No. 5-23, 13 July 2023 | Open PDF

TO: QTU MEMBERS

Pay increase, HAT and lead; middle leaders; Management of conflicts; recruitment; school funding, HELP debts, ACTU Work Shouldn’t Hurt survey, human rights survey.

Welcome back! Members of QTU Executive, who are all rank-and-file teachers and school leaders, met on Monday night for the first meeting of the new term. They discussed a range of issues affecting QTU members and the ways that the QTU and its officers are working for members every day. The key topics of discussion at the meeting are outlined below.

Pay increase and COLA

Members will have received a 4 per cent pay increase (from 1 July) in their payslip this week, representing the second pay increase agreed to in the DoE State School Teachers’ Certified Agreement 2022. The QTU negotiated this increase with the department on behalf of QTU members. The cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) payment (3 per cent of base salary) will be processed in your pay by the end of August, with the exact date to be confirmed.

Review of HAT and lead teacher certification

Education Ministers recently considered a draft framework for a refreshed approach to highly accomplished and lead teacher certification, as part of the Teacher Workforce Action Plan. The Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) has provided significant feedback on the draft framework. Portability of certification is a high priority for Ministers. The QTU will continue to work with the Department of Education and the QCT to ensure that any new certification process that may be introduced is of very high quality. The integrity of the existing certification process must be retained and enhanced.

Professional standards for middle leaders

The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) has recommended that a professional standard for school leaders be developed. A working group has been established, which includes the QTU Vice-President Leah Olsson. To support the leadership development of middle leaders, a draft standard has been developed by AITSL, in partnership with the Queensland Department of Education.

On 17 July, AITSL will conduct an online survey enabling participants to reflect on how the draft standards relate to the requirements of middle leadership, career development, and the extent to which they align with middle leaders’ professional practice. School leaders and teachers are encouraged to complete the survey. Following the survey, Queensland middle leaders will have the opportunity to get involved in the trials of the standards in October and November.

Declaration of interest and management of conflicts

The QTU continues to work with the department on improving and refining the requirements of the declaration of interest and management of conflicts policy, which will replace the current Conflict of Interest Policy and Procedure. Executive endorsed an amended version of the policy and Senior Officers will meet with department officials to provide final feedback, allowing the department to seek internal approvals. Once approved, members will be alerted via OnePortal bulletin, OneSchool message, the Connect Ed newsletter, and a QTU Journal article. Once approved, the final policy will ensure a sensible and measured approach to this issue, aligned to the relevant Public Service Directive terminology, while also reducing workload for teachers and school leaders through updated declarations forms and a detailed and practical set of FAQs.

New recruitment and selection directive

On Monday 26 June, a new Recruitment and Selection Directive (Directive 07/23) and Suitability for Employment Directive (Directive 08/23) were released. The Public Sector Commission has also released a summary guide to recruitment and selection. The primary objective of recruitment and selection remains the same, to find the right person for the position, but with a shift from merit-based recruitment to recruiting the eligible person best suited to the position. Panels must still consider each eligible applicant’s ability to perform the requirements of the position, but should shift to holistically considering previous employment, future contributions, and equity and diversity. The QTU will be seeking urgent meetings with the department to discuss how it intends to comply with the new directive on recruitment and selection panels, and will also seek the input of the Special Commissioner for Equity and Diversity. Once we know more about the implications of the new directives, our member resources, training and support materials will be updated.

Borderless recruitment trial

Discussions with the department around the proposed borderless recruitment trial began in April, and the QTU has been seeking feedback from various member groups in response to the proposal. It is clear that there is a diverse range of views among teachers and school leaders about the idea.

The QTU will continue to work with the department to ensure that borderless recruitment has no negative impact on the transfer process and that regions take a consistent approach to recruitment. Additional resources and support for principals, who are the hiring managers, will be paramount to its successful implementation.

National School Reform Agreements

The federal government is reviewing the National School Reform Agreements, which determine the funding levels to all Australian state schools. Federal Minister Jason Clare, together with State Education Minister Grace Grace, signed a pledge at Biennial Conference for a pathway to 100 per cent of the schooling resource standard, ensuring that state schools have the funds that they need.

Senior classroom teacher Louise Nicholls, from Crestmead State School in Logan, represented all Queensland school teachers at a Ministerial Reference Group meeting held in Canberra to review and inform a better and fairer education system. We would like to thank Louise for her contribution at this important forum. The reference group will be meeting again soon.

Reduction of accumulated HELP debt

The QTU has been contacted by members living and working in rural and remote areas who, since 2019, have been eligible to apply for the federal government’s reduction of accumulated Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) debt. Unfortunately, there is a set of strict criteria, including the requirement to complete 1,460 days of teaching over the four-year period.

In Queensland, a delayed commencement date or any unpaid leave days taken during the period affect the number of days worked, making teachers ineligible to apply. The QTU will be raising this issue with the Federal Education Minister, Hon. Jason Clare MP, and the AEU has already raised it on behalf of AEU members across the nation. A change to the legislation will be required. The QTU believes that the federal government could consider reducing HELP debts for all teachers, not just those in rural and remote schools, as a way to attract and retain teachers in the profession.

ACTU Work Shouldn’t Hurt survey

The ACTU has launched its annual Work Shouldn’t Hurt survey, which will form the basis of the annual report to be released during Safe Work Month in October. Last year, more than 40,000 union members responded to the survey.

This year, there are some additional questions about exposure to dust and fumes, and how menopause-related issues may affect people’s work.

The survey is available at https://ausunions.io/WSH2023 and is open until 11 August. We encourage you to participate in this important national survey.

Human rights survey

The Queensland Human Rights Commission is continuing to consult with educators to inform the development of an anti-racism toolkit that educators and support staff can use to better identify, manage and prevent racism in schools.

The Queensland Human Rights Commission has developed an online survey to gather information from educators in Queensland. This survey is anonymous and will help to shape the content of the resource that it aims to develop to support educators and support staff in schools.

Please complete the survey here: Survey for Queensland educators: racism at school.

The survey closes on 23 July. We encourage all members to participate.

Kate Ruttiman
General Secretary

 Authorised by Kate Ruttiman, General Secretary, Queensland Teachers' Union
21 Graham Street, Milton, QLD, Australia, 4064