In less than 24 hours, more than 300 supporters signed a joint IEU/AEU petition calling on the Government to withdraw, reconsider or amend the Education Standards and Registration Board Bill 2026.

Teachers are concerned about the bill’s plan to merge the existing Teacher Registration Board and Board of Studies into one board composed of just seven handpicked ministerial appointees.

IEU-QNT Branch Secretary Terry Burke said the bill should concern every parent of a school-aged child in the Northern Territory.

“The organisations charged with the important duty of monitoring the quality of school staff will be operating with less oversight and fewer resources – that can only lead to a poorer education system,” Burke said.

“The Government has not adequately explained what was wrong with the existing two board structure where seats are provided to teachers’, principals’ and parents’ representatives alongside other stakeholders.

Burke said the removal of legislated representation for unions means teachers can be excluded from the board of an organisation that is funded by their own registration fees.

“This is a plan with no purpose other than weakening a system in no need of fixing,” Mr Burke said.

The Government says the aim of the bill is to reduce red tape, streamline administration, and strengthen child safety.

Introducing the bill on July 22, Minister for Education and Training, Jo Hersey, said the reforms will streamline regulatory requirements for Territory teachers and educators.

“In our year of growth, certainty and security, the CLP Government is delivering for Territory teachers and educators to reduce red tape and strengthen accountability,” Hersey said.

“We want teachers to be able to focus on delivering quality education in our classrooms and be supported by an efficient and effective regulatory system.

“The reforms will strengthen governance, improve administrative efficiency and support high-quality educational outcomes across the Territory.”

IEU-QNT said the move would compromise the independence of the teacher registration board, lower the standards of education in the NT and put the safety of children at risk.

If the community is to retain confidence in NT schools, it said, the Government must rethink this plan.

AEU NT president Brian Gray said the ‘radical changes’ would remove all genuinely independent oversight of decisions about teachers and teaching in the NT.

“The only possible reason a Government could have for doing this is to clear the way to lowering teacher standards and getting more underpaid, under-qualified people into NT classrooms – instead of offering salary increases that keep pace with the rest of the country to recruit and retain Australia’s best teachers for the NT,” Gray said.

“Every other state and territory in Australia has an independent board or a statutory authority to oversee matters as important as teacher registration.

Gray said that for 20 years, the representational structure of the board has guaranteed its independence and that the bill puts that at risk.

“This is a Government take-over of what should be a professional body, run by teachers, funded by teachers’ registration fees, to regulate the teaching profession,” Gray said.

The joint IEU/AEU petition can be found here.