‘We’re being destroyed’: Brisbane teacher’s brutal message to Premier
Teacher shortages across Queensland are only going to worsen because of poor pay and overwhelming workloads, the state government has been warned.
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Burnt out teachers are turning their backs on the profession in droves as they say they are battling overwhelming workloads and poor pay, with some schools across South East Queensland advertising up to 12 jobs.
Teachers Professional Association Queensland President Scott Stanford said the industry was haemorrhaging, with more teachers considering leaving the profession than ever before.
“It’s because they are not being treated as professionals so they are being dumped with tasks to get done and they’re not in the classroom where they want to be,” he said.
“Until we start to treat them as professionals and look after them, then we’re gonna keep losing them.”
Shocking data from the Queensland Government smart jobs website revealed more than 100 teacher vacancies have opened across the state in metro and highly populated areas.
According to the website, South Brisbane had the highest number of teacher vacancies with more than 50 jobs available in the region, with several schools in dire need of mathematics and English teachers.
Schools with the worst vacancy rates according to the smart jobs website data were Ipswich State High School with 12 jobs available and Foxwell State Secondary College on the Gold Coast which was offering eight jobs.
Further afield, Sarina State High School in Mackay was also offering seven jobs including maths, science and English teachers for high school students.
Mr Stanford said the industry struggling to fill teacher roles in the South East, which had the largest population, was a sign something was “wrong with the system”.
“That’s the issue … if we can’t fill them in South Brisbane where we have a very dense population and a big number of schools, then what are we doing?,” he said.
It comes as South East Queensland teacher Damion Douglass penned an emotional letter to Premier David Crisafulli, the Queensland Teacher’s Union and Education Minister John Paul-Langbroek this week calling for an overhaul of the state’s “collapsing” education system.
Speaking to The Courier-Mail, Mr Douglass said he wrote the letter to call for a “reform and a reset” of teacher conditions.
“So beginning with listening to teachers on the ground … that means actually speaking to teachers that earn, you know, the common rate of pay, not just executive teams,” he said.
Mr Douglass questioned why he couldn’t afford electricity bills after often working 16-hour days.
“We can’t be accepting this anymore, we simply can’t. We’ve got to say, ‘no, we deserve better,’ and we need to be given clear instruction of what next and how to do it.”
In his letter, Mr Douglass said rallies weren’t the noise anymore.
“The real noise is the silence of exhausted teachers. The quiet quitting. The unspoken burnout,” he said in the letter.
“ … the future of education in Queensland isn’t riding on slogans; it’s riding on whether or not we are still willing to show up,” he said.
Mr Douglass said he wrote the letter as a human being who was “tired of giving more, while receiving less.”
Last month, the QTU rejected a pay offer from the state government, with the sector’s union labelling the latest deal “disappointing” and negotiations continuing.
The proposal included a new three-year wage offer from the government which would give
teachers a 3 per cent pay bump from July, then 2.5 per cent in 2026 and again in 2027.
“There’s a growing disconnect between what we’re expected to do, and what we’re given to do it with. And while some are willing to accept gradual pay increases, I need to say what many are too exhausted to: It’s not enough.”
A department spokesman said it continued negotiations with the Queensland Teachers’ Union (QTU). “We are committed to reaching an agreement as soon as possible to provide certainty and stability for Queensland’s teaching workforce.”
“The proposed offer delivers substantial improvements to workplace conditions, responds directly to key priorities raised by the QTU, and supports the continued delivery of high-quality education in state schools,” they said.
But, in his letter, Mr Douglass said “the great disappearing act” had already begun in staffrooms across Queensland.
Queensland Teacher’s Union President Cresta Richardson said the “serious challenges” the state’s teachers and school leaders faced daily were no secret.
“We are now at a crossroads after years of federal funding inequity, chronic teacher shortages, rising occupational violence and aggression, unmanageable workloads, and a distinct lack of respect for the pressure-filled, complex work our members perform daily,” she said.
“The QTU makes no apologies for seeking nation-leading salaries for teachers and school leaders and implores every Queenslander to join our fight to save public education.”
“But time is running out, and the QTU cannot rule out industrial action to ensure the government fully appreciates the current situation and responds appropriately and in good faith.”
