Former Blue Mountains City Councillor Annette Bennett has made history as the first female president of the NSW TAFE Teachers’ Association.
Ms Bennett was elected to the position on Friday, February 17.
“I come to the role at a critical juncture in TAFE’s history as we move from being 10 autonomous institutes back to ‘one TAFE’,” she said.
“Our union has also just recently won a very reasonable enterprise agreement for our members after protracted negotiations.
“I look forward as president to working on strengthening and renewing our membership across NSW. The attacks on TAFE over the past five years have been relentless and severe and our members are battle weary and scarred, but with the move now to ‘one TAFE’ our members are experiencing a sense of hope for the future of TAFE.”
But Ms Bennett said “the battle is not over and we need to turn our focus to the Federal Government's funding agreements with all state governments”.
Blue Mountains MP Trish Doyle welcomed Ms Bennett’s election to the high profile role.
“I am incredibly proud of the work she has done in and for TAFE for a considerable amount of time. She is one of the best advocates for TAFE I’ve ever come across.”
A Hazelbrook resident, Ms Bennett was elected to Blue Mountains City Council in a November 2014 by-election. She has been a TAFE electrical trades teacher for 23 years and acting head teacher for the past five years.