July 26, 2008
Issue
On July 25, the Queensland Teachers' Union announced that around 500 teachers from remote parts of the state, including the Torres Strait, will take part in 24-hour stop-work actions.
The strikes will take place on July 31 and August 6, and are part of a protest campaign against the state government's chronic neglect of staff accommodation.
While a recent Auditor-General's report into the state of education department housing in Qld indicated that $37.2 million was needed to address maintenance issues, the state government budget has allocated only $10 million. Teachers in remote Qld are living in houses infested with termites, rot and exposed wiring.