SDG8 Decent Work and Economic Growth

CQUniversity has a comprehensive Enterprise Agreement in place until July 1, 2026, establishing employment conditions and competitive pay rates for professional, academic, and VET educators. These rates are well above the national minimum wage, which is $24.10 per hour or $915.00 weekly as of July 1, 2024. Employees also benefit from additional entitlements beyond national standards, including six weeks of annual leave, ten days of personal/sick leave plus an additional five days of carer’s leave, six months of paid parental leave for eligible staff, and one day of engaged service leave annually.

This agreement was reached through negotiations between the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) and the Australian Education Union (AEU), who represented CQUniversity staff in the process. Staff were informed and consulted throughout the negotiations, ensuring transparency and collective input. Employees at CQUniversity are free to associate with unions and engage in collective bargaining, with the NTEU and AEU representing a diverse workforce, including women and international employees.

View the agreement here

CQUniversity embeds its vision and values into all staff through thorough: 

• Onboarding processes and training
• Mandatory annual refresher training on code of conduct
• Voluntary training available all year through an online staff learning platform
• Free webinars through partner organisations

CQUniversity tracks and monitors the gender pay gap of its employees. This data assists the University in identifying possible areas of emerging disparity and helps to inform future strategic and practice directions. The data is reported to the Australian Government and is publicly available through the links below. To explore CQUniversity's results, click on the link below, then search for CQUniversity: 

• Workplace Gender Equality Agency Report

CQUniCares Emergency Grants provide financial assistance to staff who experience unexpected financial hardship as a result of an emergency or unforeseen situation, that has the potential to derail their studies. The purpose of the grant is to support these students in continuing their studies.

The Workplace Relations team within CQUniversity’s People and Culture Directorate plays a key role in fostering equity, diversity, and non-discrimination. This team supports employees and supervisors by providing guidance on employment conditions, ensuring compliance with the Enterprise Agreement, and addressing workplace concerns, including discrimination, as outlined in the Complaints Policy. They also offer expertise on industrial matters before the Fair Work Commission and other jurisdictions. Through this support, the Workplace Relations team helps uphold CQUniversity’s commitment to a fair, inclusive work environment.

Current staff can find additional resources on StaffNet for employee assistance and specific support topics.