TAFE and CQU EB consultation gets underway
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 130 No 4, 20 June 2025, page no 23.
Across the TAFE footprint, workload is escalating. This is driven though continuing miserly public funding decisions. It results in attraction and retention problems for the next generation of teachers, and — in what has always been a mature workforce — this results in a cycle of intensification of workload as generational change fails.
In preparation for the nominal expiry of the TAFE and CQU certified agreements in 2026, QTU officers have developed a timeline for member consultation. Throughout the second half of Term 2 and continuing into Term 3, consultation with members around the logs of claim will be underway.
The TAFE and CQU timelines for EB consultation activities (see table), which were presented to and endorsed by TAFE Executive, will provide members with multiple opportunities to participate in the consultation process. These include branch meetings, special EB meetings (to be conducted both in-person and online), and a member survey.
Throughout the consultation period, regular updates will be provided to TAFE Council, TAFE Executive, and the QTU Executive to reflect the feedback received.
In parallel, QTU officers are working with the QTU Communications Team on the development of branding and visual assets for the forthcoming EB campaign.
Members will be encouraged to submit motions to Executive through their branches and when attending special TAFE and CQU EB meetings, for consideration as part of the EB process.
Actual teaching is the heart of TAFE. From this human practice of two-way communication, the heart of TAFE arises. It all starts here with the transmission of skills and knowledge, the building of confidence and expertise under the guidance of an experienced generation that has a passion for the craft of teaching and a love of the industries they represent.
However, the work intensification and attraction and retention issues are seeing the heart slowly being drained.
Let’s get the employers to put the heart back into teaching again!
| Dates/time | Activity |
| May 12 Executive May Council May -July |
Present EB consultation guidelines Council EB Workshop – 20 minutes Initial communication about starting process Initial discussion at training and branch meetings — encouragement to develop and submit EB motions Report back to TAFE Executive and QTU Executive |
| July - August | Special EB meetings (face-to-face and online) |
| August - September | Survey open for members’ final feedback/consultation |
| 15 - 19 September | Collate survey results |
| 19 September - 7 October | Analyse data and develop key interests and themes Report back to TAFE Executive and QTU Executive |
| 13 October | Present survey results and key findings from consultation to TAFE Executive for endorsement Report to QTU Executive |
| 14-31 October | QTU officers to draft log of claims |
| 7 November | Present initial log of claims to TAFE Executive for endorsement Report to QTU Executive |
| 29 November | Present log of claims to TAFE Council for final approval |