Teacher shortage: McGowan Government offering cash incentives for educators to go bush

The McGowan Government is offering more cash incentives — of up to $17,000 — to teachers in a desperate bid to lure them to the bush.

Faced with teacher shortages in some of the state’s most remote areas, the government is forking out $12.4 million next year as a one-off temporary initiative to tackle the problem.

Nearly 50 remote schools have been identified by the Department of Education as needing help at attracting – and keeping – teachers.

The payments range from $5000 to $17,000 - depending on the location - with a percentage paid upon commencement of employment and the remainder paid to those staff who remain all year.

“Fortunately WA is not currently facing teacher supply issues of the scale being experienced on the east coast, but the numbers are getting tighter,” Education Minister Sue Ellery said.

“The Department of Education has been examining which of our public schools are most likely to be impacted by any teacher shortfall in 2023 and 48 remote and regional schools have been identified as needing additional support to attract and retain staff for next year.”

The new payments are on top of existing financial incentives to attract teachers to remote areas.

The total incentives to go bush could total $30,000 - nearly half of some teacher’s base salary.

A full-time graduate teacher at the Wananami Remote Community School, for example, would receive a base salary of $76,530, a graduate teacher allowance of $1600 per annum, locality allowance of $4798, a remote teaching service allowance of $20,870 and now and a new additional $5000 incentive payment – for a total salary of $108,798.

A full-time level 3 classroom teacher at Meekatharra District High School would receive a base salary of $122,308, locality allowance of $1829, a country teaching programme allowance of $13,730 and the new incentive payment of $17,000 – for a total salary of $154,967.

“This new immediate measure is targeted to support WA’s hardest-to-staff regional and remote schools and their students throughout the 2023 school year,” Ms Ellery said.

“The new incentive payments present passionate teachers with a fantastic opportunity to earn up to $30,000 on top of their current salary and make a positive difference to the lives of young regional Western Australians, while experiencing all that our great State has to offer.”

About 30,000 WA public teachers received a three per cent wage increase in September.

Th State Government also announced that teachers would receive a one-off $3000 cost of living payment as part of a new agreement.