Teacher protest over LNP Gonski stance

HUNDREDS of teachers are expected to rally outside State Parliament this afternoon over the LNP's Gonski stance and its new teacher reform, with industrial action still being considered.

Queensland Teachers' Union president Kevin Bates said members were angry at the State Government for refusing to listen to their views over a number of issues including staffing changes which have led to fewer teachers per student in state schools.

He said teachers were particularly upset over the Government's new "Great Teachers = Great Results" plan and its refusal to listen over the importance of signing up to Gonski reforms.

The $535 million "Great Teachers = Great Results" plan has infuriated many teachers, who are upset over the use of performance bonuses and the reform being used instead of the Gonski-inspired National Plan for School Improvement, which would see more money flowing into schools with disadvantaged students.

"What teachers and principals are . . . saying to us, is that this is not about putting money into their pockets, this should be about putting the resources into schools to allow them to be able to do their job in a way that is going to deliver better outcomes," Mr Bates said.

"What pay incentives in this form don't do is actually provide a motivation for teachers who are highly intrinsically motivated."

He said the rally would also put pressure on the State Government to "genuinely negotiate" on the NPSI at Friday's Council of Australian Governments meeting.

The QTU has called on the Federal Government to commit to funding the NPSI regardless of the State Government's stance.

But federal School Education Minister Peter Garrett has said if Queensland does not sign on to the national plan it will stay under the current model, with students missing out on an extra $1 billion as a result.

Yesterday the QTU released a statement saying it rejected the Federal Government's decision to fund the Gonski reforms by taking money from universities and called on Commonwealth to "urgently reconsider this approach".

Today's rally will be held outside Parliament House from 5pm to 6pm.

Mr Bates said he expected hundreds of teachers to turn up, with the potential for around 1000 attending.

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