Meet The WHS Committee

Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 129 No 6, 23 August 2024, page 16.

The Work Health and Safety (WHS) Committee was established in 2023 as part of the amendments made to Policy at the 2023 Biennial Conference, and is the newest QTU Standing Committee. The committee focuses on supporting members in relation to WHS and comprises of the chair and 15 members. It formulates draft policy, provides specialist advice to Executive and Council, and makes recommendations for action and campaigns in support of Union policy on work health and safety. All members are practising teachers and/or school leaders.

Peta Bosomworth
Being a HPE teacher who also organises most of the school camps as well, safety is very important to me. We need to make the wellbeing of all our staff the number one priority, not only to retain our current teachers, but to also encourage the recruitment of new teachers.

Kelsey Hawthorn
All workers have the right to a safe and healthy work environment – including those who work in schools and TAFE.

Matt Huth
I work in agriculture, which is one of the highest risk work areas in the country. Ensuring that schools do the best job is vital because, not only do we need to uphold standards, we need to do things better than industry so that the students don’t enter the workplace complacent.

Amanda Jones
I am steadfast in my commitment to ensuring that our employer maintains a safe and supportive workplace at all times for all members. I am particularly interested in continuing my work and activism in the space of occupational violence and aggression.   

Darren Kerr
Teaching in a high-risk area, I would like to advocate for smaller class sizes in practical subjects in line with risk levels. 

Steve Leese
Health and safety are critical to ensure we can do our jobs well. Being on the committee allows me to contribute towards safer workplaces. I draw on my experiences in SEPs and special schools to work towards ensuring safer workplaces for all. 

Jenny McLeod
I joined the committee to be able to advocate for safer workspaces, to be fully informed of changes, and to be able to voice my concerns with confidence.

Cassie Munro
Psycho-social harm is occurring on a daily basis, and being part of the committee that works to form policy to protect members and improve their conditions is important to me.

Andrew Nicholls
With long term expertise in work health and safety, I hope that my experience and knowledge can assist the Union to help educate others about the importance of both physical and psychological safety in the design and operation 
of schools.

Anna Ramsay
I wanted to join the WHS Committee as I see the changing dynamic of our students and in our workload having an immense impact on teachers’ wellbeing.  I want to be a voice for our members - especially in the lower primary school.

Nicola Rasheed
I wanted to join this committee to champion teachers’ physical and psychosocial safety.  I believe focussing on WHS is the only way to stop or slow down the current teacher shortage. 

Scott Tibaldi (Chair)
I have been a tradesperson all my adult life and have seen the need for continuous improvement to WHS. In the state school and TAFE sector, we not only have to provide a safe work environment for the teachers, we also have the student’s safety and wellbeing to consider.

Tammy White
I joined the WHSC in the hope of using the collective solidarity of members to ensure the department’s focus on staff health and safety was paramount to all other departmental directives. 

Mat Williams
I go to work, not school. The school is my workplace, and it needs to be a safe place for everyone. I feel being part of this committee is the engine to drive this change.

Joanne Wolfe
Safe, healthy workplaces are essential for all teachers. I wanted to bring my experience as an instrumental music teacher working across multiple school sites to add to the diversity of voices on the QTU’s Workplace Health and Safety Committee.