Australia news live: China hits back at Penny Wong’s comments; Victorian teachers due to begin strike

Thousands of students in Victoria will be kept at home as a second teacher strike disrupts public schools, forcing families to make alternative arrangements. More than 35,000 teachers, principals, and education support staff are expected to gather in Melbourne's central business district after rejecting a pay deal offered by the state government.

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The government’s done precious little to do anything meaningful to address that and our members are carrying the weight of all the excessive workload

While all public schools are scheduled to remain open, many classes will face disruptions. Members of the Australian Education Union in Victoria on Tuesday turned down the government's updated offer of a 28.3% pay rise over the next four years. They are calling for a better offer to address ongoing resourcing and staffing shortages. "The government has done precious little to do anything meaningful to address that, and our members are carrying the weight of all the excessive workload," said Victorian branch president Justin Mullaly.

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The government has cut funding to government schools over the past 10 years and that slow decrease in funding has meant we have schools needing repairs, but also we have lost so many teachers in the profession

The pay dispute between union educators and the government has been ongoing for nearly a year. Graduate teachers, who are the lowest paid in the country, earn $13,000 less than their counterparts in the Northern Territory, who are the highest paid. Former deputy principal Melinda Davis told AAP that the strike is not solely about pay but also about improving working conditions and reducing class sizes. "The government has cut funding to government schools over the past 10 years, and that slow decrease in funding has meant we have schools needing repairs, but also we have lost so many teachers in the profession," Davis, an education expert at Swinburne, explained.

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The root cause of the tension at sea lies with the deliberate infringement activities and provocation of the Philippines. Relevant countries are not parties in the South China Sea, and are in no position to interfere in the maritime issues between countries concerned. Apparently, whenever something happens at sea, the same few countries immediately point their fingers at China regardless of who exactly is at fault. Are they trying to keep the South China Sea peaceful and stable, or simply to destabilize? I think the answer is quite clear. We urge relevant countries to stop hyping up tensions and sowing confrontation.

Separately, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian responded to comments made by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Wong had described China's missile tests in the Pacific as destabilizing and expressed concern about "aggression" in the South China Sea, particularly following a recent confrontation between China and the Philippines. Lin Jian stated that the "root cause of the tension at sea lies with the deliberate infringement activities and provocation of the Philippines." He added that countries not involved in the South China Sea issues should not interfere and urged "relevant countries" to stop hyping tensions. China, he asserted, will "continue firmly safeguarding its sovereignty, rights and interests" in the region, calling its missile test a "routine training activity" that had been notified to countries including Australia.

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continue firmly safeguarding its sovereignty, rights and interests