Victorian Teachers’ 2026 Pay Deal: What the New Agreement Changes
Victoria’s new government-school pay agreement is designed to settle a long-running dispute over salaries, workload and staffing conditions. It covers teachers, principals and education support staff in the state system, rather than employees in every Victorian school.
The central offer is a multi-year salary increase of at least 28.3 per cent, with the Victorian Government saying some employees will receive a larger overall increase once changes to salary progression and allowances are included. The first substantial rise is intended to lift pay sharply during 2026, followed by additional increases over the life of the agreement.
The money is only one part of the deal
The government says the agreement will place Victorian educators among the highest-paid in Australia. That comparison depends on the role, experience level and the salary scale used in each state, so claims about being “the best paid” should be treated as a broad comparison rather than a single nationwide ranking.
The package also includes:
- salary increases for teachers, principals and education support staff;
- a lump-sum payment for eligible employees when the agreement begins;
- changes intended to remove barriers to salary progression;
- a reduction in required meeting time from 80 hours a year to 40 hours;
- revised allowances and classification arrangements for education support staff; and
- additional payments for some highly experienced teachers.
The Victorian Department of Education says the agreement is intended to replace the Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2022. Until the new document is formally approved and registered, the existing agreement remains the key legal reference for employment conditions.
Why the dispute became so difficult
Teachers were negotiating after a period in which salaries had failed to keep pace with rising living costs and competing states had become more attractive to experienced staff. Pay was only one source of pressure. Workload, administrative tasks, classroom complexity, staff shortages and the time spent in meetings all shaped the bargaining campaign.
The sequence of rejected offers and industrial action showed the difficulty of settling a public-sector agreement when employees want immediate wage relief but also seek lasting changes to how schools operate. A larger headline increase does not automatically resolve concerns about class sizes, planning time or the availability of support staff.
What happens next
A workforce vote can endorse an agreement, but it does not by itself complete the legal process. The parties must finalise the wording and lodge the agreement with the Fair Work Commission, which checks requirements such as employee approval and whether workers are better off overall than under the relevant minimum standards.
For Victoria, the financial question extends beyond teachers’ payslips. Higher wages increase the state’s recurring education bill, while reduced meeting requirements and improved staffing conditions may require schools to reorganise work or hire additional personnel. The agreement’s success will therefore be measured not only by salary tables, but by whether it helps retain teachers and improves the amount of time educators can devote to students.