Class Sizes Still An Issue In Pay Deal

Media release.

Opposition Leader, Annastacia Palaszczuk, says the compromise reached on a pay deal for Queensland teachers addresses key issues that could have eroded the quality of education provided to students in state schools but class sizes remain an area of concern.

“As always the interests of students must be considered in these types of agreements and I congratulate the QTU for doing so,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“I am pleased that the issue of class sizes has not been removed from the agreement reached by the Newman Government with teachers and their union.

“The government had originally planned to remove class-size provisions from the agreement and make them a mainstream Education Department policy.

“However, there is no guarantee that classes will not become over-sized, reducing the hard-fought gains of the past few decades and eroding the quality of education offered to students in our state schools. This is an issue the Opposition will continue to monitor.

“I am also pleased that the remote area incentive scheme has been retained. This is another issue that has significant flow-on effects for students especially those in our rural and remote schools.

“It was raised with me by teachers, parents and community leaders on numerous occasions during my most recent listening tour through Central Western Queensland to centres such as Emerald, Barcaldine and Longreach.

“It is important that we continue to encourage teachers to take up jobs in those areas so that children at rural and remote schools continue to enjoy a quality education.”

Ms Palaszczuk said she was also pleased the government had not used the negotiations on the agreement announced today to pursue a pay freeze for new teachers.

“The government had intended to freeze pay increments for their first three years of employment,” she said.

“This was always a bad idea and it is good that the government recognised it as such.”

Ms Palaszczuk said the LNP’s new industrial laws still provided reduced job security for state school teachers.

“Unfortunately while the new agreement has some positives, it has been delivered against a background of ongoing concerns about the government’s commitment to job security for teachers and other state employees,” she said.

“Unfortunately the LNP government remains committed to driving down employment conditions and outsourcing the jobs of government workers in a wide range of occupations.”