How and why the QTU campaigns

QTU members, with help from their Union, have scored some big wins for fair resourcing and funding for state schools, with flow-on benefits for the whole public education system.

Members play a vital role in letting the QTU know about problems in the workplace.

When these problems are shared across schools or threaten the safety of teachers and students, it’s time for action. Members are alerted to emerging issues by Newsflashes sent to their principal and school rep.

To solve problems, the QTU first negotiates with the State and Federal Governments.

If negotiations are blocked, then the QTU increases lobbying pressure by highlighting issues to the media.

As a last resort, members at individual schools can vote to take industrial action including stop-work meetings and strikes.

Last updated: 13 December 2024

Current QTU Campaigns

Past QTU Campaigns

A snapshot of moments from our recent past (1989-2023). Embedded in these stories are pearls of wisdom that should and must inform the thoughts and deeds of teachers and unionists of today and tomorrow.

The Voice Campaign

The Voice campaign is about providing safe workplaces for our members. As we step toward reconciliation and a Voice to Parliament, we take a step toward addressing racism. Ensuring safety and respect at work is inherent in Union values.

For Every Child 

Investing more in state schools is an investment in our teachers and our children. It will expand the opportunities children have to learn and give teachers more time to focus on meeting the needs of every child.

Every School, Every Child

This campaign is an extension of the Gonski and Fair Funding Now campaigns and calls on the federal government to give every school the resources it needs to help students achieve.

CQU EB21

The AEU(Q)/QTU has been negotiating with CQU for a replacement agreement since early 2021. The AEU(Q)/QTU log of claims is broken into three Ps: Professionalism, Parity and Programming. It is based on feedback from TAFE members employed by CQU and from matters arising from AEU(Q)/QTU policy. Members were at the centre of developing and approving the log over eight months during 2020 and 2021.

TAFE EB11

The TAFE Queensland Educators Certified Agreement 2019 prescribes salaries and many of the working conditions for TAFE Educators. The agreement has a nominal expiration date of 30 June 2023. The QTU is leading the negotiations for a replacement certified agreement.

Rebuild with TAFE

We are a community of thousands of people working together to support their world-class TAFE system. We are past and present TAFE teachers, students, unions and community members who want to rebuild TAFE and Rebuild with TAFE.

Federal Election

While the final count of the House of Representatives remains uncertain, a new Labor Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has been sworn in. This provides hope for the proper funding of state schools and TAFE, and hope for a more kind and respectful society.

EB10 School Sector

During the EB10 campaign members attended over 30 MP delegations, wrote letters to the Premier, and turned out in large numbers on Labour Day

March4Justice

March4Justice has been established by the women of Australia to protest the Australian Parliament's ongoing abuse and discrimination of women in Australia. It is our intention to amass our anger and our resources to march on Parliament to voice our anger at the Parliament's ongoing arrogance in relation to their voices and rights to equality in Australia.

Expect Respect

The QTU campaign to address gender-based violence in our workplaces.

Naplan

Many schools are pressured to teach to the NAPLAN test. This is changing what is taught in classrooms. You only have to look at how frequently children are taught the genre of “persuasive writing” in schools all over the country to know that this is true. Valuable teaching time is wasted as teachers do their best to prepare their students for this point-in-time test that is not part of their regular teaching and learning.

Occupational Violence

The QTU is working with members to bring about change in their workplaces, ensuring we all recognise, report and respond to occupational violence. 

TAFE EB10 

The voice of QTU members employed as tutors, teachers and leading vocational teachers in TAFE colleges around the state is being heard in EB10 negotiations. QTU members identified workload as a priority matter to be addressing in our EB10 log of claims, and that is why the single bargaining unit received the unequivocal message that measures need to be included in a replacement certified agreement to ensure systemic workload intensification like that experienced during the implementation of SMS does not occur.

Fair Funding Now

The campaign reached out to members, parents and the broader community, from the tip of Cape York all the way down to the Gold Coast, through targeted activities in key federal electorates. By combining the strength of the teaching and parent communities this campaign sought to bring about the changes we wanted to see and deliver for fair funding for our schools.

EB 9 School Sector

This campaign sought commitments around workload, recognising and valuing the work of members in promotional positions and unpacking the impact of practices that give rise to gender employment inequity.

Workload, Wellbeing and Assertiveness Month

November marks the annual WWAM (Workload, Wellbeing and Assertiveness Month), a time for members to come together and discuss issues in preparation for the next school year.

EB 8 School Sector

The offer addressed the Union’s insistence on improved classroom teacher salaries, a review of promotional classification structure, and maximisation of permanency.

School Funding Campaign - we give a Gonski

Covering the first four years of the Gonski Campaign. For updated information, please see current campaigns...

Curriculum Campaign - part 1

Curriculum change has been a constant companion of Queensland teachers in the past 25 years, as has the range of factors impacting on what is taught and how.

Curriculum Campaign - part 2

While reviewing curriculum issues over the past 25 years, I noted that while the names involved in 125 years of QTU curriculum campaigning might have changed ... the issues don’t.

TAFE: It's tough but hope remains

In 1987, the Hawke Labor government introduced fundamental changes to higher education

EB7 - teaching conditions = learning conditions

QTU members took on Campbell Newman’s ruthless slash and burn government in 2012, defending their own rights and more importantly, fighting for the children they teach.

Action and Advocacy - professional issues campaigning

Now, as always, the struggle is to ensure that the officers of the department ... do not undermine hard-fought teaching and industrial conditions of the members of the QTU.

Teacher Housing Campaign

The living conditions endured by teachers in remote areas of Queensland has been an issue for the QTU ever since its creation. In 2008, however, QTU members decided that they had enough.

Central Queensland teachers stand up for housing

Between 2005 and 2008, members in Central Queensland lead the way in enhancing the quality and security of teacher accommodation.

Your Rights at Work (YRAW)

This campaign to restore workers' rights and achieve fairer industrial relations laws was one of the most successful union and community campaigns in Australian election history.

Class Sizes

The "Class Size Counts" campaign was a significant working conditions component of the 2002 EB negotiations

Enterprise Bargaining Campaign

This campaign was a testament to the tenacity and determination of teachers and their Union

The Leading Schools Saga

“the most bitter dispute in the history of industrial relations between the QTU and the Department of Education”.

Non-Contact Time (NCT) - secured for all

Probably the principal industrial advancement for teachers in the nineties was the achievement of NCT for non-secondary teachers as an award entitlement.

Striking to Stop The Cuts

At the time, 11 per cent of secondary classes were already oversized. The proposed cuts would have at least doubled that number.

The Long Road to Professional Standards

The success of thiscampaign can be measured by a number of factors including the significant collaboration involved in the development and pilot of the standards and the shift towards support of teacher professionalism.

The RAIS Campaigns

Many policies today are sourced to disputes at this time.

Teacher Transfer

Teacher transfer has always been an important part of the profession of teaching.