Yesterday Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan joined a forum in Brisbane to discuss key education issues with representatives of the Catholic and Independent sectors.

Minister Tehan spoke about some of his key priorities for the education portfolio and said his most valuable experiences as minister so far had come from his visits to schools.  He pointed to support for principals, initial teacher education, staffing in regional and remote areas, and building student wellbeing as some of his main focus areas.

He took questions on a broad range of subjects including NAPLAN, parent engagement, early childhood education and freedom of religious schools to teach according to their faith.

 My thanks to Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ) for hosting the forum and to the various representatives from QCEC and Catholic School Authorities who attended this event.

While in Brisbane yesterday, Minister Tehan also announced that the government will simplify the process for north Queensland non-government schools to access $4 million in funding to support flood affected students and families.

Details of how the funding will be made available are expected to be released in next week’s federal budget.