AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR THE DEFENCE OF
GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS
Press Release #1064
Public School Teachers are Fed Up and Will
Stop Work on 24 March 2026.
98% of Victorian public school teachers, principals and education support staff who are Australian Education Union members have voted in support of taking stopwork action over low pay and excessive workloads.
President of the Australian Education Union Victorian Branch, Justin Mullaly, said that after 8 months of negotiations with no offer at all, the Allan government has left Victorian public school teachers, principals, and support staff with no choice but to stop work.
“Public school teachers, principals, and support staff will stop work on 24 March, for the first time in 18 years under a Labor government because of the failure of the Education Minister Ben Carroll and Premier Jacinta Allan to deliver pay and conditions which respect school staff and the important work that they do, as well as fully fund public schools,” Mr Mullaly said.
“This decision has not been taken lightly, and we keenly understand the impact this can have on parents, but we have arrived here because the Allan Labor government is continuing to disrespect public school teachers, principals, and support staff by not putting any offer on the table, let alone a decent one.
“The Victorian government has deliberately denied Victorian public schools $2.4 billion in funding through to 2031, cementing our schools as the lowest funded in Australia by a long way.”
“It is a joke for this government to call Victoria the ‘education state’, when teachers, principals and support staff continue to be undervalued and underpaid.
Following the vote of union members, the Fair Work Commission has given the green light for public school teachers, principals, and support staff to take protected industrial action which includes stopping work for 24 hours on the 24 March.
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