- The Crisafulli Government is delivering more support for teachers with almost 140 new Workplace Health and Safety Officers rolling out across Queensland.
- The new officers will help to stamp out occupational violence and reduce red tape for teachers after a decade of neglect under the former Labor Government.
- Additional officers will be funded through the landmark Bilateral Agreement which fully funds State Schools for the first time in Queensland's history.
The Crisafulli Government is delivering a fresh start for Queensland's education system with the rollout of almost 140 Workplace Health and Safety Officers to tackle occupational violence in the classroom and reduce red tape for teachers.
Officers will support a small number of schools using a cluster model allowing them to work directly with principals to identify risks, develop strategies and implement supports that stamp out violence.
Teachers will be relieved of burdensome administrative tasks that take away from teaching time including safety assessments, hazard responses, and incident investigations.
These new roles were piloted across 33 State Schools in 2024 and this additional investment of $57 million will allow it to expand to 340 State Schools.
The expansion helps to reverse a decade of failures under the former Labor Government which caused occupational violence and teacher WorkCover claims to skyrocket, while student attendance and education standards declined.
More than $80 million was paid to schoolteachers, and staff for physical and psychological injuries across the state in the 2023-24 financial year, with 960 claims lodged with WorkCover Queensland.
Behaviour and classroom safety will also be boosted by the Crisafulli Government's $222.1 million More Teachers, Better Education Plan which includes additional teacher aides and behaviour specialists to prevent and respond to bullying, increase support for students, and create safer school environments.
Minister for Education John-Paul Langbroek said the rollout of the Workplace Health and Safety Officers would help deliver on the election commitment to cut red tape for teachers by 25 percent over the next four years.
"The Crisafulli Government is delivering for our teachers and school staff because everyone deserves to work in a safe and supportive environment," Minister Langbroek said.
"These new Officers will help to restore safety in the classrooms, while giving teachers more time to focus on lifting literacy and numeracy results.
"We know principals involved in the pilot program reported improved school safety and staff wellbeing. We're listening to their feedback and boosting the number of Officers to increase support for our teachers.
"It's part of the historic Bilateral Agreement we secured to fully-funds State School – something Labor failed to do during their ten years in office.
"We're absolutely committed to supporting teachers and delivering a world-class education to students."
