29/07/2024

AT ALL TIMES, WE PRIORITISE THE SAFETY AND WELLBEING OF STUDENTS.

For more than a decade, Hymba Yumba has provided a safe education space for jarjum (child/ren). We are proud of the many staff, Elders, families and partners who have contributed to the growth of our school, building upon the traditions of First Nations culture, spirituality and identity.

NITV’s Living Black claims are incorrect and driven by a very small group of former staff and parents.

The school’s Board and Executive team have consistently adhered to our duty of care of jarjum and complied with all legislative requirements, policies and processes, as imposed by our regulatory bodies. The school has always acted on the advice of lawyers, the Queensland College of Teachers, Independent Schools Queensland, Queensland Police Service, Queensland Health, QATSIF and the Independent Education Union. All staff at our school remain fully qualified and registered to work with jarjum. As confirmed by our regulatory bodies, we have acted appropriately and maintained our duty of care of jarjum. We can confidently assure the community that jarjum remain protected, safe and supported at our school, always.

We are disappointed that NITV approached us with these false claims during NAIDOC Week, as we celebrated an important week for our First Nations community. We provided them with detailed evidence that highlighted the falsehood and inaccuracy of their claims.

We understand that the recent change with the increased number of First Nations people on our Board and in our Executive team can create uncertainty and discomfort for some people. The change was necessary to ensure that our school remains strong and committed to the values of First Nations education for First Nations peoples.

Our school is fortunate to have First Nations leaders who volunteer for our cause. Our Board consists of highly acclaimed and reputable First Nations leaders with a combined experience and expertise that includes:

• 62 years in Board governance.
• 213 years in Education.
• 91 years in First Nations community-controlled, youth and communication sectors.

In 2024, the impact of having First Nations people lead and manage our school resulted in:

• Attendance rates increasing by 5%.
• Number of jarjum with 100% attendance increasing by nearly 79%.
• Serving of over 100,000 hot meals to jarjum.
• Number of traineeships or employer engagement offered to jarjum increasing by 320%.
• Purchase of 300 new laptops for jarjum.
• Completion of over 25% of our new world-class arts facility.
• Installation of a free laundry service for jarjum and families.
• Delivery of a First Nations jarjum training program in therapy animal handling.
• Delivery of over 300 hours of First Nations cultural lessons.
• Number of jarjum leaving the school decreasing by 31%.
• Teacher retention rate of 91% during a national teacher shortage.
• Delivery of nearly 200 hours of additional targeted literacy and numeracy support for jarjum.
• Employment of First Nations staff increasing by 28%.

The school could not have achieved these outstanding results without the many people who make up our strong school community. We would like to thank staff, families, Elders, volunteers, partners and supporters for their continued commitment, dedication and support for our wonderful school.

Lastly, the school notes that the incorrect basis of all NITV’s claims does not justify the slurring of a school that takes pride in lifting the lives of its students and the First Nations community it serves.