TAFE Council: democracy in action
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 131 No 2, 2 April 2026, page no 23.
This year is important, and not just because both CQU and TAFE Queensland are negotiating replacement enterprise agreements. It also marks the start of a new term for TAFE Council and TAFE Executive.
The TAFE Council positions for the next term were advertised in late 2025 and nominations for those positions have closed, with some positions declared as uncontested and other positions proceeding to a vote to decide the successful candidates.
If you are wondering what the fuss is all about, the TAFE Council of the QTU is the decision-making forum of the QTU TAFE Division. It has previously consisted of 19 elected rank and file members drawn from across the various TAFE Division branches, but in 2026 TAFE Council has been expanded, with a dedicated First Nations position added by a decision of QTU Biennial Conference.
It is the members of TAFE Council and the TAFE Executive (which is elected by and from the TAFE Council) that will debate and decide, among other things, matters regarding both TAFE Queensland and CQU bargaining.
The Reps on TAFE Council will come together four times over this year and voice the positions framed by their various TAFE branches.
Officers of the Union will be looking to TAFE Councilors to make decisions regarding acceptability of bargaining positions and offers from the employer, and they will be instrumental in setting the agenda around industrial action.
This is the QTU’s commitment to democracy in practice, writ large in our institutions as described in the Rules and Constitution and policies and practices.
At the time of writing, of the 20 rank and file representative positions available on the TAFE Council:
- 14 positions have been declared as being uncontested (nominees have been advised)
- three elections for contested positions are to be run
- two positions have no nominations (CQU Gladstone and TAFE Queensland Skills Tech Eagle Farm)
- the inaugural First Nations position, which was advertised in the first Queensland Teachers’ Journal of the year, closed on the Monday 16 February, but no nominations were received.
The CQU Gladstone, TQST Eagle Farm, and First Nations positions that did not have any nominations by the time nominations closed will be readvertised, with a closing date of 15 June.
I look forward to working with the new TAFE Council at its first meeting of the new term, to be held on 6 June.