Our action is making a difference
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 130 No 5, 1 August 2025, page no 7.
Our quest for better wages and conditions sees member numbers increasing as our campaign escalates.
On State Budget Day, June 24, we expected hundreds but saw many more than that flocking to the EB rally at Speakers' Corner at Parliament House in Brisbane. Many headed straight from school, arriving early by 4pm with the rally not due to start for another 90 minutes.
These members wanted to chant, they wanted to raise their voice, they were here for members that couldn’t make it and to make a point.
It’s been more than a few years and EB campaigns since we’ve protested outside State Parliament. This would be a new experience for many members, and for myself as President.
If anyone thought I wasn’t nervous, they’d be kidding themselves. I take this role very seriously, because I represent so many high quality people — teachers and school leaders who work really hard in challenging conditions. I advocate for the community to respect them and value their contribution.
The morning of the rally I spent doing media and preparing. Clearly, with the amount of interview requests, there was genuine interest from a range of outlets, spanning print, online, radio and television, all wanting to know why we were taking this action and the issues forcing our hand.
Most importantly, there was an understanding that this is a need-to-know issue for the media audience, that education is at a crossroads where government can no longer ignore our issues and hope they’ll go away.
The broader community needed clear, accurate information and insights into our schools in 2025. We take a lot of care and effort to foster our media relationships, providing a true picture of modern school life and how much things have changed over the past decades.
As we progress in this fight, our relationships with the media and the use of our own social media channels are immensely important.
Public comments and interviews help us execute our strategic positions and ensure pressure is firmly and squarely pointing at the Premier, the Director-General and the government — the decision makers who affect our members’ careers and home life. These decision makers know what’s needed; we need to ensure they do their job.
As the countdown to the rally start continued, we had solidarity demonstrated by comrade unions, with Sarah Beaman from the QNMU highlighting elements of their claim and the importance of us all sticking together.
One by one our numbers swelled, busloads, carloads arrived, our members were ready and their energy infectious. The addition of whistles and glow sticks felt like we should have been blaring Timmy Trumpet to further get ready. The signs were creative. The hats amazing. The looming power of our membership coming together, electric.
Speakers' Corner exhibited a fusion of shared experiences, belief in what needs to change, and life values. We stood together for nation-leading salaries and improved teaching conditions, each and every one of us. There was an eager anticipation. Old friends, new friends catching up. There was camaraderie. There was enthusiasm. There was a call and repeat. There was every ingredient needed to win our fight.
Rising to speak, I could feel the focus and hopes of not only every member at the rally, but the expectations of every one of our 48,000 members. The position of President is effectively that of a Lead Union Rep. Representing what our members feel and want on a daily basis is a privilege. Speaking with other senior officers and Executive members on the stage represented the unity that we must maintain as we continue our path to better salaries and conditions.
Make no mistake. Our action is making a difference. Members know. Students know. Families know. The community knows. And politicians know. And it doesn’t stop there. We recently had teachers and school leaders in Central Queensland rallying together. These demonstrations are spreading, and our members are understanding that the issues are quite similar in rural and remote communities to those in the city.
We know that 8 per cent over three years will not attract or retain, it will put us close to the bottom of pay scales in Australia. We know we don’t have enough teachers, and that we have a workload issue because of it. We know we have issues with occupational violence. And we know we are not seeing resourcing make a difference at the chalkface.
We will continue, as a collective to stand together and win improved salaries and conditions for the future, not only for our profession, but for Queensland. We deserve it. Our students deserve it and so does our broader community.
The QTU has fought like this before because this is our core business, we are prepared, we are united, and we are not going quietly.
Keep the faith, energy, and unity. Belief in ourselves and our values is key to winning the salaries we are owed and the respect we deserve.