State Council report: 17 May 2025
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 130 No 4, 20 June 2025, page no 4.
QTU State Council met at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday 17 May.
IDAHOBIT Day
With 17 May being IDAHOBIT Day, Council received a report on the international day against LGBTQIA+ discrimination from QTU officer Kim Roy.
EB11
Council received a report on the status of EB11 negotiations and the preparations for a rally outside of Parliament House on 24 June, which is State Budget Day.
Council confirmed the QTU’s rejection of the Government State Wages Policy.
Negotiations will continue until the expiry of the current agreement on 30 June.
Special education staffing
Council received an update on the challenges faced by many special school teachers and school leaders dealing with issues that have arisen from the reasonable adjustment resourcing (RAR) model.
The QTU will be convening a special schools strategy and planning day to assist members in dealing with WHS issues caused by a combination of occupational violence and aggression (OVA) and staffing pressures.
Arising from this report, Council called for the inclusion of three additional OneSchool behaviour categories:
- OVA towards a staff member
- Gendered violence towards a staff member
- Gendered violence towards a student.
QTU Trustee election
The Electoral Commission of Queensland (ECQ) conducted a ballot at State Council for two QTU Trustee positions. Current Trustees Jenny Swaddling and Anne Rathmell were elected.
TAFE
The TAFE report noted the positive impact the delivery of free TAFE was having in increasing the accessibility of skills and trade training. As part of the Winning for Members report, TAFE also featured two significant individual member wins. The first was a successful negotiation around an unfair dismissal claim, and the second was a negotiated back payment of more than $100,000 (including interest) for a member who had been covering more than one role in their duties without time or salary recognition.
QTU Financial Statements
The General Secretary reported on the January, February and March 2025 financial statements, which were accepted by Council.
A motion was debated calling upon the QTU to explore the recovery of costs in QIRC matters, where appropriate. A division was called, with the results published on page 28 of this Journal.
Trustee Report
The General Secretary reported that the QTU would be taking up occupancy in a property owned by the QTU at Freeway Office Park in Eight Mile Plains. This will become the QTU Logan Office, replacing the previous Springwood office.
The QTU has also purchased a property in Maroochydore, with a plan to occupy it at the end of the current lease on the Sunshine Coast Office. The new Maroochydore property will be dual occupancy, generating ongoing income for the Union.
Membership growth
Ingham SHS was announced as the winner of the Term 1 workplace award for membership growth.
The Term 2 membership growth campaign will focus on encouraging conversations with potential members in the lead up to the conclusion of EB11 negotiations, to provide an opportunity for new members to have a say in the future of their profession when we ballot to accept or reject any proposed offer.
Reconciliation Action Plan
The QTU is currently in the process of developing our “Stretch” Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) for lodgement with Reconciliation Australia. This will be a significant achievement in the QTU’s journey towards reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Biennial Conference 2025
QTU Biennial Conference will take place in Brisbane from Monday 30 June through until Wednesday 2 July. Council received a report on a number of procedural matters related to the planning for Conference.
Rules Review Committee
A report was provided on the work of the current fixed term Rules Review Committee, with Council extending the committee’s term of office until 12 December, to allow enough time for it to complete its work.