Queensland Teachers' Journal
October 2025
A strong union is good for all workers. It represents and fights for its members jobs, salaries, conditions and safety every day. The QTU is one such union. It exists to serve its members — teachers and leaders in state schools and TAFE. This work is summed up in our five values: professional, courageous, united, democratic and member focused.
The main topic of discussion was the recent strike action, with Council congratulating all QTU members who were involved on 6 August and noting the widespread community support for our campaign.
Louise Nicholls has been presented with the Queensland Council of Unions 2025 Emma Miller Award, which celebrates the achievements of contemporary union women and recognises rank-and-file female members for their dedication and impact within the union movement.
Since the largest single union strike in Queensland’s history, you, the 50,000 members of the Queensland Teachers’ Union, have not sat idle.
As Term 3 drew to a close, QTU members proudly rallied at 18 EB11 events across Queensland — including in Brisbane, Beaudesert, Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, the Gold Coast, Gympie, Hervey Bay, Kingaroy, Mackay, Mareeba, Mt Isa, Rockhampton, the Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Townsville and Warwick.
On 28 July, the Department of Education sought the assistance of the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) to support the bargaining process with the QTU. The first conciliation conference was held on Thursday 29 June, and since the commencement of industrial action on 6 August, regular conferences have been convened to continue progressing negotiations.
Since the beginning of June, we’ve proudly welcomed more than 3,300 new members to the Queensland Teachers’ Union. Whether you’re joining for the first time or returning to support the EB11 campaign, we’re excited to welcome you and have you with us.
The QTU welcomes the extension of the implementation timeline for all learning areas of Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum.
As we approach World Teachers’ Day, there’s no better moment to celebrate all teachers, who shape lives, build skills, and open doors to the future every single day.
When we use the term "cultural safety" in workplaces, we are refering to an environment in which employees and students from diverse cultural backgrounds feel respected and valued, and are free from all forms of discrimination, racism and harassment.
Earlier this year, I attended a conference for Japanese language teachers and had the opportunity to spend time answering some of the more complex questions specialist teachers face about their working conditions.
The 2025 Australian Education Union (AEU) National TAFE Council (NTC) AGM, originally scheduled for the Easter break, took place in September.
The Heart of TAFE photography competition is an opportunity to showcase nationally the impact that TAFE has on students.
The QTU has successfully appealed against a Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) decision that significantly impacted on how TAFE Queensland manages non-attendance time (NAT).
Click here to view the World Teachers' Day poster.
A safe and healthy workplace is a fundamental right. That is why each October, organisations across Australia recognise National Safe Work Month, so that we can raise awareness of WHS and take action to achieve our vision of safe and healthy work.
There is now a lower workplace exposure standard for welding fume in Australia.
The QTU understands that, after an incident in your workplace, completing a MyHR WHS incident report can be difficult, thanks to inefficient reporting systems, time limitations, and having to relive the trauma.
Queensland’s summers provide known foreseeable hazards related to weather events, with two of the most common hazards being heat and mould.
During Safe Work Month, we consider what we can do to make our workplaces safer, and having, or being, a health and safety representative (HSR) is one way.
Work health and safety (WHS) is a critical issue in the vocational education and training (VET) sector, particularly within TAFE Queensland, where educators and students work in a wide range of practical learning environments.
QTU TAFE activists Ola Pak and Troy Hall recently had a chance take a peep behind the scenes at the QTU, spending a day shadowing TAFE Organiser David Terauds. This is what they found...
QTAD Q&A
As a teacher, your first instinct is to create a safe and supportive classroom. But sometimes, despite the best planning, situations escalate.
Once upon a time, Leah Mertens, a young activist in Mt Isa, suggested to Warwick Jull that he write a wine column for the QTU Journal. Little did anyone know what this suggestion would lead to…
In many of the documents created in the course of one’s educational working life, one term sticks in the memory more than others. That term is “lifelong learning”.
