6.0 Deliver a fair go for regional and remote Queensland
Attracting and retaining teachers and school leaders to regional and remote locations requires a commitment to investing and improving access to teacher housing. It also requires an ongoing commitment to reviewing the Recognition of Rural and Remote Service (RoRRS) scheme, to ensure it is fit for purpose and enhances employment for the geographically diverse Queensland school system. Regional and remote schools often have a higher proportion of early career teachers and, as such, resourcing for mentoring and beginning teacher (MBT) support must be expanded.
6.1 Teacher housing
To deliver responsive services in rural and remote schools, the Queensland Government must meet its obligation to attract and retain capable and confident teachers and education leaders by enabling access to subsidised teacher housing. The current provision of teacher housing to is under significant strain, worsened by inconsistent quality, lack of flexibility in tenancy types (few appropriate individual sole tenancies) and increasing demand, as once “easier-to-staff” rural centres find that housing provision is required before an applicant will consider accepting an offer of employment. The provision of fit-for-purpose teacher housing is further exacerbated by very limited private rental stock in regional and rural Queensland.
The QTU calls on the Queensland Government to continue its commitment to the construction or purchase of higher standard accommodation in rural and remote centres, and to increase its housing stock in many locations where waiting lists are exacerbating the teacher shortage issue. In addition, and where the market allows, the QTU considers that both the Department of Education and the Department of Housing and Public Works should be funded to acquire accommodation from the private market. Further, the QTU calls on the state government to ensure that the provision of housing in remote and rural Queensland takes into consideration the wellbeing needs of teachers as tenants, ensuring that a variety of housing types are increasingly available, including units available to individuals as sole tenants, particularly in remote areas.
An increase in the locations where housing is available is needed so that regional schools, which currently struggle to attract staff, have an added attraction benefit.
In recognition of the additional burden the teacher shortage has placed on teachers in areas where teacher housing is provided, the QTU calls on the Queensland Government to cease rent deductions until schools have reach the appropriate level of staffing they are entitled to. The QTU calls on the government to consider rent free teacher housing in rural and remote areas, which continue to have the majority of teacher vacancies. Eliminating rent for teacher housing would assist in the attraction and retention of teachers to rural and remote centres and would be consistent with policies for the policing and nursing workforce.
6.2 RoRRS improvements
The RoRRS scheme, which includes cash benefits, extended emergent leave provisions, and induction programs for teachers appointed to a facility with a transfer rating of 6 or 7, requires further improvements, and the state government must continue to work with the QTU over the coming years to enhance the program. RoRRS should include accelerated transfer point accrual, and accelerated accrual of leave entitlements, in addition to the provision of additional TRS to enable teachers and school leaders to access face-to-face professional development.
The QTU believes that RORRS incentives should be indexed and that differentiated incentives for classified officers should be put in place. This could be undertaken by making it a percentage of pay - in a TR4 school the incentive is 4 per cent of your annual pay, with TR5 as 5 per cent of annual pay. It could be indexed at the rate of the enterprise bargaining (EB) increase or at the level of the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
These enhancements to RoRRS should be fully funded through Treasury.
6.3 Improved professional support
The government must cover the cost of travel for specialist services in rural and remote services. Travel that is undertaken by language, physical education and music teachers and guidance officers on rural and regional school circuits must be centrally funded. These schools’ students should not receive less access to these subjects and services because the cost of the travel time is borne by schools that cannot afford to pay this extra cost. Schools that contribute a fraction for these services should receive that exact level of service, without having to contribute travel time. As it currently stands, rural school students receive less of these specialists’ time compared to city schools.
Additional TRS must be provided to rural and remote schools to allow them to access face-to-face PD and additional MBT funding provided to support the disproportionate numbers of beginning teachers who are working in rural and remote locations.
RECOMMENDATIONS
39. Invest more in teacher housing in rural and remote locations via increases to the number and types of housing options and increases to maintenance of current housing stock.
40. Commit to making further improvements to the RoRRS scheme, including accelerated accrual of transfer points and improved leave entitlements
41. Improve funding for language, PE and music teachers and guidance officers in regional and remote locations to cover travel time, and increased TRS to support opportunities for teachers and education leaders to access face-to-face PD.
QTU State Budget Submission 2023-24