Rights & workplace
Your rights at work as a teacher
Strikes, investigations, injury, workload and resigning: how each process works in Australian schools and what you're entitled to.
Most teachers never face an investigation, a strike or a workplace injury claim, but when they do, the rules are specific and the stakes are high. These guides explain how each process works in Australian schools, what you're entitled to, and when to involve your union.
They cover industrial action and what a strike day costs, complaints and misconduct investigations, occupational violence and workers' compensation, workload protections, and resigning or being transferred.
General information only: for your own situation, your union or a workplace lawyer can advise.
Guides
Strike pay
Do teachers get paid when they strike? The rules in every state (2026)
What a strike or stop-work costs you, the Fair Work Act rules (ss470-474), Queensland's different law and worked examples.
Read the guide →Industrial action
Teacher strikes in 2026: every stoppage, state by state, and how each ended
A dated timeline of teacher strikes in 2025-26, the deals that followed and the disputes still open.
Read the guide →Investigations
A complaint or investigation against you: what happens and what to do
How teacher misconduct investigations work, the time limits you get to respond, and calm first steps.
Read the guide →NSW staffing
Excess teacher in NSW: what nominated transfer means for you
Why NSW teachers become excess, how nominated transfer places you within about an hour of home, and what to check.
Read the guide →Resigning
Resigning as a teacher: notice periods and timing in each state
Notice periods for resigning teachers by state, the end-of-year timing trap in NSW, and what to sort out before you go.
Read the guide →Injury and safety
Teacher workers' compensation and occupational violence: how to claim in every state
What to do after an injury or violent incident at school, how to lodge a claim and what weekly payments you get in each state.
Read the guide →Workload
Teacher workload rights: your hours, teaching caps and meeting limits by state
Face-to-face teaching caps, planning time, meeting limits and the right to disconnect in every state, and what to do when the load is too much.
Read the guide →