Dear Editor

Articles in The Australian (31 October and 2 November 2009) outlining the Queensland Teachers' Union position on the Cape York Aboriginal Academy proposal by Noel Pearson need some clarification.

In particular the headline in Monday's edition "Union backs Pearson academy" does not match the story in that the comments attributed to me quite clearly state that the Union has concerns about the proposal and until those concerns are resolved any support offered is conditional.

The QTU will be meeting with Noel Pearson and academy representatives as well as the State Government in relation to this issue.

It is not at this stage clear what the positions of DET, the state or federal governments are (or, indeed, if they have a position). QTU members at the affected schools have been consulted neither by DET nor Cape York Partnerships.  This is obviously very concerning for QTU members and the union which represents their interests.

The QTU position in relation to the proposal at this stage is:

• The QTU recognises that improving the educational outcomes of Indigenous students is an important and pressing challenge for Queensland educators and is willing to discuss the proposal with DET and Cape York Partnerships.
• The QTU has concerns about a number of aspects of the proposal which it will raise with Cape York Partnerships, DET and the State Government.
• In particular, the QTU has expressed concern over the lack of consultation with potentially affected members and unreasonably short implementation timelines (as proposed) which have resulted in uncertainty and distress. 
• The QTU will do everything it can to ensure that no members are disadvantaged as a result of the proposal.

Yours sincerely
Steve Ryan
President
Queensland Teachers' Union