Parents back educators ahead of teacher strike

Allanah Sciberras | July 23, 2026

Students will be kept at home as a second teacher strike disrupts public schools, leaving thousands of families to make alternative arrangements. 

More than 35,000 teachers, principals, and education support staff are expected to gather in Melbourne’s CBD on Thursday after rejecting a pay deal proposed by the state government. 

Mother of two Niki Galvin says the education workforce needs to be supported and with flexibility in her work arrangements she has opted to keep her primary aged child at home.

“Most parents instinctively understand how important it is that we attract and retain quality teachers,” she told AAP.

“It’s only right that we support the union’s efforts to redress that inadequacy and historical unfairness.”

While all public schools were set to remain open on Thursday, many classes will be disrupted. 

“Due to the number of (union) members amongst our teaching staff, the arrangements for Thursday are different than the previous day of industrial action,” an email to parents sent by Kalinda Primary School principal Shaun McClare said.

At nearby Warranwood Primary School, similar disruptions are likely. 

“We understand the difficultly this type of action will cause families. I am hopeful a resolution can be arrived to ensure our schools and students are funded and resourced to meet the needs of our students,” principal Shane Harrop said. 

Australian Education Union Victorian members on Tuesday knocked back the government’s updated offer of a 28.3 per cent pay rise over the next four years, calling for a better offer to combat ongoing resourcing and staffing pressures.

“The government’s done precious little to do anything meaningful to address that and our members are carrying the weight of all the excessive workload,” Victorian branch president Justin Mullaly said. 

Union educators have been locked in a pay dispute with the government for nearly a year, with graduate teachers – the worst paid in the country – earning $13,000 less than those in the Northern Territory, the best paid.

Former deputy principal Melinda Davis told AAP the teacher strike was not simply a dispute over pay, it was about addressing conditions and class sizes.

“The government has cut funding to government schools over the past 10 years and that slow decrease in funding has meant we have schools needing repairs, but also we have lost so many teachers in the profession,” the Swinburne education expert said. 

“Our teachers are not only striking over conditions, they are striking over the quality of Victorian public school education itself.”

“The profession is at breaking point because the system is no longer fit for purpose. That is the message Victoria’s teachers are taking up to the premier.”

The state government has urged union to stop the strike.

“This deal would have made Victorian teachers and education support staff the best paid in the country together with the best conditions,” Deputy Premier and Education Minister Ben Carroll said. 

Shadow attorney-general James Newbury told reporters on Wednesday it was no surprise the government had dropped the ball on negotiations with union members. 

“I’m not going to speak against what the teachers have turned down because our teachers have been set aside by this government for too long,” he said.