I am pleased to announce that ACT Government teachers have endorsed the latest three-year enterprise agreement.

The agreement is a significant investment in education that values the professional status of teachers and principals in ACT public schools.

The agreement enjoyed overwhelming support from teachers in a ballot with over 97 per cent of employees voting for the new agreement.

Once approved by Fair Work Australia, teachers are set to receive back pay and incremental increases from next month.

I would like to thank teachers, Directorate staff and the Australian Education Union. Their hard work at the negotiating table has meant a better outcome for public education in the ACT.

The agreement builds on the employment conditions of teachers, including:

•  differential increases (average of five per cent) in salary during the first year that are competitive with NSW salaries, to be back paid from 1 October 2011;
• pay increases totalling seven per cent for all classifications in the second and third years;
• an initial seven per cent increase for classroom teachers at the top of the range (the majority of classroom teachers) and a cumulative increase of 14.7 per cent over three years; and
• an initial increase of 9.5 per cent for experienced casual teachers and 17.4 per cent over three years.

The agreement also includes additional pastoral care for Woden and Black Mountain Schools, enhanced pay for school counsellors, and a range of pay improvements for executive teachers and school leaders.