Queensland teachers cash in on inflation with cost-of-living bonus

Teachers have won a 3 per cent ‘cost-of-living’’ bonus in Queensland after union leaders accepted a pay offer that will put pressure on ­public sector payrolls and other industries.

Queensland teachers and principals will pocket the highest salaries in Australian schools.

Teachers have won a 3 per cent “cost-of-living’’ bonus in Queensland after union leaders accepted an inflation-busting pay offer that will put pressure on ­public sector payrolls and other industries.

Queensland teachers and principals will pocket the highest salaries in Australian schools through pay rises ranging from 11 per cent to 20 per cent over the next three years, pegged to the rate of inflation.

The Palaszczuk government has broken ranks with other states, with the inflation payment smashing the 2 per cent annual pay rise accepted by Victorian teachers in May, and the 3 per cent pay rise offered to striking ­teachers in NSW. The inflation bonus could potentially blow out Queensland’s public education sector wage bill – currently more than $8bn – by more than $1bn over the next three years.

The Queensland Teachers’ Union has recommended its members accept the pay deal of a 4 per cent pay rise this year, backdated to July 1, with rises of 4 per cent next year and 3 per cent in 2024. The pay package includes a “cost of living adjustment” worth up to 3 per cent each year, to be paid to teachers in a lump sum if the annual consumer price index in Brisbane outstrips the pay ­increase.

Should inflation hit 7 per cent this year, as forecast by some economists, starting salaries will soar by as much as $100 a week to $78,783 a year – more than the ­average wage for newly graduated doctors, lawyers or engineers.

Beginner teachers in Queensland would pocket a $2945 pay rise, plus a cost-of-living bonus worth an extra $2297.

 

Lead teachers would get a $5001 pay rise plus an inflation bonus of $3900, boosting their pay to $133,926 this year – the highest teacher salary in Australia.

Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace, who is also the Minister for Industrial Relations, on Thursday boasted about the generosity of the pay deal that also offers bonus payments to teachers who move to regional or remote schools.

“This is an offer that includes some of the highest pay increases and best working conditions for teachers in Australia,’’ she said.

“The Palaszczuk government is committed to making the Queensland Department of Education the employer of choice for teachers in Australia.’’

Teachers in Queensland have until July 29 to vote on the offer.

NSW Teachers Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos on Thursday dismissed the NSW government’s 3 per cent pay rise offer as a “pay cut” because it failed to keep pace with inflation.

He refused to rule out ongoing strikes to secure more money, nominating an increase of 10 per cent or 15 per cent over the next two years as a “starting point’’.

“Our claim is more than reasonable considering the inflationary pressure that exists today,’’ he said.

News of the Queensland pay deal came as federal Education Minister Jason Clare on Thursday called an emergency summit to plug the shortage of teachers across Australia.

He said state and territory education ministers would spend the first half of their meeting in Canberra with him on August 12 in a “teacher workforce roundtable’’ to focus on tackling the teacher shortage.

Principals, teachers and education experts would join the meeting.

“It is critical we work collaboratively to find ways we can encourage more people to become teachers, and keep teachers doing the important work they do,’’ he said.

The ministers will consider a joint submission from NSW and Victoria calling for an overhaul of university education degrees to improve the quality of classroom teaching.

As revealed in The Australian on Thursday, NSW wants trainee teachers to start getting classroom experience after six months’ study.

Australian Council of Deans of Education president Michele Simons, warned against sending young university students into classrooms unprepared. “They need to be ready to teach,’’ she said. “We can’t just talk about getting them into schools early if they’re not ready and are underprepared – that’s not good for them, or the (school) students or the teachers who supervise and mentor them.’’

Professor Simons said higher salaries and a more positive public profile would attract more people into teaching. “We need to ensure teaching is an esteemed profession,’’ she said. “Some people won’t come into the profession because they see the career prospects as quite limiting. Salaries are not high (for experienced teachers) and if you want to progress, you have to move out of teaching into leadership.’’

Mr Gavrielatos said reforming university degrees would not solve the shortage of teachers. He criticised the federal government’s fast-tracking of visas for foreign teachers. “The solution does not lie in trying to recruit from overseas. To attract and retain the teachers we need, the answer (is) competitive salaries and a sustainable workload.’’

The deputy vice-president of Alphacrucis University College, David Hastie, called for closer partnerships between schools and universities to train new teachers.

“If these ITE (initial teacher education) students embedded in schools are not wrapped around with a sophisticated teacher mentor program, with teacher mentors well-trained and well-supervised, many students will founder,’’ he said.