Regional Queensland Council of Mayors meets Regional Education Commissioner

Chair of the Regional Queensland Council of Mayors (RQCOM), Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson, has met with the first Regional Education Commissioner, Fiona Nash.

Mayor Greg Williamson said his meeting with Ms Nash showed great promise for the role of Regional Education Commissioner.

“This was an important step in having the voice of regional Queenslanders heard in the south,” he said.

Mayor Williamson will chair a forum for key Regional Queensland Mayors in April to hear from the Commissioner about her role and to provide an opportunity for the Commissioner to hear first-hand the impacts of education shortcomings on regional Queenslanders.

“It’s a travesty that regional Australians are less than half as likely to obtain a university degree by age 35 compared to those in metropolitan areas,’’ he said.

“The Commissioner’s plan to halve that gap by 2030 is a good start and I’m determined that regional Queensland people are involved in that process.”

The position of Regional Education Commissioner was announced late last year to “bridge the gap and address the disparity in education outcomes between metropolitan and regional students and provide a national focus for regional, rural and remote education”.

Ms Nash said she would be a champion for regional, rural and remote education, working with stakeholders across sectors to ensure all Australians can access and benefit from a high-quality education, regardless of where they live.

She said her role would have a broad remit across regional, rural and remote student education from early childhood education to tertiary education to improve regional education outcomes.

Mayor Williamson and Ms Nash agreed they looked forward to working together to ensure the voices of regional Queenslanders were heard in the process.