Safety is essential
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 131 No 3, 22 May 2026, page no.7
As President of the QTU, there are few days I see that really capture the essence of what we do and stand for like Labour Day. This was the Labour Day I needed, and genuinely I felt many of you shared the same feeling.
It was a chance to catch up, recharge with each other, and remember how our collaborative values and hard work make lives better for working Queenslanders. I congratulate everyone who pitched in to make Labour Day a celebration and the success it was.
Plenty of you showed up and rolled up your sleeves to make our Labour Day so special across the state.
As you would have seen, the issue of safety really took centre stage at this year’s events. We have all campaigned and fought together for improved safety in our schools, and violence and aggression remain unacceptably high.
We recently saw reports that the Behaviour Boost grant is responsible for an 8 per cent statewide decrease in behaviour issues in our schools. This is not the picture many members have reported to me. We don't want minor reports to come back, and we also don't want anyone to claim there is an improvement in statistics. I’ll let you judge of the veracity of these reports.
Safety is essential in our workplaces, and right now safety is at serious risk, with proposed changes around the protections we need and deserve. We are acutely aware that security in and around our schools needs serious attention. It’s an issue that’s affecting our workforce retention and our members’ wellbeing.
Members deserve safe workplaces, legal protections under the criminal code, and simple no-brainers like fences and secure gates at school premises.
Data theft
You can imagine how disappointed I was when we all found out through the media of the massive failure to protect the personal data of each and every one of us.
Suddenly a new and unexpected safety issue had emerged, and school communities, teachers, and students had a new stress to deal with.
This theft of data is unacceptable and needs urgent attention. Queensland schools, our members, staff, and students are now vulnerable and exposed.
No doubt this is causing angst and also adding to workload. The QTU has called for a thorough investigation, and we will continue to push for regular updates on the status of this situation.
But let me be clear, while we understand this is part of a broader theft involving people across the world, it’s the government’s and the department’s job to fix it locally, protect you, and ensure it doesn’t happen again.
And we, the QTU, will make sure that they are held to account, because your safety and wellbeing matters.