QTAD Q&A
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 130 No 3, 23 May 2025, page no 32.
Are we getting a COLA payment?
If the consumer price index (CPI) exceeds the wage increase under the agreement for the relevant agreement year, a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) payment will be paid to eligible employees in accordance with clause 6.2 of the Department of Education State School Teachers’ Certified Agreement 2022 (the certified agreement):
- at the end of the relevant agreement year
- equal to the difference between annual inflation and the wage increase for the relevant agreement year, capped at 3 percentage points (3 per cent)
- with reference to base wages earned under the agreement during the relevant agreement year, excluding allowances or additional payments
- as a one-off lump sum not forming part of base salary and taxed according to the applicable law.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics released the annual inflation figures on 30 April 2025 (www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/price-indexes-and-inflation/consumer-price-index-australia/mar-quarter-2025).
Brisbane’s annual CPI was reported at 2.7 per cent as at March quarter 2025, which is less than the 1 July 2024 salary increase of 3 per cent.
Therefore, no COLA payment is payable for the third and final agreement year of the 2022 certified agreement (1 July 2024 to 1 July 2025).
Agreement year – means one of three 12-month periods from 1 July in one year to 30 June in the following year that includes a calculation date.
Calculation date – means, either:
- 30 June 2023 (COLA payment year 1)
- 30 June 2024 (COLA payment year 2)
- 30 June 2025 (COLA payment year 3).
CPI – means the Brisbane Consumer Price Index (all groups, March quarter annual percentage change from the March quarter of the previous year), for the March that falls within the relevant agreement year, as published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Treasury will advise agencies of the CPI relevant to COLA considerations upon its release in each year.
Queensland Treasury resources: