ACT teacher pay rise 2026: what's happening and what comes next

This is the clearest account we can give of the ACT teachers' dispute as at 16 October 2026: what the old agreement paid, what each side wants, what has happened on the picket line and what it means for your pay. We only report what is on the record from the agreement, the AEU ACT and published news reports, and we flag what isn't known.

Where ACT teacher pay stands right now

Agreement expired 31 Mar 2026; 9% over 3 years offer rejected 11 Sep 2026; strikes continuing

1. 24 September 2026

   Public schools close for two hours as teachers stop work

   The second stoppage of Term 3. The AEU has flagged rolling Term 4 action and a possible full-day strike later in 2026.

2. 11 September 2026

   Teachers reject 9% over three years offer

   The offer included extra for top-of-scale teachers and some leaders. Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said it would make ACT teachers the highest paid outside the NT from Feb 2027. Members endorsed escalating action into Term 4.

3. 11 June 2026

   First full-day public school teacher strike in 15 years

   Public schools closed for the day, following a 2-hour stoppage in May.

4. 31 March 2026

   Teaching Staff EA 2023-2026 reaches nominal expiry

   The agreement continues to apply. No pay rise has been paid since 4 Dec 2025.

5. 24 July 2025

   AEU ACT lodges log of claims

   25 claims, only one on pay. The rest cover staffing guarantees, class sizes, safety and disability support.

ACT teacher pay rise timeline

Old, current and upcoming rates

Where things stand in October 2026

• Your pay is frozen at the 4 December 2025 rates: $91,396 at TL1 to $129,106 at TL8.
• The old agreement still applies. Passing nominal expiry doesn't end an enterprise agreement. Every condition in it (pay, leave, teaching loads) continues until a new one is approved by the Fair Work Commission.
• There is no offer on the table that members have accepted. The 9% over three years offer was rejected on 11 September 2026.
• Industrial action is escalating. The AEU ACT has flagged rolling Term 4 stoppages and a possible full-day strike later in 2026.

Timeline of the ACT teachers' dispute

What the government offered

The government's updated offer was 9% over three years, with an additional rise for teachers at the top of the classroom scale and for some school leaders. Education Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said it would make ACT teachers the highest paid in the country outside the NT from February 2027. The exact instalment dates and the size of the top-of-scale extra have not been published in a form we could verify, so we don't show projected 2027 rates.

Why members said no

The AEU ACT's log of claims had 25 items and only one was about pay. The rest cover staffing guarantees, class sizes, safety and support for students with disability. That matters for reading the dispute: a bigger percentage alone may not settle it. Members also voted to escalate action into Term 4 at the same time as rejecting the offer.

The gap that has opened up

While public pay has been frozen, others have moved. NSW public teachers got a rise from 9 October 2026, putting the NSW top step at $133,422, $4,316 above ACT TL8. Canberra's own Catholic systemic schools (CECG) paid 3.5% from August 2026, so a Catholic graduate across town now earns $94,596, $3,200 more than a public TL1, and the Catholic top step is $4,519 higher. For teachers near Queanbeyan, Yass or Bungendore, the NSW system is a short drive away. See NSW vs ACT teacher pay.

Will there be back pay?

Only if the new agreement provides for it. There is no rule that a new enterprise agreement must be backdated to the old one's expiry. Some agreements pay a rise from a date before approval and then pay the difference as a lump sum; others start on approval or pay a one-off sign-on amount instead. Until the ACT deal is settled, nobody can promise back pay. Ask the AEU ACT what the final proposal says about operative dates before you vote.

Do strike days cost you pay?

Protected industrial action is unpaid for the time you are on strike. Under the Fair Work Act, an employer must not pay you for that time. Using the ACT's 1/6 of a daily rate per hour convention for casuals as a rough guide, a two-hour stoppage costs a TL8 teacher in the order of $165 gross; your payslip will show the exact deduction. Check the AEU ACT's notices for each action.