The purpose of this project was to consult with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents and community in South East Queensland on behalf of the Queensland Indigenous Education Consultative Committee to:

• Identify barriers and opportunities for improving educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait students in urban areas.

• Develop discussion and responses around the four Urban Education Policy focus areas for Aboriginal and Torres Strait students. These were: Early Childhood; Career pathways; Leadership and Quality Teaching; and Partnerships.

Through the consultation process the project identified the following recurring themes across focus areas.

• There is a lack of information and accessibility to allow students to engage with learning and career experiences.

• Indigenous students and families fail to receive adequate support in classrooms from prep year through to high school.

• The cost of education remains a barrier to success.

• Indigenous issues are not a priority for schools and this affects education, mobility, teaching, and provision of career support.

• Indigenous funding is a matter of contention because there is no long-term plan for sustainable Indigenous education programs and some programs (e.g. IESIP) are used for all Indigenous support. Other mainstream programs funding should also be used to support Indigenous students.

• Employment conditions of Indigenous Education Workers and expectations of their role remain unsatisfactory.

• Principals, teachers, school staff and guidance officers are not receiving adequate cultural awareness training to work with Indigenous students and families.

The Project Team

The project team included:

• Dr Nereda White
• Walter Robb

The Final Report:
Community Consultation

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Funding Partner: