In short:
Teachers across Wyndham are joining a statewide 24-hour strike as disputes over pay, workloads and school funding escalate. The action increases pressure on the Allan Labor Government as classrooms face disruption and staff shortages worsen.
Education State Under Fire
Public school teachers, principals and education support staff across Victoria are walking off the job for 24 hours today 24th March, with schools across Wyndham caught in the disruption as pressure intensifies on the Allan Labor Government.
It is the first statewide stopwork in more than 13 years, triggered after months of stalled negotiations and a pay offer that has now been rejected by staff.
Across fast-growing Wyndham suburbs including Werribee, Tarneit, Truganina and Point Cook, the impact is being felt sharply, with already stretched schools facing further strain as workforce shortages deepen.
At the centre of the dispute is funding, with Victoria’s public school system now considered the lowest funded in the country.
Schools in 2026 are operating at the same funding level as 2023, while a delayed agreement with the federal government is expected to leave the state short by $2.4 billion through to 2031.
That pressure is compounded in Wyndham, where population growth continues to outpace infrastructure, placing extra demand on classrooms, teachers and support staff.
Pay is another major flashpoint. Victorian teachers are now the lowest paid in Australia, with the gap widening against other states.
By October 2026, experienced teachers are set to earn up to $15,359 less per year than their New South Wales counterparts, while new principals could start nearly $27,841, or 18 per cent, behind. Entry-level education support staff are also more than 10 per cent behind.
Fears of Fuelling Workforce Shortage
AEU Victorian Branch President Justin Mullaly said the situation is fuelling a workforce crisis.
“Victorian public schools have a serious workforce shortage because excessive workloads and uncompetitive pay are driving experienced staff out of the profession and making it difficult to attract the next generation,” he said.
After more than nine months of negotiations, staff rejected what was described as a “completely unacceptable” offer from the Allan Labor Government, arguing it failed to deliver fair pay increases or address excessive workloads.
“This should be completely unacceptable in any state or territory, let alone for a Labor state government which prides itself on calling Victoria the ‘education state’,” Mr Mullaly said.
A recent survey shows just 30 per cent of staff plan to stay in public education long term, while more than 80 per cent report increasing workloads due to inadequate support.
“Victorian teachers, principals, and support staff would much rather be in the classroom teaching Victorian students today, but because of the disrespect from the Allan government, they are having to stop work for 24 hours,” Mr Mullaly said.
The union has signalled further industrial action is possible if a revised offer is not put forward.
“If the Allan Labor government really values the work of Victorian teachers, principals, and education support staff, they must come forward with an offer that addresses their real concerns.”
