Government schools across Tasmania will close for three consecutive mornings this week due to industrial action by public sector unions, disrupting classes for thousands of students.
The partial shutdown will occur region by region – North-West on Tuesday, 28 October; North (including Launceston) on Wednesday, 29 October; and South (including Hobart) on Thursday, 30 October. Schools will reopen from 11.30am each day, with families asked to make alternative arrangements for students until that time.
Education Minister Jo Palmer said schools would communicate directly with families but warned the government could not guarantee enough staff would be available to supervise students during the stop work action.
“Every day of school matters. This disruptive and unnecessary action by the unions’ means we are unable to guarantee there will be enough staff on site to adequately care for students,” Ms Palmer said.
She said the government was “extremely disappointed” by the strike, adding that it would “disrupt student learning and families, as well as impact businesses”.
“We recognise the impact this will have on students, families and small businesses, and we again call on the unions to take the pay rise being offered and keep schools open,” she said.
Wage dispute at the centre of standoff
The closures come amid stalled negotiations between the Tasmanian Government and the Australian Education Union (AEU), which lodged its log of claims on 22 September 2025. The government’s latest offer includes a 3 per cent wage increase – almost double Tasmania’s annual inflation rate of 1.7 per cent – alongside improvements to employment conditions.
Teachers’ next scheduled pay rise is not due until March 2026.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the government’s offer aimed to deliver a pay rise before Christmas while longer-term negotiations continued.
“We want our teachers and school staff to have a pay rise before Christmas,” Mr Rockliff said.
“The government has offered an immediate 3 per cent wage increase while we continue good faith negotiations on a new, longer-term agreement.”
He said the government could not meet the AEU’s demand for a 21.5 per cent pay rise over three years, including 11 per cent in the first year, plus additional conditions.
“Tasmanians would understand that we simply cannot afford the union’s claim of 21.5 per cent over three years, including 11 per cent in one year, along with additional conditions that would add to these figures,” Mr Rockliff said.
“The last thing unions should be doing is impacting on families and robbing children of valuable classroom time. I urge the unions to call off their strike action, agree to a fair pay rise in the interim while we work together towards a longer-term agreement.”
Union defends industrial action
The AEU, however, has defended its decision to strike, saying on social media that members have been “left with no choice but to take action if we want to address the crisis in public education and fix unsafe, untenable workloads”.
Support school buses will not operate in the mornings during the stoppages, but regular school bus services will continue to run on normal schedules. Families are being advised to contact their schools directly for further updates.
