Metropolitan West Logan

Term 2 Newsletter

Hello Met West Logan QTU members,

Welcome back! I hope Term 2 has started well for you!

Acting Organiser – Natalie Meyer

I will be acting as the Met West Logan Organiser over the next few weeks while Elissa Ferguson is on a period of leave. I am substantively the QTEC Training Coordinator working with QTU officers to deliver industrial training to Union members, Workplace Reps and other positions holders. Previously, I was the Met Central and Brisbane North Organiser. As a primary trained teacher who worked across Prep to Year 7 in Logan and Brisbane, I became a Workplace Union Rep in my third year of teaching and sat on a number of representative bodies, including Area Council and State Council.

I look forward to working with and supporting members in Met West Logan. If I am out visiting your workplace, please be sure to say hello.

QTU Journal

The recent QTU Journal provides valuable information and insight for members. Of interest might be the State Council report from 4 March, an editorial by Kate Ruttiman on the value of being a QTU member, and a subsequent article covering time theft. This article includes a QR code to link members to workload reduction resources.

If you have not already, take a few minutes to read the Journal here.

Branch meetings

This term, I would love to see members attend their local branch meeting. Branch meetings are the forum in which members can discuss matters, raise an issue or put forward an idea, as well as meet members in their area. Please see below for a summary of what’s on in Met West Logan this term.

Branch Meetings	Date/time	Venue
Ipswich Central/ Ipswich East	4 May	Prince Alfred Hotel
Browns Plains	10 May	Greenbank RSL
Fassifern	17 May	Boonah SHS
Gugingin	18 May	Jimboomba SS
Beaudesert	24 May	Beaudesert Hotel
Ipswich West	25 May	Walloon Saloon

State Council	Date	Venue
State Council	13 May	The Hilton Brisbane

Biennial Conference	Date	Venue
Biennial Conference	26 - 28 June	City Hall Brisbane

Membership Growth

Growing our Union is vital to our continued collective work. It is the strength of our 48,000+ member Union that makes the QTU the most democratic and powerful voice of the profession. Thank you to our wonderful Union Reps and members who are having conversations with potential members about joining our Union.  Remember that the QTU should be part of the induction program at each workplace and be able to speak to new educators in particular about joining the QTU. QTU Join Online here or via the QR code below.

Membership dues and fortnightly direct debit option

Don’t forget to renew your QTU membership. Members looking to spread their annual dues over the year, can now pay their dues via fortnightly direct debit. If you would like to move to fortnightly direct debit, log into the myQTU portal ​​​​​​here and go to My Payments. Continued membership of the QTU continues to provide you with industrial, professional and legal support and advocacy.

Occupational Violence

Ensuring our members are safe at work is a key priority of the QTU. The QTU strongly recommends that members in schools establish safe systems of work whereby all incidents of occupational violence are recorded in MyHR WHS. The Union will support QTU members in schools who want to take action to ensure that their workplace is safe. The QTU position has been clear: a student’s individual right to an education does not erode the responsibility of the department to provide teachers, school leaders, and all those who work in schools with a safe and healthy working environment.

Accessing information and advice
Remember that advice is available to QTU members by calling QTAD on 1300 117 823 or email at qtad@qtu.asn.au.

Best wishes for the term,

Natalie Meyer

Acting QTU Organiser – Met West Logan

Meetings

Branch Meetings Council and Conference dates

Professional Development

QuEST [Queensland Education Support and Training] is the  professional development arm of the QTU.

QuEST’s goal is to deliver high quality professional development to teachers and school leaders across Queensland. Our new Professional Development Officer, Rebecca Hack, is working closely with QTU officers, members and external providers to identify a suite of professional development programs that meets the needs of our members right across this diverse state.

QuEST offers a range of programs, including face-to-face and live online programs. Programs will be open to all members. As a not-for-profit initiative, QuEST aims to keep professional development affordable and operates on a cost recovery basis.  

These programs are recognised as legitimate professional development by the Department of Education and Queensland College of Teachers. As such, it is appropriate to apply for release and funding through your normal school professional development processes.

Industrial education and training programs

The Queensland Teachers' Education Centre (QTEC) is responsible for the coordination, planning and delivery of the Union's member education and training program.

The Union offers a range of training and professional development opportunities for all members of the Union in Brisbane and regional areas. Topics such as LCCs, knowing your working conditions and effective negotiations are included in a program of afternoon seminars which are advertised through workplace union reps and on this website.

QTEC also provides training to administrators, area council delegates, women activists, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members, TAFE and new educator members.

QTEC coordinates a professional development program for all members on behaviour management and other current educational issues in metropolitan and country areas. These sessions are held after school locally as well as full day courses. Paid leave to attend full day professional development courses is available, with the approval of the principal, in accordance with EQ’s professional development policy.

The Union's commitment to new teachers is a priority and is a strong focus of the training program throughout the year. These conferences and courses provide opportunities for new teachers to contribute to Union priorities and directions.

Click here to see the current program

Request school visit by the Organiser

Branches in Metro West Logan

Branches : BEAUDESERT ; BROWNS PLAINS ; FASSIFERN ; GUGINGIN ; IPSWICH CENTRAL ; IPSWICH EAST ; IPSWICH WEST ; SPRINGFIELD