The Northern Territory (NT) government has launched an attack on the teacher registration board (TRB), which puts the standard of education in all NT schools at risk.
The Education Standards and Registration Board Bill plans a government takeover of the TRB.
Bill proposes radical shakeup
The government’s bill proposes a radical shakeup of the TRB and would:
- Remove all union (AEU and IEU) nominees from the boards of both the TRB and the Board of Studies.
- Establish a single authority to regulate both teacher registration and curriculum matters.
- Enable the Minister to hand-pick every member of the Board, without any requirement for appointees to be practising teachers.
Debate on bill delayed
The bill was expected to be debated on 27 August, but it has been held over until the next parliamentary sittings in October.
The delay gives teachers and the community more time to call out this attack on education standards in the NT.
Bill should concern parents
IEU-QNT Branch Secretary Terry Burke said the bill should concern every parent of a school-aged child in the Northern Territory.
“The organisations charged with the important duty of monitoring the quality of school staff will be operating with less oversight and fewer resources. That can only lead to a poorer education system,” Mr Burke said.
“The government has not adequately explained what was wrong with the existing two-board structure, where seats are provided to teachers’, principals’ and parents’ representatives alongside other stakeholders.
“The removal of legislated representation for unions means teachers can be excluded from the board of an organisation funded by their own registration fees.
“This is a plan with no purpose other than weakening a system that does not need fixing.”
Move would make the NT an outlier
IEU-QNT President Brian Gray said the changes would fundamentally alter decision-making about teachers and teaching across the NT.
“The only possible reason a government could have for doing this is to clear the way for lower teacher standards and more underpaid, under-qualified people in NT classrooms, instead of offering salary increases that keep pace with the rest of the country to recruit and retain Australia’s best teachers,” Mr Gray said.
“Every other state and territory in Australia has an independent board or statutory authority overseeing matters as important as teacher registration.
“For 20 years, the board’s representative structure has guaranteed its independence. This bill puts that at risk.
“This is a government takeover of what should be a professional body, run by teachers, funded by teachers’ registration fees and responsible for regulating the teaching profession.”
Joint union petition takes off
Teachers across the NT have already rejected the government’s plan for a major overhaul of teacher registration, with more than 850 supporters signing a joint IEU/AEU petition calling on the government to withdraw, reconsider or amend the Education Standards and Registration Board Bill 2026.
Teachers are concerned about the bill’s proposal to merge the existing Teacher Registration Board and Board of Studies into a single body composed of just seven ministerial appointees.
Campaign continues
Our union encourages members and supporters to back the campaign and promote the petition.
With debate on the bill delayed, community support and ongoing advocacy will be critical in the lead-up to its return to parliament.
Take action
Sign and share the petition, talk to colleagues and help maintain pressure on the government to reconsider the proposed changes before the bill returns in October.
To sign the petition: https://www.megaphone.org.au/petitions/protect-nt-schools
