A statewide 24-hour teacher strike is taking place on Thursday 23 July following ongoing negotiations between the Australian Education Union and the Department of Education. As a result, some Victorian government schools are experiencing changes to their normal operations on the day.
Our view
- Victorian parents want certainty. After many months of negotiations, school communities are understandably tired of the uncertainty and want both parties to reach an agreement that provides long-term stability for students, families and school staff. We don’t want to be having the same conversation in another few years. That means governments delivering on their commitment to fully fund Victorian public schools to 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard and investing in the reforms needed to build a sustainable public education system.
- While the enterprise agreement is a matter for the negotiating parties, parents see this as part of a broader conversation about properly valuing public education. Competitive salaries, manageable workloads and fully funded public schools all work together to attract and retain the teachers our children need.
- Parents respect that teachers have lawful industrial rights and many families understand the concerns being raised. Equally, every day of disrupted learning affects students and creates practical challenges for families.
- Every child deserves to attend a school that is properly resourced, and every teacher deserves to work in a system that can support them to work to their full potential.