Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee, , 2:35:44 to 2:38:49
Details on the strategy to attract and retain First Nations teachers and school leaders within the national workforce action plan.
Topics: Education, First Nations, Employment
Speakers: Ms. Meg Brighton, Speaker 14
moment. Um and and in parallel um the government's been working on the first nations teachers and school leaders strategy. Um what was the genesis of the work and what's been the progress up
>> Um thanks senator for the question. Um the first nations teacher and school leader strategy is the last remaining component of the national teacher workforce action plan for implementation. That action plan came out of a great need to um attract more people to the teaching profession. uh equip those people to be successful in the profession, keep them in schools as well. So this strategy is specifically around attracting more First Nations staff to the profession, keeping them once they're in and then giving them good and strong career pathways through. We're taking a very similar methodology to what Mr. Mudford outlined, working quite closely with First Nations partners on the strategy. Um that strategy is going to education ministers on Monday uh for a first pass. Uh then it will go out for further consultation with working with our partners uh the national aberiginal tourist rate islander education corporation and natipa. They will facilitate consultation with first nations educators. The department will facilitate conversations with departments of state and the non-government sector. and then we will bring those further insights and findings together with a view of taking the strategy back to the ministerial council next year for endorsement.
>> Um, fantastic. And um, and with the long-term aims now of the strategy, where are we going to go with that?
>> Um, the long-term outcome we are seeking is really to um, strengthen and have far more First Nations teachers than we currently do. I think our current First Nations teachers is in the order of 2.6% 6% of teachers or something thereabouts. Whereas we've got uh First Nations students in our education system in the order of 6.8%. So what we want to do is really even up those numbers, bring more teachers into the profession and keep them there and have them be successful and see career a career in teaching as a worthy endeavor.
>> And what's been the Australian government investment in that?
>> So we've uh the government's invested about $2.4 $4 million of it. Um, in that uh some of that work has gone to some preliminary work with external parties to synthesize the evidence and then the remaining component of it will be used to fund specific actions that come out of the strategy. And some of the early insights we're hearing from the consultation is needing to have stronger and more culturally safe schools. um do some work around uh building the capability of non-first nation staff around cultural uh safety and strengthening cultural understanding and awareness as well as uh stronger mechanisms around mentoring of First Nations staff.
>> Fantastic. Thank and thank you for the work you're doing. It sounds fantastic. I always look forward to hearing what you're up to and uh what the work's been doing. So really well done. Thank you for updating. Um um I do just have cherry if I may just another quick block if uh if I've got time just