Guidance Matters No.3 July 2021

Senior guidance officer award coverage

The QTU has continued to engage with the Department of Education in relation to award coverage for senior guidance officers. The Guidance Matters sent to members in June provided a detailed summary.

A formal letter was received from the department in early July, in response to earlier QTU correspondence.

The Deputy Director-General (People and Corporate Services) wrote to the QTU General Secretary and expressed the department’s readiness to progress the issues identified in relation to progressing award coverage. The letter noted, among other matters, that:

“Departmental officers are ready and able to meet with the Queensland Teachers’ Union (QTU) to explore and discuss the practicalities of enacting the award coverage clause for senior guidance officers (SGO) and regional school sports officers (RSSO) and we look forward to working with you to explore the matters canvassed in your letter, being specifically:

•  the accrual of current recreation and annual leave balances
• allocated days off (ADO) and time off in lieu balances (TOIL)
• how long service leave will be converted
• rostered duty time, including on site hours and meal and rest pause breaks

• weekend and holiday work as required, including work on public holidays (State Championships as an example).

 I acknowledge your proposal in respect of creating grandparent provisions and a memorandum of agreement and I thank you for sharing these ideas with the department in the spirit of good-faith discussions. I encourage the parties to continue to explore your proposal and indeed all proposals and ideas, with oversight by the CAIC.

Thank you also for your invitation to have departmental officers and QTU officials meet jointly with SGO and RSSO groups. I find this idea an encouraging sign of the parties’ commitment to SGO and RSSO groups and I support this proposal.”

As you will note from previous communications and from the department’s letter, significant work remains to be undertaken. The department and the QTU will continue to work together in order to secure award coverage by the end of the life of the current certified agreement.

EB10 claim development underway

As in every previous enterprise bargaining negotiation, in EB10 the QTU will be pursuing fair salary increases and improved working conditions across the profession. However, three priority areas for negotiations have emerged over the life of the current agreement, and the QTU is proposing that these be key themes in the EB10 claim. They are:

• remuneration
• ​​​​​​​teaching and learning conditions

• equity.

The QTU is currently developing its claim for EB10 in the state sector - please check with your Union Reps to find out when your workplace’s EB10 claim development meeting is. You are also strongly encouraged to attend your QTU branch meeting and to encourage your colleagues to do so as well. Consider what improvements could be made under the three priority areas.

EB9 commenced the implementation of the Promotional Positions Classification Review (PPCR). It has always been the intention of the QTU to continue this implementation in EB10. More detail will be provided through workplace and branch meetings.

It is important that the views of guidance officers and senior guidance officers are captured through this grassroots process.

QuEST (Queensland Education Support and Training)

2019 saw the launch of QuEST, a branch of the QTU committed to providing high quality professional development for members. QuEST operates in a niche professional development space, to meet the articulated professional development needs of QTU members, aligned to the ethos and shared values of the QTU.

QTU Professional Development Officers Rebecca Hack and Louise Loriaux work closely with QTU officers, members, and external providers to identify relevant professional development programs that meet the needs of our members right across this diverse state. A range of programs is offered, including face-to-face, live online and on-demand web courses. These are open to all members, and as a not-for-profit initiative, QuEST aims to keep professional development affordable and operates on a cost recovery basis.

QuEST programs are recognised as legitimate professional development by the Department of Education and Queensland College of Teachers. As such, it is appropriate to apply for release and funding through your normal school professional development processes.

Below are some of the learning opportunities that may be of interest to you.

FREE – Applying Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination in Schools

This half day course has been developed for teachers and school leaders by the Queensland Human Rights Commission (QHRC).

This workshop has been developed through a partnership between the QTU and the QHRC to address some of the issues arising as schools work to understand the Queensland Human Rights Act 2019 (HRA). The training aims to raise participants’ understanding of the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (ADA) and the HRA through an overview of the key legal concepts and responsibilities under each act, as well as the functions of the QHRC.

RESPECTability - Full day program presented by Maria Delaney

This hands-on and practice-focused day aims to empower teachers and school leaders to become leaders and agents of change in respectful relationships education. The session will explore pedagogy for change, and where respectful relationships education fits in the classroom and what it can look like. Take-aways will include practical strategies for curriculum design and adaptation, and tools for engendering respectful and equitable relationships.

BlackCard Cultural Capability Training

Full day Cultural Capability training programs developed by Aboriginal Elders and educators.

BlackCard’s Cultural Capability Training will assist teachers and school leaders in supporting Aboriginal students and their families in a more meaningful way, by increasing knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal Culture and history. Cultural capability training is delivered by BlackCard’s experienced team of educators and Elders.

Tailored professional development courses

QuEST Professional Development Officer Rebecca Hack has more than 25 years of teaching and school leadership experience and has worked across primary, high school and special education settings, winning several teaching awards during her career.

QuEST also offers a range of tailored PD options for your school or cluster, including supportive school leadership, trauma aware practices, teacher wellbeing, individual coaching and mentoring and more.

I invite you to explore the 2021 QuEST program.

 Authorised by Kate Ruttiman, General Secretary, Queensland Teachers' Union
21 Graham Street, Milton, QLD, Australia, 4064