Registered teachers may be able to work across borders more freely after Federal Parliament passed a new Bill that supports greater workforce mobility across the nation.

Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ) welcomed the passage of the Mutual Recognition Amendment Bill 2021 which provides automatic mutual recognition of people registered or licensed in one state or territory to work in another.

The Mutual Recognition Bill 2021 will introduce a uniform scheme for automatic mutual recognition that will streamline the process for employees and employers.

ISQ Executive Director David Robertson said the passage of the legislation opened the way for the teaching profession to be included in the list of occupations covered by the new automatic mutual recognition scheme.

“This change could have significant benefits for schools and would streamline the process of recruiting and employing teachers from interstate. It comes at a time when Queensland is experiencing strong interstate migration and the independent schooling sector is recording significant enrolment growth,” Mr Robertson said.

“The Australian workforce is becoming increasingly mobile and ISQ believes the potential benefits from automatic mutual recognition of teacher registration would outweigh any risks to the effectiveness of current state/territory-based registration arrangements,” he said.

Mr Robertson said ISQ looked forward to working with the Australian and Queensland Governments on the implementation of the streamlined scheme from July 2021.

The Mutual Recognition Bill 2021 amends the Mutual Recognition Act 1992, which recognises that a person assessed as good enough to practise in a trade or profession in one state or territory should be able to perform the same work anywhere in Australia.

Media Contact

Justine Nolan
0428 612 315 | jnolan@isq.qld.edu.au