The origins of the Victorian Secondary Teachers' Federation can be traced to the birth of the Victorian Teachers' Union.

The Victorian Teachers' Union (VTU) was established following negotiations from 1923 until 1926 between the Victorian State School Teachers' Union, the Victorian High School Teachers' Union and the Victorian Technical Teachers' Association. These three organisations amalgamated on 13 August 1926 to form the Victorian Teachers' Union with a membership of about 5000.

In 1948, however, secondary teachers broke away from the VTU to form the Victorian Secondary Masters' Professional Association which, in 1953, became the Victorian Secondary Teachers' Association (VSTA).

Although a breakaway from the VTU, growing dissatisfaction with the Victorian Teachers' Tribunal led, in 1976, to an agreement between the VTU, Technical Teachers' Union of Victoria and the Victorian Secondary Teachers' Association to work together on the basis of joint policy, for improved industrial relations for teachers.

In August 1981 the VTU Victorian Federation subcommittee agreed that there should be a Victorian Teachers' Federation modelled on the NSW Teachers' Federation.

In July 1984 the Teacher's Federation of Victoria was established as an umbrella organisation for industrial purposes, with the three teacher unions remaining autonomous. In 1990 the Technical Teachers' Union of Victoria and the Victorian Teachers' Union amalgamated as the Federated Teachers' Union of Victoria [FTUV]. By 1995 the Victorian Secondary Teachers' Association had amalgamated with the FTUV to form the Victorian Branch of the Australian Education Union.