I have had the great honour of spending the past three years as a worker representative on the Work Health and Safety Queensland Advisory Board. The work of the board during my term was the embodiment of the tripartite system that has ensured employers, workers, and government engage in important dialogue and consider regulatory reporting data, policy, and legislative trends impacting the health and safety of everyone working or engaging in workplaces across Queensland.
Meet your new QTU Executive, which was elected at State Council on Saturday 23 May.
To mark NAIDOC Week, the Queensland Council of Unions hosts the annual Doctor Robert (Uncle Bob) Anderson Award, which is awarded to First Nations activists who participate in union activities, campaigns and who demonstrate leadership.
Nominations are now open for the newly created WHS Branch and Area Council Contact positions. This is your opportunity to step into a role that genuinely shapes the future of safe, healthy, respectful workplaces across Queensland.
With two major incidents making headlines across the state, safety in schools is again at the forefront of the public debate.
A standard refrain from the state government since its election in 2024 has been the need for “fiscal discipline”. The 2026-27 Queensland State Budget was brought down on Tuesday 23 June in the context of a difficult and uncertain economy, pressure from various economists and commentators for the state to cut expenditure and lower its debt, and the threat of a downgrading of Queensland’s credit rating. All of these factors did not bode well for those hoping for increased funding for state schools and TAFE.
Every two years, the Women Teachers’ and Girls’ Education Committee (WTGEC) hosts the QTU Biennial Women’s Conference.
“Queensland state schools are incredible places of learning, opportunity, and growth. However, rising levels of occupational violence and aggression in Queensland state schools and TAFEs are having a significant impact on teachers, school leaders, support staff, and students.
Violence is unacceptable anywhere. Schools should be no different.”
Psychosocial hazards are no longer an emerging issue—they are now subject to a regulated WHS obligation in Queensland. For educators, whose work is defined by emotional labour, public scrutiny, and escalating complexity, these hazards are both foreseeable and preventable. Understanding them is now essential to safeguarding the profession.
For many years, dedicated special education work units have provided specialist support to students with disability, classroom teachers, school leaders, and school communities. More than a decade ago, the department renamed these units special education programs (SEPs) to better reflect the broader and more flexible work undertaken by schools.
Over and under payments and how to deal with them
On his first day at Track And Field Encouragement, a young hare named Dash arrived carrying three things: a whistle; a backpack; and the naive belief that a coaching institution existed primarily to support coaches and athletes. The first two proved useful. The third was immediately placed on a performance support meeting agenda.
This article overviews the key themes from questions submitted by QTU Workplace Representatives during online briefings on the QTU Schools Arbitration case in Term 2, as well as broader member feedback received via Journal “letters to the editor”. The full and complete responses to all QTU Workplace Representative questions are available on the QTU website, along with a helpful glossary of terms.
Members have expressed a range of views about the QTU’s schools arbitration salary claim. The following letters are published as the views of individual members and reflect two perspectives received by the Journal.
In a profession defined by care, commitment, and complexity, teachers and school leaders need more than passion to thrive — they need protection, support, and a collective voice.
The Queensland Teachers’ Union knows that effective communication underpins strong advocacy. An informed, connected profession is a powerful one. But in a rapidly evolving digital landscape, how we communicate is just as important as what we say.
Recently, I had the privilege of travelling through Zenadth Kes alongside QTU First Nations Officer Micheal Beale and Acting Deputy General Secretary Paige Bousen.
QTEC — the Queensland Teachers’ Education Centre — is the section of the QTU working with Officers to provide courses that support the industrial and Union knowledge of Workplace Union Reps, school leaders, other activists, and members more broadly.
Teachers work under intense scrutiny. They are trusted with children, expected to model sound judgment, and often bound by strict contractual, policy, and registration obligations. So when a teacher is charged with a criminal offence, the pressure to act swiftly can be overwhelming.
Your mind doesn’t switch off when the bell rings. Caring for students, supporting colleagues, and navigating the demands of the day often means there’s little time to focus on yourself.
I am a permanent employee. How do I apply for part-time employment for caregiving responsibilities?
Are you a financial member of the Queensland Teachers’ Union (QTU)undertaking, or planning to undertake, professional development or training or further tertiary education relevant to special education, school leadership, or women in education? Then you could be eligible for the 2027 Roselynne Anderson QTU Scholarship of up to $2,000.
Watching the news in the past few weeks, I have been annoyed at how many items concern the theft of cars, property, and injury to many innocent people who were looking after themselves and their property.
