Sunshine Coast to get a brand new school, Qld’s teachers fighting for pay

The Queensland government has pledged to build a primary school on the Sunshine Coast but refuses to comment on its negotiations with the state’s teachers. TAKE OUR POLL.

The Queensland government has unveiled plans for a new school in Caloundra South.

The Queensland government unveiled plans on Thursday to build a new primary school on the Sunshine Coast, addressing crucial needs in one of Queensland’s fastest-growing regions, but failed to comment on its negotiations with the state’s teachers.

Standing on an empty block of land in Caloundra South, Treasurer David Janetzki, Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek and Member for Caloundra Kendall Morton committed to transforming the grounds into a school by the start of the 2028 school year.

Highlighting the practical benefits for teachers and families, Mr Langbroek said the new school would accommodate up to 1140 students from Prep to Year Six and would be funded in next week’s budget.

“Teachers will be able to live in their communities, kids and parents will get to spend more time as families, and that’s so important to us,” he said.

Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek. Picture: Shae Beplate/File.

Calling education “the heart of our communities”, Ms Morton said she was thrilled to announce the project.

“What an exciting opportunity to welcome the next generation of kids in Caloundra,” she said.

The state government says the school will be ready by 2028.

“It’s an honour to be here today and know that we’re doing everything we can to support our kids.”

Mr Janetzki said the government had a responsibility to provide “core services and facilities, such as schools”, especially in “one of Queensland’s fastest-growing regions”.

“Delivering world-class educational facilities for Queensland kids right across the state is a huge priority for us,” he said.

“All children are entitled to positive learning environments close to where they live.”

Caloundra MP Kendall Morton. Picture: Patrick Woods/File

Mr Janetzki also linked education spending to long-term economic strategies, calling it an investment in Queensland’s future.

“We know that a highly skilled and highly educated younger generation can help deliver productivity over the long term,” he said.

“So that’s why, with the long-term plan, we’re going to build this school, support this growing population, and fund things that the former government never funded and never built.”

Taking aim at the previous Labor government, Mr Janetzki recalled its unfulfilled promise in 2022 to open a new school in Caloundra South by 2025.

“We are standing on a site where the former government said there would be a school, and here we are today. No school,” he said.

Expressing similar frustrations, Mr Langbroek said the empty block of land “typifies the fact that the former Labor government just didn’t deliver on the things they said they were going to do”.

Caloundra South School Artist Impression.

Opposition leader Steven Miles was asked about the LNP’s claims Labor failed to deliver the school in Caloundra when speaking to the media in Townsville on Thursday.

“We plan to build schools at the time at which the population requires them,” Mr Miles said.

“It was always our intention to build that school as soon as the population projections within the education department suggested it should be built.”

Despite suggesting the current government is committed to investing in education in a way Labor “never did”, neither Mr Langbroek nor Mr Janetzki would comment on whether the teachers’ union was likely to secure a pay rise from ongoing enterprise bargain negotiations.

“The [teachers’] enterprise bargain expires in 11 days, and there have been significant negotiations about a future enterprise bargain,” Mr Langbroek said.

“But I’m afraid I’ve had to say to the union, just as I’ve said to you here today, that we don’t talk about what happens in Cabinet,” Mr Langbroek said, referring to the comprehensive review of school resourcing that is yet to be publicly released.

“It’s subject to Cabinet discussions so I can’t give any more details.”

Also refusing to reveal any specifics, Mr Janetzki said the negotiations would be undertaken “in good faith” but out of the public eye.

“They’ll be done calmly and methodically,” he said.

“They won’t be conducted in the public arena.”

When asked about it in Townsville, Mr Miles called the government’s hesitance to negotiate with Queensland’s teachers a show of disrespect.

“I know we are well served by teachers in schools right across this state who really just want to get into the classroom and teach kids,” he said.

“They don’t want to be worrying about whether they’re going to get a pay rise next year, so the government should get to the bargaining table, provide an offer to the teachers union and get the deal done so our teachers can get back to teaching.”

The opposition leader called the government’s refusal to release the review into school resourcing, despite calls from the teachers’ union to do so, “very concerning”.

“Queensland parents want to know that their schools are properly resourced, Queensland teachers want to know that their government and their minister have their back, and I’d simply say to John-Paul Langbroek, ‘What are you hiding here? Why are you afraid of this report?’,” Mr Miles said.

When asked what he would say to Queensland teachers talking about leaving the profession due to under-resourcing, troubling behaviour from students and insufficient pay, Mr Langbroek asked them to “give us a chance”.

“Don’t give up,” he said.

Although he outlined the government’s attempts to “put more resources into behaviour and bullying”, Mr Langbroek failed to touch on tangible investments into teachers themselves, or any specifics of enterprise bargain negotiations.

Originally published as Sunshine Coast to get a brand new school, Qld’s teachers fighting for pay