27 July 2026 

Term 3 Women’s e-News

Key topics:

• Spotlight on super: Maximising, investing, growing
• Fast facts: Reproductive health leave
• QTU Women and Girls' Education Committee
• Schools For Our Future
   

Spotlight on super – Maximising, investing, growing

In May, QSuper — part of Australian Retirement Trust (ART) — hosted three practical end-of-financial-year webinars ART Union Signature events 2026

The recordings are now available to watch on demand.

Maximise your contributions

Discover how super works, the tax benefits available, and your options and limits for growing your balance.

Investing in your super

Learn about risk and returns, how ART invests your money, the options available, and how you can check your investments.

The economy and your super

Get the latest on inflation, interest rates, and the economy. Understand what it could mean for your super over the long term.

Fast facts: Reproductive health leave (RHL)

QTU Women's Contacts have suggested a reminder for members about RHL.

Purpose: RHL seeks to reduce the stigma associated with seeking support to manage impacts of reproductive health issues on workforce participation.

The authority: Reproductive Health Leave (Directive 07/24) provides 10 working days paid leave during each financial year (pro-rata for part-time).

Allowable circumstances for RHL:

(a) when chronic reproductive health conditions (such as — but not limited to — endometriosis, dysmenorrhea, adenomyosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, and menopause symptoms) require absence from the workplace
(b) when receiving fertility treatment, such as, but not limited to, in vitro fertilisation
(c) when attending preventative screening associated with reproductive health, including, but not limited to, breast and prostate screening 
(d) when receiving treatment associated with reproductive health, including, but not limited to, hysterectomy and vasectomy.

Requests for evidence

There is no default requirement to provide evidence in order to access RHL.

Evidence is required only when requested, and such a request can only be made when RHL is taken for more than three consecutive working days.

If you are required to provide documentary evidence, this can be provided by your health practitioner. The QTU encourages members to refer to Reproductive Health Leave -  Guidance for Health Practitioners a helpful resource that you can look at with your health practitioner.

Flexibility at work

The RHL directive is not just about accessing leave. An employee who is experiencing reproductive health concerns may wish to manage their work demands flexibly, rather than through taking RHL.

Respectful discussions are encouraged about workplace flexibility, including reasonable adjustments, and may assist continued workforce participation.

QTU Women and Girls' Education Committee

The new QTU Women and Girls' Education Committee (WTGEC) was elected at May State Council. Congratulations to the new committee members on their election and a heartfelt thanks to those either not returning or who nominated without being elected. It is encouraging to see so many women nominating for WTGEC, an indication of their activism and willingness to participate in the democratic structures.

One of the new members of WTGEC is Moira from Far North Queensland. Moira is a Union Rep and former QTU Women's Contact who brings TAFE teacher voices to the committee. Moira hosts a “cuppa-catch-up” every term for TAFE women in Cairns to get together and connect. Union Reps know that forming and maintaining these networks is part of being Union. Welcome to the committee, Moira!

Schools For Our Future

Schools For Our Future is a national inquiry established by the Australian Education Union (AEU), the federal body of which the QTU is a branch.

What is the inquiry about?

The AEU is examining the current state of state school infrastructure and making recommendations about what is needed for the future.

The inquiry is looking at what’s working and what needs to change to ensure every state school has the classrooms and facilities to meet the needs of every child.

What can you do?

Make a submission SFOF Submission Guide to the inquiry!

This is your opportunity as a worker to identify what state schools need in the future. Workers are teachers, they are principals, they are guidance officers. If you have ever thought “Why didn't they ask us what we needed first,” then here is your chance.

A submission to the inquiry is simply about providing that worker perspective.

Think: What would a state school look like if it were designed with workers in mind?

For example, what would a new state school look like or include if it was designed to support:

• the complex needs of students
• access to lactation breaks
• a worker with a disability
• a worker who needs reasonable adjustments, such as for disability, menopause, or injury.
   

If you work in a school with a design that does take the needs of workers (and their students) into account, then describe what you think makes it work well.

Submissions can be made until 30 June. If you want to provide information or tell your story after that date, you can do so via the website Schools For Our Future.

​​​​​​​Kind regards,

​​​​Gillian Crotty
QTU Assistant Secretary - Women’s Coordinator, Social Welfare Issues