500 angry teachers outside parliament

The QTU covers one of the largest union memberships in Queensland . There are about 48,000 members . On Tuesday evening, five hundred teachers turned out at Parliament House protesting against the state governments failure to properly resource the public education system. Speaker after speaker criticized that governments’ failure to understand the education system. Chief criminal was education minister John Paul Langbroke. On the 19th of June the ABC reported “Queensland government refuses to say when it’ll release landmark school review.”

This is despite the fact it would have a direct bearing on the enterprise bargaining agreement. In response to the government’s refusal, the QTU told the ABC that “In simple terms, this government is hiding a detailed report to ignore the true issues because it doesn’t fit its agenda.”

Inside the Parliament, whose halls were ringing with the sounds of the teachers demanding a pay rise, were school kids on their conducted tour of the tower without power.

What about the teachers being bashed up by their own pupils? Where are the social workers and the support staff to try to ameliorate violence in schools. What about the internet and it’s adverse effects on children? Give children the vote said political scientist Michael Albertus on the ABC’s Late Night Live. Who are these recycled leaders running the show in parliaments around the world? Langbrook is 65 years of age. Donald Trump is nearly 80. How old is the Ayatollah of Iran?

Crissafuli pay us fully pay, us fully chanted Queensland teachers at the rally.

There were three former education ministers there at the rally taking selfies of themselves: Grace Grace, Cameron Dick and Di Farmer.

Do education ministers understand education? The teachers don’t think so. Some actually booed Grace Grace, former education minister as she approached the stage, now in opposition led by Labor’s yesterday man, Stephen Miles. Some of the teachers yelled out sarcastically: if we go on strike, who will teach the kids? Will Stephen Miles come out and teach the children?

One of the socialists came up to me and said this was a good rally … that I was being hypercritical.

Not a single mention of the word strike from the officials though. Kate Ruttiman called out one of the teachers by name (Tim Arnot) and told him to shut up merely because he was calling for a strike. Ruttiman even said the police might have to be called in because the disruption contravenes the notice of intention and police authorization of the public rally ( under the Peaceful Assembly Act 1992). I don’t know if Kate Ruttiman recognised me, in my role as Solidarity Resources sound man. At the rally, the General Secretary of the union looked visibly surprised when I said: Hello Kate, just speak directly into the microphone. I’ve got to say she did that and spoke quite well.

One thing that angered me was the refusal by QTU officials to acknowledge the presence of the CFMEU members, who had marched to the rally in solidarity with the teachers.

So what about May Day two years ago, when Kate Ruttiman and her partner in crime, QCU secretary, Jacqueline King, called in the police to arrest unionists protesting against the genocide in Palestine. Never mind the failure of governments, Labor or Liberal, to do anything to stop weapons manufacturers like Ferra Engineering feeding the genocide from our suburbs.

Does the union officials’ silence on the genocide in Gaza reflect the attitudes of their members? We are damned if they do. There hasn’t been a single union that has come out forcefully in public at demonstrations that have occurred over the last two years against the genocide. Why the silence? See this call for unin support … https://www.megaphone.org.au/petitions/recognise-palestine-demand-a-full-ceasefire?source=messenger-share-button&utm_source=messenger&share=dcf3dc05-e5b9-4a5c-9a73-403a355400ce

I detected an appetite amongst rank and file teachers at the rally for a strike … they are fed up their up to their eyeballs in bureaucracy, in reports, in having to control children, in the failure of governments to keep pace with the resources necessary to run public schools, not to mention pay.

Workers united will never be defeated!

Ian Curr

25 June 2025