By Grant McArthur and Kieran Rooney
Underqualified teachers are exploiting a loophole to work in Victorian and NSW classrooms without meeting the states’ minimum qualifications, following a West Australian decision to lower its standards.
This masthead has confirmed that dozens of teachers have already used a mutual recognition agreement to register in states where they cannot directly qualify to work, prompting the Victorian and NSW governments to investigate ways to close the loophole ahead of an expected flood of less qualified WA teaching graduates later this year.
A West Australian decision to lower its teaching qualification standard and mutual recognition agreements is allowing unqualified teachers to work in Victorian and NSW classrooms.Credit:
A national agreement to improve teaching standards meant all states and territories have set a minimum two-year full-time study requirement for all postgraduate teaching degrees since 2014.
But, faced with a national teacher shortage, the Teaching Registration Board of Western Australia last year stepped away from the agreement and reintroduced registration for graduates who complete only a one-year diploma of education.
Despite the WA standard falling short of the minimum qualifications accepted in the rest of the country, a national mutual recognition agreement means teaching regulators in other states are now powerless to prevent one-year diploma of education graduates registering in WA and then using their status as a back door to transfer to their jurisdictions.
The Victorian Institute of Teaching confirmed it had received 80 applications from WA under mutual recognition provisions so far this year, including 22 from applicants who have undertaken one-year teaching diplomas and would not have been eligible for registration if they had applied directly in Victoria.
The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) has also received mutual recognition applications from WA diploma of education graduates, though the number has not been disclosed.
Victorian Education Minister Ben Carroll said he had asked his department to examine ways to close the loophole after raising concerns at the most recent meetings of Australia’s education ministers and seeking “a national solution to a national problem”.
“Victoria is making sure that our graduate teachers are ready for success from day one, and that should be happening in every part of the nation,” Carroll said.
“I am seeking advice from my department on options to restrict the employment of teachers in Victorian government schools that have not completed at least two years of study.”
Acting NSW Education Minister Courtney Houssos said dealing with the national teacher shortage was the government’s top priority, but lowering the quality of teaching standards was not the answer.
Victorian Education Minister Ben Carroll is exploring ways to close a loophole that allows underqualified teachers to work in Victorian classrooms.Credit: Alex Coppell
Houssos said NSW would work with other states to safeguard and improve teacher training across the country in response to the wider impact of the WA decision.
“The need to get qualified teachers into classrooms should not mean cutting corners and underpreparing teachers for expert classroom practice,” Houssos said.
“Research shows the biggest factor in improving student outcomes in the classroom is the quality of the teacher in front of them.”
Acting NSW Education Minister Courtney Houssos said lowering qualification standards was not an acceptable way to address a national teacher shortage.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
Teaching Registration Board of WA acting chair David Bean said teaching registration authorities across the country were consulted when WA announced the recommencement of one-year teaching diplomas in late 2023, outlining that all teachers must still have appropriate qualifications, English language proficiency and demonstrate they are fit and proper to teach to gain registration.
“Graduate diplomas offer a shorter and more efficient pathway into the teaching profession for holders of non-teaching degrees and contribute to the supply of teachers into WA classrooms,” Bean said.
“It is understood enrolments into these programs have been strong. This is understandable, given they meet the qualification requirements for teacher registration and represent a shorter pathway into the teaching profession for holders of non-teaching degrees.”
But Victorian Institute of Teaching chief executive Martin Fletcher said mutual recognition was intended “to support quality, not just mobility”.
“We welcome collaboration across states, but consistency and commitment to high standards in teacher education is essential,” Fletcher said.
Victorian Institute of Teaching chief Martin Fletcher.Credit: Wayne Taylor
NESA chief executive Paul Martin said WA regulators took the “unusual step” of accrediting watered-down qualifications almost immediately after all states adopted the findings of the Teacher Education Expert Panel review, which sought to strengthen those national standards.
“There are no simple solutions to the teacher workforce challenge. But the answer cannot be to the lower expectations of teacher preparation,” Martin said.
After the WA Teaching Registration Board announced it was lowering registration requirements, several WA universities reintroduced one-year education diplomas for 2024 that not only halve the two-year time frame, but also the $10,000 cost.
The WA diplomas also reduce the 60-80 days of practical experience teaching that trainees are mandated to spend in classrooms under nationally agreed standards to just 45 days.
At the completion of its first year offering the reintroduced diploma, Curtin University announced more than 300 new teachers were qualified to enter classrooms in 2025, with its course overview encouraging prospective students outside WA to “cofirm” (sic) mutual recognition requirements in their states before signing up.
“This intensive course has been created to help address the shortage of teachers in Western Australia. After completing this course, you’ll be eligible to register with the Teacher Registration Board Western Australia. If you’re outside WA, contact the teacher regulatory authority (TRA) for the relevant state or territory to cofirm (sic) eligibility requirements,” the Curtin University course materials state.
While one-year education diplomas are also offered by Victorian and NSW universities, they are aimed as a stepping stone towards a two-year master’s degree and not intended to immediately qualify graduates to teach.
This masthead revealed that a similar loophole was being used by building surveyors, another sector affected by shortages and tougher qualifications requirements.
Mutual recognition from WA made up 123 of 204 registrations with the Victorian Building Authority in the 2024-25 financial year. Publicly available data showing many of those who signed up interstate provided Victorian addresses at the time of registration.
Members of the Australian Teachers group on Reddit have encouraged would-be teachers to look west to fast-track their careers, including some who claim Victoria-based friends have already done so via online degrees at Perth universities.
Some Queensland-based teachers have also used Reddit to raise the possibility of using the “legal loophole” of mutual recognition to become registered to teach via WA, while others claim state regulators are turning a blind eye in desperation to boost their workforces.
“All states recognise all other states’ accreditation. It’s not really a loophole, as no one cares enough to stop it happening. The teacher shortage is hitting hard,” one Reddit user wrote.
Others on the teachers subreddit have been quick to warn against taking a shortcut, advising prospective students that a one-year diploma will not prepare them for the realities of the job.
“A grad dip is rough going into primary just as heads up, often leaves you unprepared. Definitely try and get as much hands-on experience if you can, especially if your previous job wasn’t education or child adjacent,” one user posted on Reddit.
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