Acknowledgement
The QTU acknowledges the Elders and Custodians of our diverse Nations and Countries. They are the knowledge holders and the educators of our communities. They hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of First Nations Australia
We pay respect to the lore, sky, and waters of these nations, and will ensure our future generations continue to look after Country.
We are committed to ensuring the voices of Australia’s First Nations peoples are at the forefront of all decision making and that all schools, TAFEs, and workplaces are culturally safe environments.
Our purpose
The QTU is the professional and industrial voice of Queensland’s teachers, school leaders and educators in state schools and TAFE, and has been for more than 130 years.
The QTU aims to be the most democratic and representative voice of the teaching profession in Queensland on industrial and professional matters, and in support of public education.
The QTU is committed to ensuring that all gatherings convened under its name, including online meetings and platforms, are free of all forms of harassment, including sexual harassment and racism.
We live our values of being:
Professional: We strive to maintain high standards of work, to deal with members and their issues sensitively and respectfully.
- Courageous: We implement the decisions of the collective regardless of the difficulties or obstacles that stand in our way.
- United: We work collaboratively and stand together to achieve the best outcomes for our membership.
- Democratic: We involve members in the decision making of the Union and implement these decisions on behalf of members.
- Member focused: We ensure that members’ issues and decisions are central to our work. We work with members and on behalf of members to achieve our objectives
Our priorities
Campaigning
QTU campaigns will focus on our members’ industrial, professional, and legal issues. We will work collaboratively with the AEU to achieve school and TAFE funding that meets the needs of every student, in every school and TAFE in the country.
This conference endorses a campaign agenda that:
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realises the three-part-process proposed by the Uluru Statement from the Heart and commits to campaigning with our First Nations members and peoples to ensure a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament
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addresses the causes and symptoms of the teacher shortage crisis, including:
a) working with members and the government to develop plans to address workload, including ensuring that the Comprehensive Review of School Resourcing recognises the complexity and challenges of the work of teachers and school leaders and allows them to focus on the teaching and learning of students within their schools
b) campaigning for salaries, career structures and working conditions that protect and value the profession
c) providing teacher housing and other incentives to attract and retain teachers and school leaders in rural, remote, and regional Queensland and Norfolk Island
d) restoring respect for the profession
- builds on the work already commenced to address gender inequality in the system
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influences national agreements in schools and TAFE to ensure that, in addition to providing the funding that our system needs, they act to support public education and educational equity, including agreements between the Federal and State government for provision of education on Norfolk Island
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recognises the challenges of implementing the Australian Curriculum and the emergence of artificial intelligence within education, and continues to oppose the conduct of high stakes standardised tests (e.g. NAPLAN)
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provides for professional autonomy for teachers and school leaders
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maximises the recognition of the QTU as the voice of the teaching profession and the only union for Queensland’s state school teachers, leaders, and TAFE educators
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commit to increasing member engagement through building member skills and capacity for union work including campaigning and workplace activism and mechanisms for measuring membership engagement in the democratic processes in the QTU, e.g. numbers at branch meetings, campaign involvement, training events, feedback opportunities and membership density.
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ensures that emerging trends in education, e.g. virtual schooling and digital technologies, do not compromise working conditions or add to workload
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delivers healthy and safe workplaces that prioritise the wellbeing and security of employees.
Conference believes that healthy and safe workplaces help address issues such as behavior management, ensuring respectful and inclusive conduct. They provide facilities that meet safety standards and are suitable for their intended purpose. They actively work to prevent psychological harm, including bullying and excessive stress. . Occupational violence, such as threats or assault, is addressed through security measures and training. They combat gendered violence by promoting equality, consent, and respect for all genders. Racism is actively addressed through policies, training, and inclusive practices. These workplaces strive to increase LGBTQ+ visibility and create an inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ individuals.
Conference recognises that our membership is comprised of people from many different cultures and abilities who work in many different communities across the state. We also recognise that our membership transcends all classifications. Our campaigns are developed in consultation with and led by our members. The QTU remains the only union established and led by teachers, for teachers.
TAFE
The QTU proudly represents TAFE educators across Queensland. The Union will continue to advocate for improved working conditions and salaries for educators as part of EB negotiations with TAFE Queensland and Central Queensland University. Our campaigns have three cornerstones – respecting the work of educators, recognising the value of that work in developing leaders of tomorrow, and reducing workload. It is important that TAFE educators are at the heart of “making great happen”. Commitments to ensure the ongoing viability of TAFE as the public provider of training in Queensland must be realised and delivered on. As such, the QTU commits to continued participation in AEU-led TAFE campaigns.
Celebrating and protecting diversity
Conference reiterates our long-standing commitment to supporting LGBTQ+ members and students and to actively opposing homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and all other forms of discrimination.
Growing our Union
The achievement of our objectives is predicated on building an even stronger Union by continuing the vital work of developing and encouraging our members’ involvement and activism. The strength and capacity of our Union to improve the lives of our members and the students we teach depends on it.
We renew our collective efforts to grow our Union in a sustainable way. We will adapt the strategies that have proven effective, such as measures which retain existing members, targeted recruitment campaigns and new educator engagement, and adopt new strategies to further extend our reach and impact.