Tasmanian public school teachers have voted up a new three-year agreement following a year the union says included its first 24-hour strikes “in a generation”.
The Australian Education Union Tasmania (AEU) said 72% of members backed the deal when voting closed at 4pm on April 24.
The agreement covers teachers, psychologists, education support specialists, school leaders, family learning centre staff and other Department for Education, Children and Young People employees.
It delivers pay rises of 3% from March 2026, another 3% from March 2027 and 2.75% from March 2028 – matching deals already accepted by police, firefighters and the broader public sector.
Lump-sum boosts will also be added to base salaries before the first pay rise, including $500 for band one Level 13 teachers, $400 for advanced skills teachers and $250 for assistant principals.
After-school meetings will be capped at 80 hours a year in 2026, dropping to 60 hours in 2027, with one meeting-free week each term.
The deal also delivers five days of paid reproductive leave, an extension of family and domestic violence leave from 20 to 25 days and five “personal impact days” each year to help staff manage critical incidents and vicarious trauma.
A new school psychological assessment hub will be established with seven full-time equivalent psychologists to cut waiting times and free up school-based staff.
The state government will also spend $10.6 million over three years on 8.6 full-time equivalent positions to implement the school violence action plan.
A pilot of six deputy principal roles will run in large and diverse schools and 11.8 full-time equivalent senior staffing positions will be added across 29 identified schools.
Term dates will also be realigned for 2028–2038, with the AEU saying Easter will fall in term time, delivering staff an extra three days of paid leave a year.
In a statement on social media, the union credited members for the result.
“These wins were only possible because you and your coworkers took action together,” it said.
“The past 12 months have seen our first 24-hour strikes in a generation, as well as unprecedented work bans.”
“While the new agreement won’t solve the education crisis overnight, it will go some way towards alleviating pressure in schools – that’s something to celebrate.”
The agreement runs until September 19, 2028.
