Schools arbitration: progress and the road ahead
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 131 No 7, 2 October 2026, page no.9
Our collective Union action has now delivered two separate wage gains: the QTU’s successful interim wage application and the 2026 State Wage Case. The Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) has also set aside three weeks for the substantive hearing in April 2027.
A contested interim win
On 24 August, the QIRC Full Bench ordered a 3 per cent interim wage increase to be applied to the 30 June 2025 certified agreement rates from 7 September 2026. The department has advised that it will be implemented in the pay fortnight ending 4 October, with back pay to 7 September.
This increase was not offered by the Queensland Government. The state opposed the application, arguing that wages should not be considered separately from the overall determination and that an interim increase could reduce the Union’s incentive to progress the case. The Full Bench rejected the latter argument, and the QTU secured money for members while the substantive case continues.
The QIRC approached the interim application conservatively, looking for an increase highly likely to be met or exceeded in the final outcome. During the hearing, the state accepted that it would not argue for an increase below 3 per cent, and the Full Bench therefore found there was no real risk that the final increase would be less than 3 per cent.
The QTU also sought an operative date of 1 February 2026 and a CPI adjustment of up to an additional 0.5 per cent. These were not ordered at the interim stage, but the QTU can still argue for these outcomes in the final determination. The 3 per cent is an interim floor, not a ceiling on the final outcome.
A second wage gain
The State Wage Case is a separate process, advanced by the Queensland Council of Unions and the broader union movement. The 2026 decision increased Queensland state modern award rates and relevant allowances by 4.75 per cent from 1 September.
The 3 per cent and 4.75 per cent do not simply add together. The interim order increases certified agreement rates, while the State Wage Case lifts the award safety net. From 7 September, members receive the higher applicable rate at their classification and paypoint.
For many classroom teacher paypoints, the new award rate will be higher. For most school leaders, the interim rate will remain higher. Some classifications have no direct award comparator, so their increase comes through the interim order. For some members, the interim order may operate as a top-up to last years State Wage Case increase rather than another full 3 per cent on current pay.
The QTU’s modelling identified that the new award rate for EST 2 would overtake the certified agreement rate. Without action, an EST 2 teacher could have been paid less than an EST 1 teacher.
The QTU raised the issue with the department and sought an administrative increase to preserve the existing relativity. The government did not adopt that option. Following QTU advocacy, the department applied Directive 12/12: State Wage Case and Certified Agreements, ensuring EST 2 teachers receive the higher EST award rate from 1 September. The means an additional small increase for EST 2, totalling 3.61 per cent, to ensure that the classification is not overtaken by EST 1.
Addressing the loss of relativity between EST 1 and EST 2 forms part of the QTU’s substantive arbitration case. Following a 3.5 per cent State Wage Case increase in 2025 and 4.75 per cent in 2026, award rates are catching up to — and at some paypoints overtaking — certified agreement rates.
The problem is not that the award safety net is too high, it is that agreement wages have fallen behind. These outcomes strengthen the QTU case for significantly improved salaries and a salary structure that properly recognises progression, experience, and responsibility.
Hearing dates and next steps
The QIRC has confirmed that the substantive arbitration will be heard before the Full Bench from 6 April to 27 April 2027, beginning during the Easter school holiday period and continuing into the opening weeks of Term 2. The three-week allocation reflects the complexity and scale of the case.
Before April 2027, the parties must finalise the matters in dispute and their proposed determinations. Witness preparation, evidence, submissions, and case planning will continue, with the hearing book and hearing preparations completed before the hearing.
At the hearing, the Full Bench will consider evidence, witnesses, and arguments about wages, conditions, and other unresolved claims. It will then issue a legally binding determination. The 3 per cent interim order remains in place until the proceedings are determined.
In recent weeks, we have seen important progress, not the finish line. Members have secured more money now, the award safety net has been strengthened, and the full case for improved salaries and working conditions remains alive.
The work continues — and so does the collective fight for the recognition and value Queensland teachers and school leaders deserve.