On this page (5 sections)
The short answer
ACT public school teachers are holding one-hour work stoppages from 8:30am to 9:30am each weekday from 19 to 23 October 2026, rotating through Canberra by area. The hour is unpaid: about $48 before tax for a graduate and $68 at the top of the scale. The AEU ACT has flagged a 2-hour stoppage, then a half day, then a full-day strike if there's no deal.
- Mon 19 Oct Gungahlin, Tue 20 Oct Belconnen, Wed 21 Oct inner north and inner south, Thu 22 Oct Weston Creek and Woden, Fri 23 Oct Tuggeranong.
- Most schools give minimal supervision; some close for the hour and preschools open at 9:30am.
- Next, if no deal: 2 hours in Term 4 week 4, a half day in week 6, a full day in week 8.
- A revised salary offer is expected within weeks; the minister says talks are close to finished.
When and where the stoppages are
As reported by the Canberra Times (16 Oct 2026, updated 19 Oct). The ACT Government website lists which schools close for the hour.
Each school stops work only on its area's day, so a teacher takes part in one stoppage this week. Most public schools are providing minimal supervision for the hour. Some schools are closing until 9:30am, and those families have been told directly. Preschools are closed during the stoppage and open at 9:30am.
This is the fourth action of 2026, after a 2-hour stoppage in May, the first full-day strike in about 15 years on 11 June, and a 2-hour morning stop-work on 24 September. See every teacher strike in 2026 for the full list.
Work out your pay rise and back pay
⚙Your details
New pay rates
Default: the new rates' operative date, 4 December 2025.
When the back pay lands. Default: six weeks from today. New rates apply from the following pay.
E.g. a sign-on or cost-of-living payment in the agreement (gross).
Back pay owed (before tax)
$1,963
New salary
$91,396
+2.1% on $89,501
Rise per fortnight
$73
$50 after tax
Tax on back pay
$628
32% of the lump
Back pay in hand
$1,335
What this means
From 4 December 2025 you should have been paid $73 more each fortnight. Because the new rates weren't paid yet, the difference builds up and arrives as one back payment: about $1,963 before tax. After that, your fortnightly take-home goes from $2,705 to $2,755.
Payroll taxes back pay at your marginal rate rather than spreading it, so roughly 32% comes off. That's your actual tax on the money: it doesn't push the rest of your salary into a higher bracket. These are the latest rates already in force: if they are on your payslip, nothing is owed. This shows what you're owed if payroll was late applying them.
Estimate only. Back pay = (new − old) fortnightly pay × fortnights between the two dates, using the pay column in force at the start of each fortnight. Tax uses the ATO marginal-rate method on your annual salary for 2026–27; back pay for an earlier financial year over $1,200 may be taxed differently and is reported as a lump sum E. Old rates: 5 June 2025 column; ACT Public Sector Education Directorate (Teaching Staff) Enterprise Agreement 2023-2026, verified 20 October 2026.
What the hour costs you
Education Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith has said union members won't be paid for the stoppage hour. ACT public school teachers are covered by the Fair Work Act, so for protected action the deduction is for the time not worked. The Act sets no formula; the figures below are our estimates using annual salary ÷ 260 for a day and the agreement's 7 hours 21 minutes (7.35 hours) for a teaching day, the same method as our strike pay guide.
Gross, with after tax in brackets. After-tax figures use the 32% marginal rate (30% tax plus 2% Medicare) that applies at every step here, per our 2026–27 tax engine; HELP repayments would change them slightly. Half day = 3.675 hours. Payroll uses its own rate, so expect small differences.
If every flagged action goes ahead: TL8 teacher
- This week's 1-hour stoppage
- about $68
- Week 4: 2-hour stoppage
- about $135
- Week 6: half day
- about $248
- Week 8: full day
- about $497
Our estimate, 14.025 hours of stoppages at $67.56 an hour. A TL1 graduate would lose about $671 before tax (about $456 after). Only if each action goes ahead; the union says the plan could change if an acceptable offer arrives.
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Teacher strike pay calculator
Pick the ACT, your step and the length of each stoppage. See what you lose before and after tax.
Work out my stoppage costWhat happens next
The union has foreshadowed fortnightly escalation if there's no settlement. Term 4 began on 12 October 2026, so the flagged weeks fall roughly as below. Specific dates and areas haven't been announced.
Week starting dates are our arithmetic from the 12 October term start. AEU ACT president Angela Burroughs has said the schedule could change at any time if members get a satisfactory offer.
The AEU ACT is waiting on a revised salary offer, which the government has said should arrive within a few weeks. On 16 October the minister said negotiations were close to being finalised, with the parties going back and forth on clause drafting. The September offer, rejected on 11 September, was 9% over three years with extra for top-of-scale teachers and some leaders. The union's claims go well beyond pay: a staffing guarantee, safety provisions and smaller classes.
ACT public teachers haven't had a rise since 4 December 2025, and Canberra's Catholic systemic teachers now earn about 3.5% more at the same steps. Track every development on our ACT pay rise page.
What it means for parents
- Expect a later start between 8:30am and 9:30am on your area's day. Check the school's message or the ACT Government list of affected schools.
- Preschools open at 9:30am on the day of the stoppage.
- Catholic and independent schools aren't involved: their teachers are covered by different agreements.
Frequently asked questions
When are the ACT teacher strikes in October 2026?
Are ACT schools closed during the stoppage?
Do ACT teachers get paid for the stoppage?
Will there be more ACT teacher strikes?
Why are ACT teachers striking?
When will ACT teachers get a pay rise?
Are Catholic school teachers in Canberra striking?
Sources we checked · last verified 2026-10-20
- 1.Canberra Times: ACT public schools face morning strikes across Canberra (16 Oct 2026, updated 19 Oct)
- 2.Region Canberra: Term 4 public school strikes possible as teachers reject latest government pay offer
- 3.ABC News: Canberra public schools close as teachers stop work (24 Sep 2026)
- 4.Fair Work Act 2009, ss 470 and 474 (payments for periods of industrial action)
Work out your pay rise and back pay
CalculateAbout this page
Written and fact-checked by the TeacherPay AU Editorial Team against the enterprise agreements, awards and official pages listed in the sources. It is general information, not personal financial, tax or legal advice. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it, usually within a day. See our editorial policy and how we calculate.
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