Victorian President's Report

Dear colleagues and friends,

As my tenure as President of the Australian Principals Federation (Victorian Branch) comes to an end, I want to take a moment to say thank you.

Serving you over the past five years has been one of the greatest privileges of my professional life. Together, we have strengthened the APF in ways that will endure well beyond any one term of office. We have grown our membership and reinforced the value of belonging to a strong, united professional and industrial voice that is uncompromised in the representation and advocacy of school leaders. We have lifted the profile of the APF across the sector and ensured that the work, pressures and impact of school leadership are spoken about with clarity, credibility and conviction. And we have sharpened our advocacy by showing up consistently, respectfully and persistently to represent principals and assistant principals, and to push for the conditions, resources and recognition our members deserve.

Along the way, our advocacy has ranged from the seemingly modest but deeply familiar frustrations of school leadership, such as asking why AIMs notifications must arrive on the 1 January each year, to matters of undeniable seriousness, including ensuring appropriate safeguards and responses when it is proposed that youth offenders with ankle bracelets are placed in mainstream school settings. Different in scale, but equally important, each issue speaks to the reality of a principal’s role; nothing is ever “too small” when it affects safety, workload, or the smooth running of a school.

None of this happens because of one person. It happens because of committed members, a hardworking APF council, dedicated staff, and the many school leaders who take time, often when they have none, to contribute, advise, and stand together when it matters. Thank you for your trust, your candour, and your unity.

I also want to warmly congratulate our incoming President, Andrew Cock. Andrew brings deep commitment, strong values, and a clear focus on the issues that matter most to school leaders. I know the APF will continue to grow in strength and influence under his leadership, and I look forward to supporting him and the team in whatever way I can.

To every principal and assistant principal across Victoria, I sincerely thank you for what you do, every day, for your communities. Keep backing yourselves and keep backing each other.

With immense gratitude,