Ms Richardson said the Crisafulli Government was “well aware” of the critical importance of delivering salaries and conditions offer that is necessary to retain staff and attract new educators.
“This is clearly in the best interests of students and school communities as well,” she said.
Queensland Association of State School Principals President Pat Murphy said population growth in Queensland had led to higher demand for teachers.
“Even though the universities are seeing more teaching students come through, we’re still seeing vacancies because it’s hard to keep up with demand from the additional students coming into the state,” he said.
A government spokesman said it continued to negotiate with the QTU “in good faith on a wages agreement” and there had been “a record investment in schools funded in the budget”.
“The Government has been listening and delivering on the concerns of teachers with more support for safer classrooms, less red tape and admin, better resources, more schools, new special schools, more teachers and teacher aides, a major behaviour management boost, an anti-bullying program and more school chaplains,” the spokesman said.
Mr Murphy said there had been improvements made to the role; however all recognise that more needed to be done to make teaching an attractive profession to further decrease vacancy rates.
“QASSP has been advocating for the last couple of years around reducing administrative burdens for both teachers and schools and we are delighted the government has a target and strategy around reducing red tape in the system,” he said.
A Department spokesman said it maintained a strong overall teacher workforce, consistently hiring more teachers than are lost through natural attrition.
“Queensland’s current teacher vacancy rate remains stable at around 2 per cent, and the Department actively recruits teachers throughout the year to meet student and school
needs.”
“Teacher retention in Queensland state schools remains high, with approximately 95 per cent of teachers staying in the profession. This is among the highest in the country,” they said.
TEACHER VACANCIES ACCORDING TO QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT SMART JOBS
Inner City Brisbane: Total 2 teacher jobs
• Brisbane State High School – two jobs
North Brisbane: Total 29 teacher jobs
• Murrumba State Secondary College – three jobs
• Morayfield State School – two jobs
• Deception Bay State High School – two jobs
• Tullawong State High School – two jobs
• Redcliffe State High School – two jobs
• North Lakes State College – two jobs
• Bellmere State School – three jobs
• Deception Bay State School – two jobs
• Pumicestone State School – two jobs
• Wavell State High School – four jobs
• Ferny Grove State High School – five jobs
South Brisbane: Total: 59 teacher jobs
• Laidley State High School – two jobs
• Bundamba State Secondary College – four jobs
• Woodcrest State College – three jobs
• Redbank Plains State High School – five jobs
• Springfield Central State School – three jobs
• Laidley District State School – two jobs
• Berrinba East State School – three jobs
• Woodcrest State College – six jobs
• Burrowes State School – two jobs
• Flagstone State School – four jobs
• Yeronga State High School – four jobs
• Park Ridge State High School – six jobs
• Brisbane South State Secondary College – two jobs
• Yeronga State School – two jobs
• Stretton State College – two jobs
• Coorparoo Secondary College – three jobs
• Forest Lake State High School – four jobs
• Camira State School – two jobs
Brisbane West: Total: 13 teacher jobs
• Springfield Central State High School: five jobs
• Bellbird Park State Secondary College: two jobs
• Lowood State High School: six jobs
Cairns Region: Total: 7 teacher jobs
• Cairns School of Distance Education – two jobs
• Redlynch State College – five jobs
Gold Coast: Total: 13 teacher jobs
• Foxwell State Secondary College – eight jobs
• Pimpama State Secondary College – three jobs
• Ormeau Woods State High School – two jobs
Ipswich Region: Total: 17 teacher jobs
• Ipswich State High School – 12 jobs
• Ripley Valley State Secondary College – one job
• Ripley Valley State School – two jobs
• Ipswich Central State School – two jobs
Logan – Beaudesert: Total: 26 teacher jobs
• Yarrabilba State Secondary College – five jobs
• Marsden State School – three jobs
• Waterford West State School – one job
• Jimboomba State School – two jobs
• Woodridge State High School – five jobs
• Springwood Central State School – two jobs
• Kingston State School – two jobs
• Mabel Park State School – two jobs
• Kingston State College – four jobs
Sunshine Coast: Total: one teacher job
• Kilcoy State High School – one job
Moreton Bay: Total: one teacher job
• Burpengary State Secondary College – one job
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