Kevin Bates elected as AEU Federal Secretary
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 127 No 2, 11 March 2022, page no.4
Former QTU President Kevin Bates has been elected unopposed as the Federal Secretary of our national body, the Australian Education Union.
Kevin will take over from Susan Hopgood, who was first elected to the role in 2006 and was the first woman to hold the position.
Susan is retiring from her role as Federal Secretary but will continue as the President of Education International (EI), the global federation of education unions, which represents 32.5 million teachers and education staff in 171 countries. Her contribution to education policies and campaigns globally has been invaluable, and she has worked tirelessly for the union movement, in Australia and overseas.
We wish to thank her for her years of dedicated service to AEU members and wish her all the best in her retirement, as she plans to spend more time with her husband, children, and grandchildren.
Kevin was first appointed as QTU Regional Organiser in Darling Downs, South-West region in 1994, and later went on to be the Union’s Industrial Advocate. He was elected QTU President in 2012 and served in that role for nine years. As the chief spokesperson on member issues in the media, Kevin’s analytical abilities, his empathy and compassion for teachers and his knowledge of education issues, state and national, hold him in good stead as he takes the reins of the secretariat at the national level.
Kevin’s new role will differ significantly from that we have been used to. As Federal Secretary of the AEU, he will be responsible for finances, staffing, asset management and governance issues, while working as a key part of the small leadership team at the AEU on national campaigns and advocacy on behalf of the 180,000 teachers, leaders and support staff in public education across the country.
We congratulate him on his election and look forward to working with him and his colleagues at the AEU.