Queensland state school teachers walked off the job on Tuesday after wage talks stalled following months of negotiations, with parents urged to keep their children at home.
It is the second time in months teachers have abandoned classrooms after staging the state's biggest strike in August, demanding better pay and conditions.
The teachers' union has overwhelmingly rejected an "historic" government offer which included an eight per cent pay rise over three years, launching a second round of industrial action during the pivotal final week of exams.
Year 10 and 11 student exams at more than 100 schools across the state are set to be impacted.
The state government claimed the pay deal would have made Queensland teachers among the country's highest paid, earning in excess of $100,000 by the end of the proposed package.
It was voted down by the union, saying it has "no option" but for 50,000 QTU members to strike for the second time in 2025.
"Today, everyone will see the true resolve and determination of our members, who've had enough of being ignored, disrespected and shortchanged," Queensland Teachers' Union president Cresta Richardson said on Tuesday.
"The Crisafulli government simply doesn't value public education."
Demonstrations and protests are planned across the state, which coincide with year 11 student exams worth 25 per cent of their final assessment.
The teachers' union have vented their frustration a month after Queensland's public nurses and midwives accepted a $1.8 billion pay deal from the state government, double their initial offer.
The teachers' union claimed the state government had persisted with the rejected deal over more than 20 meetings and a period of conciliation in the Industrial Commission.
Pay negotiations are set to head to arbitration, a process that may take two years.
Queensland's Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek is expected to address the industrial action in a press conference on Tuesday morning.
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