❓ A WA parliamentary question addresses teacher vacancies, international recruitment costs and outcomes, teacher retention strategies, resignation reasons, and the employment of teachers with limited registration in public schools.
AnsweredQoN 559Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to page 353 of Budget Paper No. 2, Volume 1, the "Total Appropriations for Education", and I ask: (a) how many teaching vacancies are there currently across Western Australian (WA) public schools; (b) is there currently an international recruitment campaign; (c) if yes to (b), how much is this international recruitment campaign costing, and is there a line-item in the budget for this expense; (d) how many international teachers are currently sitting in a pool, awaiting placement; (e) in relation to the state’s $2,653,000 international recruitment campaign in 2024-25: (i) how many international teachers were recruited as a result of this campaign; and (ii) how many of those international teachers remain employed in WA schools; (f) how many non-international teachers are currently sitting in a pool, awaiting placement; (g) given the high number of resignations last year, what measures are currently in place to retain teachers; (h) what is the main reason provided for these resignations? Is any exit survey conducted or data collected to determine the reasons for these resignations; and (i) how many teachers with limited registration are currently employed in WA schools?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
23 October 2025
Responded by
Leader of the House representing the Minister for Education
Response time
10 days
(a) Vacancies arise and are filled on an ongoing basis throughout the year. A request to fill a vacancy does not mean there is not a teacher in front of that classroom.
(b) Yes
(c) A total of $7.8 million has been provided in the budget for the international recruitment program in 2025-26 as part of the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement. This funding is for a range of measures such as relocation costs for teachers and their families, supporting visa applications, providing a salary whilst teachers are completing their induction, along with advertising.
(d) 69
(e)
(i) 137
(ii) 132
(f) There are 1,793 at 15 September 2025, including teachers with limited availability or restricted location preferences.
(g) The Department supports retention of teachers through a range of strategies, including:
· offering competitive salaries, employment conditions and career pathways as embedded within industrial instruments
· addressing workload through the Workload Intensification Taskforce
· providing a suite of professional learning and development, including aspirant leadership programs
· supporting teachers to requalify in learning areas of need
· provision of free housing to teachers in remote schools and at a heavily subsidised cost in most regional schools
· mobility arrangements to support teachers to take up a role in regional areas while preserving their substantive metropolitan positions for up to 3 years
· the Advanced Graduate Program, which offers extra benefits for graduates teaching in a regional school
· provision of additional temporary attraction and retention incentive payments.
(h) “Resigned – Other Reasons.” Yes, since May 2024.
(i) 1,792.
(b) Yes
(c) A total of $7.8 million has been provided in the budget for the international recruitment program in 2025-26 as part of the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement. This funding is for a range of measures such as relocation costs for teachers and their families, supporting visa applications, providing a salary whilst teachers are completing their induction, along with advertising.
(d) 69
(e)
(i) 137
(ii) 132
(f) There are 1,793 at 15 September 2025, including teachers with limited availability or restricted location preferences.
(g) The Department supports retention of teachers through a range of strategies, including:
· offering competitive salaries, employment conditions and career pathways as embedded within industrial instruments
· addressing workload through the Workload Intensification Taskforce
· providing a suite of professional learning and development, including aspirant leadership programs
· supporting teachers to requalify in learning areas of need
· provision of free housing to teachers in remote schools and at a heavily subsidised cost in most regional schools
· mobility arrangements to support teachers to take up a role in regional areas while preserving their substantive metropolitan positions for up to 3 years
· the Advanced Graduate Program, which offers extra benefits for graduates teaching in a regional school
· provision of additional temporary attraction and retention incentive payments.
(h) “Resigned – Other Reasons.” Yes, since May 2024.
(i) 1,792.
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