What it does
The Teaching Service Act 1980 (the Act) establishes and regulates the Teaching Service of New South Wales as the employer framework for government school staff. At its core, it designates the Secretary of the Department of Education as the central decision-maker responsible to the Minister for the "general conduct and the efficient, effective and economical management" of the Service (s 6(1)). The Secretary's functions explicitly include classifying schools, determining staff positions, setting qualifications, maintaining discipline, and preparing a "not to be employed" list (s 7(1)).
Division 2 of Part 2 empowers the Secretary to determine conditions of employment (including salaries) under s 13, enter industrial agreements under s 14, and act as the Crown's employer in industrial proceedings (s 11–12). These powers are constrained for "major industrial matters" by mandatory ministerial notification (s 15). Part 4 constitutes the Teaching Service itself: persons employed under the Division are deemed employed by the Government of New South Wales in the service of the Crown (s 44(2)), though this is subject to exceptions such as s 12.
Appointment mechanisms are prescriptive. General appointments under s 47 require accreditation under the Teacher Accreditation Act 2004 or Secretary-determined appropriate qualifications; senior positions must be filled on merit after advertising (s 47A(3)–(6)), with eligibility lists carrying over to substantially identical positions (s 47A(8)). Probationary appointments are the default for new officers (12 months or longer at the Secretary's discretion under s 48(1)), with annulment powers that expressly exclude Industrial Relations Commission appeals (s 48(5)). Temporary employees under s 50 may be engaged full-time, casual or part-time for up to three years and can be dismissed at any time, subject only to four weeks' notice or pay in lieu for non-misconduct terminations (s 50(6)–(7)).