Plan to pay teachers $130,000 a year to fill shortage

Teachers in New South Wales and Victoria could see their salaries increase to up to $130,000 a year.

This comes as schools struggle with an ongoing teacher shortage, which has also seen a number of strikes in recent months as teachers demand better pay and conditions.

In a bid to save the education sector, education ministers from around the country will meet to discuss plans to boost wages.

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Salaries of $130,000 and a reduction in university fees are among the options being discussed.

Teachers Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos said the lack of teachers had had a profound effect on students.

“COVID and the flu are just making a bad situation worse. The teacher shortage has been 10 years in the making,” Gavrielatos said.

“It is the result of deliberate failed government policies, and it is getting worse.

“The depth of this potential crisis is borne out by the numbers.”

Gavrielatos said parliamentary documents revealed there were 1,657 full-time teacher vacancies as of June this year - 67 per cent higher than the same time last year.

“While the teacher shortage impacting our schools today is unprecedented, of even greater concern is what will our schools look like in three, five and 10 years’ time should the government not take the urgent action required to turn the crisis around?” Gavrielatos said.

“No amount of tinkering or slick advertising can deal with the structural issue of uncompetitive pay and unsustainable workloads, which have brought us to this point.

“We need a reset. We need a reset if we are to attract and retain the teachers we need.”

Queensland teacher pay boost

Queensland teachers are in line for a cost of living payment, potentially worth thousands, as well as an 11 per cent pay rise that would likely make them the highest-paid teachers in the country.

After 16 weeks of negotiating, the Queensland Teachers’ Union (QTU) recommended its members accept the pay conditions recently offered by the Queensland government.

Under the agreement, which would be back-dated to start on July 1, teaching staff would see a 4 per cent boost to wages this year, a 4 per cent increase in July 2023, and a 3 per cent boost in July 2024.