From the President: Deliver a fair go for regional and remote Queensland

Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 129 No 8, 1 November 2024, page no. 7

While this article was written before the result of the 2024 State Election was known, one thing is clear. Whichever party is in power, the state government must continue to collaborate with the QTU to create a Regional Education Plan that delivers a package of attraction and retention incentives to address the critical teacher shortage crisis in remote, regional, and hard to staff communities.

To attract and retain teachers and school leaders in regional and remote areas, it is crucial to prioritise investment in and improvement of teacher housing accessibility. Additionally, a continuous evaluation of the Recognition of Rural and Remote Service (RoRRS) scheme is necessary to ensure its effectiveness in enhancing employment opportunities within Queensland’s geographically diverse school system.

Given the current teacher shortage, it is important to consider the unique challenges faced by regional and remote schools when designing incentives and programs. These schools often have a higher number of early career teachers, making it essential to allocate additional resources for mentoring and support programs for beginning teachers (MBT).

The RoRRS scheme, which offers cash benefits, extended emergent leave provisions, and induction programs for teachers assigned to facilities with a transfer rating of 6 or 7, requires further enhancements. The state government must continue to collaborate with the QTU to improve the program in the future. To strengthen RoRRS, it is recommended that it includes advanced progression in the incremental salary scales, accelerated transfer point accrual, accelerated accrual of leave entitlements, and additional TRS to enable teachers and school leaders to access face-to-face professional development. To support the current restrictions on accessing leave for attraction and retention purposes, an option to cash out any remaining RoRRS leave at the end of each calendar year should be considered.

The QTU suggests that RoRRS incentives should be indexed and that differentiated incentives for classified officers should be implemented. One approach is to make the incentives a percentage of annual pay, such as 4 per cent for transfer rating 4 schools and 5 per cent for transfer rating 5 schools. Indexing could be on the enterprise bargaining (EB) increase or the Consumer Price Index (CPI), to ensure the incentives keep up with economic changes. This proposal aims to provide fair and appropriate incentives to attract and retain teachers and school leaders in regional and remote areas. 

To attract classified teachers to rural and remote schools, it is recommended that a relocation system is established that offers incentives and guarantees a return to the teacher’s previous region. The duration of this guaranteed timeframe for return would be determined on the basis of the transfer rating of the specific rural or remote location. This approach aims to provide teachers with the assurance that they can temporarily relocate to these areas while maintaining the opportunity to return to their previous region when desired. Such a system can help alleviate concerns and encourage more teachers to consider teaching in rural and remote locations. 

The enhancements to RoRRS must be adequately funded through Treasury. It is crucial to allocate sufficient financial resources to support the improvements and ensure the effective implementation of the scheme. By securing full funding, the government can demonstrate its commitment to attracting and retaining teachers and school leaders in regional and remote areas, ultimately strengthening the education system in those regions.
In order to ensure equitable access to specialist services in rural and remote areas, it is necessary for the government to cover the cost of travel for educators providing these services. This includes language, physical education, and music teachers, AVTs, and guidance officers who travel to rural and regional school circuits. Centrally funding travel expenses prevents schools from bearing the burden of these costs, which they may not be able to afford. It is important that financial constraints do not result in students in these schools having reduced access to these subjects and services. 

Schools that contribute a portion of the funding for these services should receive the exact same level of service without having to contribute additional travel time. Currently, there is a discrepancy in the amount of time specialists spend with rural school students compared to those in urban areas, and addressing this issue is crucial for ensuring equal opportunities for all students. 

To support rural and remote schools in providing face-to-face professional development (PD) opportunities, it is necessary to allocate additional Teacher Relief Scheme (TRS) resources. 

Furthermore, it is crucial to provide additional funding for beginning teacher (MBT) support, considering the higher concentration of early career teachers in rural and remote locations. This will help address the unique challenges faced by these schools and ensure adequate support for their teaching staff.

Leah Olsson 

Acting President

(President Cresta Richardson is currently on leave)