetings will continue throughout the year, so watch out for my emails. The network works best when there are lots of HSRs coming along and joining in, so I hope to see many of you at this term’s meeting. 

If HSRs have ideas or requests for a topic they’d like covered or a speaker they’d like to hear, please let me know. You can contact me at meaghan.flack@aeuvic.asn.au or on 0425 848 036.

VTHC HSR Conference – save the date!

In addition to an entitlement to the five-day initial training course and the annual refresher, all elected HSRs are entitled to attend the Victorian Trades Hall Council’s HSR Conference every year. This year, the conference will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, as well as several regional centres. 

Those who have attended in previous years will know how beneficial this conference is to HSRs. Many hundreds of HSRs from different professions attend every year. In the afternoon, the HSRs from education will have an opportunity to spend the afternoon together in workshops. Last year, more than 70 AEU HSRs attended. It’s a great opportunity to network with other HSRs and share knowledge of resolving issues in your workplaces.

This year’s conference will be held on Tuesday 22 October. It’s a full-day conference and – although it’s free – will require employers to release HSRs to attend. HSRs will receive information on registration as soon as it’s available – but, for now, save the date and inform your principal/manager that you will be attending, to ensure there is time to arrange for cover.

My goal this year is 100 AEU HSRs meeting face to face. Come and join us!