QTU members discuss EB11, OVA and Respect at Work with state MPs from across Queensland
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 130 No 4, 20 June 2025, page no 8.
QTU members across the state have been meeting with their local state Members of Parliament to discuss issues impacting upon our profession.
The current round of delegations has included discussions on the following important issues:
- EB11 and the need for improved teacher and school leader salaries and working conditions to address the current teacher shortage crisis.
- The local impact that increased occupational violence and aggression is having on the teaching and learning environment in which QTU members work, and the need for the Queensland Government to change the criminal code to ensure higher penalties for offences involving assaults on teachers, school leaders and other employees in the course of their duties in state schools and TAFE.
- The delay of the Respect at Work legislative changes and the impact it will have on QTU members, particularly given the increased amounts of gendered violence and aggression directed toward female staff, which is often sexualised but not treated as sexual harassment by the employer.
These delegations are important in the context of ensuring elected representatives understand the complexity of the work QTU members do every day in every community across the state. It also provides an opportunity for Members of Parliament to ask questions about the needs of local schools and TAFE and advocate within government and the Parliament for changes that will improve the working lives of our members and provide the resources needed to ensure that students, no matter where they live in Queensland, have the highest quality educational opportunities.
They also represent an opportunity to discuss other important topics such as school facilities issues and teacher housing. In the past, such delegations have led to many successful local wins for QTU members in different communities.
Thank you to the QTU members who gave up their own time recently to attend a meeting with their local MP. This is important work that benefits our profession and the work of all QTU members.