20 October 2025
The NTEU Navitas Branch has secured a significant victory for teaching staff at Deakin College with the establishment of a new Unit Coordination Allowance that delivers fairer pay, transparency, and long-overdue recognition for the workload involved in coordination duties.
Agreement was reached after months of negotiations between NTEU representatives and Deakin College management. Talks had stalled earlier in the year but were revived following intervention by the Union via the Fair Work Commission and sustained efforts from NTEU delegates.
“This is a great outcome that reflects the dedication and perseverance of our members,” said NTEU delegate Lubna Ukani. “For too long, coordination work at Deakin College went undervalued and inconsistently recognised. This new model acknowledges the crucial academic and leadership work of Unit Coordinators and ensures that staff are properly remunerated for the time, care, and responsibility the role demands.”
Key improvements under the new model:
• An average 85 percent increase in coordination payments compared with the previous model (more for casual teachers)
• A fair, formula-based structure that recognises the scale and complexity of coordination work.
• Indexation to future salary increases.
• Recognition of additional labour involved in unit revisions and reviews.
• Backdated payments to 31 March 2025.
NTEU delegate Brett Farmer said the result showed the collective strength of members and the power of union advocacy.
“This agreement demonstrates what's possible when members stand together as a union,” Farmer said. “We appreciate management’s cooperation in reaching a resolution, but this success ultimately belongs to members who stayed engaged and united throughout a long and sometimes difficult process.”
The new Unit Coordination Allowance marks an important step forward for fairness and transparency at Deakin College and sets a strong precedent for future negotiations across the Navitas network.