QUEENSLAND’S teacher negotiations have entered their third week following the first industry action in 16 years.
State Member for Ipswich West Wendy Bourne has joined the debate, accusing Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek of trying to distract from the real issue.
“The Government needs to stop passing the notes around and start listening to the professionals in our schools,” Ms Bourne said.
Her comments follow a ministerial statement highlighting school building repairs – rather than teacher pay and conditions – after revelations from a secret report that found one-third of Queensland state school assets had deteriorated under the former Labor Government, creating a $441 million maintenance backlog.
Mr Langbroek fired back, labelling Labor’s criticism as “rank hypocrisy”.
“This independent infrastructure report shows Labor chronically underfunded school repairs and rediverted funding to fancy projects they could cut ribbons on,” he said.
“The State Government is delivering the fresh start our education system needs, with more than $200 million this year to fix Labor’s repair backlog, a $45 million Behaviour Boost, a nation-leading $33 million plan to tackle bullying, mandatory phonics and numeracy checks, and a 25 per cent cut to teacher red tape.”
While Ms Bourne welcomed infrastructure investment, she warned it would not address the core dispute.
“Teachers are not striking for new buildings,” she said. “They are striking for fair pay and better working conditions.”
On August 6, more than 50,000 Queensland Teachers’ Union (QTU) members walked off the job in the state’s first statewide strike in 16 years, demanding higher wages, reduced workloads and better classroom support.
The action disrupted learning for an estimated 560,000 families and sparked rallies from Cairns to Gold Coast.
Ipswich teachers say they have reached breaking point.
“We love teaching, but it’s getting harder to keep up with the workload and still provide the support our students need,” said Anna Matthews, a primary teacher from Booval.
“The Government keeps talking about buildings and infrastructure, but our classrooms are only as good as the teachers in them,” added Tom Riley, a Springfield high school teacher.
The QTU has rejected the Government’s proposed pay increases of 3 per cent, 2.5 per cent and 2.5 per cent over three years, warning the offer would leave Queensland educators among the lowest paid in the country.
The union has given the Government until tomorrow to table an improved deal or face further strike action, with no sign of movement from either party.
“The Government must step up now and deliver fair salaries and improved working conditions for teachers and school leaders,” Ms Bourne said.
