Teacher Strikes 2026: What's Happening in Victoria and Tasmania Right Now

On Monday 24 March 2026, an estimated 35,000 teachers and education support staff walked off the job in Victoria's first statewide teacher strike since 2013. Over 500 schools were closed or severely disrupted as educators rallied from Trades Hall to Parliament House in Melbourne.

The Australian Education Union (AEU) Victorian branch is demanding:

• 35% pay rise over four years
• Smaller class sizes
• An Education Support (ES) staff member in every classroom
• Reduced face-to-face teaching hours with more planning time
• Fully funded time-in-lieu for additional hours worked

The Victorian Government offered 18% over three years for teachers and just 13% for ES staff, plus the scrapping of time-in-lieu provisions. The union rejected this as insufficient, particularly given that Victorian entry-level teachers earn approximately $79,500 — the lowest starting salary of any state in Australia.

For comparison, entry-level teachers in Queensland start at roughly $84,078, and in NSW at approximately $90,000. Victorian teachers argue the pay gap makes it impossible to recruit and retain staff, with schools already struggling with chronic shortages.

Tasmanian teachers are taking rolling 24-hour strikes during the week of 25 March 2026. The Northwest struck on Tuesday, the North on Wednesday, and the South (including Hobart) on Thursday.

The AEU Tasmania is demanding:

• 15.6% pay rise over three years, including a 5.95% immediate increase to close the gap with interstate colleagues
• Enforceable class size caps
• Additional classroom support staff
• A one-hour-per-week cap on after-school meetings
• Time off in lieu for overnight school camps and excursions
• Concrete measures to address school violence

The Tasmanian Government's offer sits at approximately 8.75% over three years — 3% in years one and two, and 2.75% in year three. The union has called this a "complete joke" that would leave Tasmanian teachers further behind every other state.

In addition to strikes, Tasmanian teachers are boycotting NAPLAN testing and restricting participation in meetings outside school hours. The dispute shows no signs of resolution.

It's not just school teachers. Early childhood educators in Victoria struck separately for the second time in early March 2026, demanding better pay and conditions in a sector where workers earn as little as $26-$28 per hour despite holding diploma or degree qualifications.

The early childhood sector has been in crisis for years, with chronic understaffing, high turnover, and pay rates that consistently sit below comparable roles in primary and secondary education. The United Workers Union has been leading industrial action in this space, arguing that the federal government's commitment to universal pre-school cannot work without properly paid educators.

If you're a teacher or education support worker, your right to take protected industrial action is enshrined in the Fair Work Act 2009. However, these teacher disputes are state government enterprise agreement negotiations, which means they fall under the relevant state industrial relations frameworks rather than the federal Fair Work system.

Key points for education workers:

• You will not be paid for hours you are on strike — this applies to all forms of industrial action
• Your employer cannot terminate you, discipline you, or alter your conditions for participating in lawful protected industrial action
• If you choose not to strike, you can attend work as normal, but schools may be closed regardless if staffing levels are unsafe

For parents: if your child's school closes due to strike action, your employer must consider any request you make to work from home or adjust your hours to manage caring responsibilities. Under the National Employment Standards, employees with caring responsibilities for school-age children can make a formal flexible work request under section 65 of the Fair Work Act. Your employer must respond in writing within 21 days and can only refuse on reasonable business grounds.

Teacher strikes may seem like someone else's problem, but they signal something bigger. When an entire profession — one that requires a four-year degree — pays less than many trades and unskilled roles, it tells you something about how Australia values essential work.

The Fair Work Commission's annual wage review affects minimum and award wages across all industries. Teacher pay disputes put upward pressure on wage expectations across the public sector, which in turn influences enterprise bargaining in the private sector.

If you're in any industry where your enterprise agreement is up for renegotiation, watch what happens with teacher pay. The outcomes set benchmarks.

And if you're wondering whether your own pay is keeping up, use our tools below to check your award rate, calculate what you should be earning, and compare.