{"id":558749,"date":"2026-03-23T09:18:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T09:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/558749\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T09:18:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T09:18:16","slug":"victoria-bills-itself-as-the-education-state-but-thousands-of-school-teachers-are-set-to-strike-heres-what-it-means-victoria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/558749\/","title":{"rendered":"Victoria bills itself as the \u2018education state\u2019 but thousands of school teachers are set to strike. Here\u2019s what it means | Victoria"},"content":{"rendered":"

Victorian licence plates may carry the slogan \u201cthe education state\u201d but on Tuesday, thousands of public school teachers, principals and education support staff will go on strike for the first time in 13 years.<\/p>\n

The Fair Work Commission approved the action two weeks ago, after 98% of Australian Education Union (AEU) members voted to strike over what they say is low pay and excessive workloads.<\/p>\n

For many parents, it will mean taking the day off work to look after children, with the education department conceding many schools will only supervise a \u201climited number of students\u201d.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what we know.<\/p>\n

Why are teachers in Victoria striking? <\/p>\n

The AEU\u2019s Victorian branch president, Justin Mullaly, says the strike reflects the government\u2019s failure to deliver fair pay, better conditions and full funding for public schools.<\/p>\n

He says the union went into EBA negotiations eight months ago, seeking a 35% pay rise over four years, smaller class sizes and improved mental health and classroom support.<\/p>\n

Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email<\/a><\/p>\n

The government responded with a 18.5% pay offer \u2013 only after the union moved to strike. This offer included an 8% pay rise for teachers and 4% for education staff to come into effect in April, followed by a 3% rise for each of the following three years, as well as a 1.5% overtime allowance.\u00a0The government also committed to an extra student-free day and a trial of flexible work arrangements.<\/p>\n

But Mullaly says the offer would leave teachers falling behind their interstate peers<\/a>. He says, by October 2026, Victorian teachers will be earning as much as $15,359 a year less than their NSW counterparts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are things that the government must address in a revised offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The union is also critical of the government\u2019s decision to delay $2.4bn in funding for state schools by three years to 2031, with the matter being examined by a state parliamentary inquiry.<\/p>\n

How has the government responded? <\/p>\n

The premier, Jacinta Allan, is urging the union to call off the strike, describing the 18% offer as \u201cfair and genuine\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to give teachers a pay rise. We\u2019ve got a strong offer on the table,\u201d she told reporters on Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only way to get agreement on that offer is to stay at the negotiating table, and that\u2019s why the leadership of the AEU should really be rethinking this action tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mullaly says: \u201cOur business is not in stopping work. Teachers want to go to work tomorrow. But when you\u2019re not being valued and the government isn\u2019t listening \u2026 then that\u2019s what we\u2019re forced to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

How many schools will be affected? <\/p>\n

The AEU says 30,000 staff are expected to strike, with up to 500 schools either closed or \u201csignificantly affected\u201d as a result.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe advice to parents is that it\u2019s best not to send your child to school,\u201d Mullaly says.<\/p>\n

\"DoDo Naplan results matter? Who are they even for? \u2013 video<\/p>\n

The department disputed there would be school closures, but conceded some won\u2019t be able to support all children.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile all schools are expected to be open tomorrow, many schools will only be able to provide supervision for a limited number of students,\u201d a department spokesperson says.<\/p>\n

\u201cSchools will communicate any changes to school programs directly to parents and carers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among those striking will be 60 teachers who work at Parkville College<\/a>, the school inside Victoria\u2019s youth justice system. The group \u2013 who represent more than half the eduction workforce in the system \u2013 is critical of the government\u2019s \u201cadult time for violent crime\u201d laws, and questioned why it can fund additional youth justice beds but not \u201cthe public schools that keep children out of prison in the first place\u201d.<\/p>\n

What will classrooms look like on Tuesday? <\/p>\n

Last week, the education minister, Ben Carroll, said students of similar ages might be grouped together. They could take part in alternative activities rather than regular classes, and be supervised by a substitute or casual relief teacher.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are planning ahead but we don\u2019t want this disruption to go ahead. We want to prioritise dialogue and do a deal,\u201d Carroll said.<\/p>\n

As for striking teachers, they\u2019ll hold a rally at Trades Hall before marching to Victorian parliament.<\/p>\n

Will any other states follow? <\/p>\n

Tasmanian teachers will also go on strike after rejecting their state government\u2019s latest pay offer of 3% in year one, 3% in year two and 2.75% in year three.<\/p>\n

Public schools will be closed in the state\u2019s north-west on Tuesday, the north on Wednesday and the south on Thursday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Victorian licence plates may carry the slogan \u201cthe education state\u201d but on Tuesday, thousands of public school teachers,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":558750,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":{"0":"post-558749","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-australia","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=558749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558749\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/558750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=558749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=558749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=558749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}