Rubbery working conditions ahead, take care signing up to the QVA
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 130 No 3, 23 May 2025, page no 16.
Although the Department of Education (DoE) initially agreed to engage with the QTU on the working and learning conditions of the Queensland Virtual Academy (QVA), there has been no further action, despite repeated requests for an update.
The DoE had initially committed to entering into a letter of exchange with the QTU, therefore protecting the teaching and learning conditions of members and students of the QVA and avoiding the need for the Union to withdraw support for it.
However, what the Director-General actually wrote to the General Secretary was what some might refer to as a “Clayton’s” letter of exchange. That is, it was a very poor substitute for a letter of exchange that remained silent on the additional non-contact time and smaller class sizes that had previously been negotiated – the two most critical working conditions for members.
Given the current position of the DoE, the QTU cannot ensure members working conditions are protected, as they only exist within DoE policy. They can be changed overnight, in the same way as the Director-General changed the policy around QTU nominees on recruitment and selection panels.
"...this time it would seem that the Minister’s office has either lost interest in protecting teaching and learning conditions or has lost the ability to influence the Director-General"
Given that the Minister’s office was previously able to assist with the negotiation stalemate and shared similar views to the QTU in relation to the protection of teaching and learning conditions, the QTU reached out again for assistance. However, this time it would seem that the Minister’s office has either lost interest in protecting teaching and learning conditions or has lost the ability to influence the Director-General. Time will tell which of these statements is correct.
What we can confirm is that the DoE has failed to agree to the Union’s proposal for operating conditions for the QVA. It is the QTU’s position that the QVA must have smaller class size targets, additional non-contact time, and supervision arrangements specifically designed for its unique circumstances. Without these special conditions, the workload of members involved with the QVA could be unmanageable.
The QTU warns members to take extreme care in signing up to work as part of the QVA, as the DoE has delayed the finalisation of appropriate employment conditions for teachers taking up roles that service the QVA.
There is no word from the DoE about when it will reach a position on these important working conditions.