Tens of thousands of New South Wales public school teachers are up to $20,000 better off under the Minns Labor Government, as the latest increase to salaries hits bank accounts as part of the abolition of the Liberals and Nationals’ wages cap.
The pay rise for NSW public school teachers was a key measure to address teacher shortages, by lifting the status of the profession and restoring competitiveness with other states.
As part of the Minns Labor Government’s historic pay deal, NSW public school teachers continue to be among the best paid in the country with starting salaries lifting from $75,791 to $92,882, and top-of-scale teacher salaries increasing from $113,042 to $133,422.
The latest increase will land in bank accounts this week, continuing the most significant uplift of NSW public school teacher pay and conditions since the 1990s.
The Liberals and Nationals’ decade-long wages cap made NSW teachers some of the worst-paid in the country, while creating a teacher shortage crisis.
Under the Liberals and Nationals, NSW teachers would still be having their salaries suppressed, while One Nation’s leader in NSW has promoted the mass sacking of 100,000 public sector workers which would impact teachers.
The Minns Labor Government’s reforms are attracting more teachers into NSW public schools and helping retain those already there, with teacher vacancies at a 12-year low and the rates of teacher resignations and retirements continuing to fall.
The latest uplift in teacher salaries builds on the Minns Labor Government’s work to provide greater job security, with more than 25,000 teachers and school support staff having already moved from uncertain temporary contracts to permanent employment.
The Minns Labor Government’s significant investment in the teaching workforce sits alongside curriculum reforms that are helping to deliver meaningful improvements in academic results across NSW public schools after years of decline under the Liberals and Nationals.
That work includes investing in early literacy and numeracy checks, targeted intervention, ambitious learning targets and evidence-based support for teachers rolling out the new NSW Curriculum, so more students can build strong foundations and move onto higher levels of achievement.
Alongside workforce and academic improvements, the Minns Labor Government is undertaking the largest school infrastructure build in the state’s history. A record $9.2 billion investment is delivering new and upgraded schools across NSW, ensuring every student across the state can access a high-quality public education, close to home.
Deputy Premier of New South Wales and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said:
“When we invest in teachers, we invest in students. Better pay, better conditions, and fewer vacancies means more consistency in classrooms and better education outcomes for students.
“For 12 years the Liberals and Nationals chose to suppress the wages of essential workers, and a consequence of that decision was teachers resigning at an unprecedented rate.
“The Minns Labor Government has reduced teacher vacancies by more than 70 per cent by paying teachers properly and rebuilding the workforce.
“New South Wales teachers cannot afford a Liberal-National-One Nation coalition, which risks a return of the wage suppression policy and the threat of mass job cuts.”
