Victoria’s public school teachers, education support staff and principals, fed up with having the lowest funded schools in the country, are now having their ability to vote for protected industrial action opposed by the Allan Labor government. Australian Education Union (AEU) Victorian branch president Justin Mullally said the government has had seven months to come to the table with a decent pay and conditions offer and have failed to do so. As such, public school staff had a right to take the steps towards industrial action. “This is a shameful anti-union move from the Allan Labor Government which has already denied public schools $2.4 billion in funding through to 2031,” Mr Mullally said. “Victoria’s public school staff are being taken for granted and disrespected by the Allan Labor Government, with excessive workloads and serious wage disparity compared to other states.” Currently, Victorian public school classroom teachers (excluding lead teachers) earn between $79,589 - $118,063 per year, depending on experience. By October 2026, NSW public school classroom teachers (excluding lead teachers) will have a salary of between $92,882 - $133,422, depending on experience. Victorian teachers will be earning as much as $15,359 a year ($295 per week) less than their NSW counterparts by October 2026. To put that into context, a Victorian entry level classroom-based education support employee would be earning 10.5 per cent less, while a Victorian school principal new to the role would be 18 per cent behind. The top percentage gaps fall under the highest increment base pay per annum for allied health and school psychologist education support employees, who, by October 2026 will be paid 39.62 per cent less than their NSW counterparts. They are followed by entry level business manager education support employees, who will be paid 35.33 per cent less. On top of that, Victorian public school staff work an average of 12 hours of unpaid overtime each week. The industrial agreement expired last year, and negotiations have gone on since August without an offer from the government. Last week, the AEU applied to the Fair Work Commission to conduct a ballot of members to endorse protected industrial action, including stopping work. The Victorian government, as the employer of public school staff, has opposed the application for a ballot of AEU members to vote to take industrial action. A Victorian government spokesperson reaffirmed the government's position on industrial agreement negotiations. “Our government school staff and leaders do an outstanding job, as evident in Victoria’s nation-leading results," the spokesperson said. “Negotiations with teacher and principal unions are being undertaken in good faith to ensure the right outcome is achieved for both students and our staff.“
