Conflict of interest
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 128 No 3, 5 May 2023, page no. 14
Over the past couple of months, the QTU has been contacted by school leaders and teachers from multiple schools across the state who are concerned about the lack of clarity and impact on workload of the “Notification of other employment” and “Conflict of interest” forms required by the department.
Last year, the QTU provided significant feedback to the department about the impact its conflict of interest processes have on our members. At QTU State Council on Saturday 4 March, Council voted unanimously to commence a dispute around notification of other employment (including volunteering) and conflict of interest processes.
The QTU has consistently maintained that these processes have already created more confusion than clarity for our members and, in the absence of clear direction, they have already been misinterpreted by regional office staff and school-based employees. This is a significant workload increase for principals and their delegated employees, deputy principals and heads of program. There is also a need for training and resources to provide clarification for employees.
As a result of the decision of State Council in March, the QTU met with the Department of Education and discussed our concerns in detail. The department has committed to working with the QTU to resolve these issues and is looking at a way to get information out to our members so that there is clarity about what exactly constitutes a conflict of interest and when notification is appropriate. The QTU will keep members updated as these discussions progress.