March 21, 2025
The Buwu program at Cherbourg State School will receive a $3 million boost from the State Government’s Closing the Gap Priority Fund.
Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Fiona Simpson and Member for Nanango, Attorney-General Deb Frecklington, visited Cherbourg on Friday to make the announcement, which coincided with National Closing The Gap Day.
The Buwu program is an alternative to school for students suspended for disciplinary reasons.
It allows students to keep up with the school curriculum while at the same time learning positive behaviour strategies.
At the moment, the classes are being held in a donga – described by Minister Simpson as a “bit of a shed” – away from the school.
The funding will allow a new building to be constructed at Cherbourg State School to house the program.
Minister Simpson told Cherbourg councillors this was an example of the State Government redirecting funding away from the axed Truth-Telling and Healing Inquiry.
“I know that there has been some heartfelt concerns around what was a policy we brought forward, where we were clear we were going to take the funding from the Truth-Telling Inquiry and redirect it to frontline services,” she said.
“This is an example … I absolutely support people telling their stories and having the heart to know the stories and the truth, the good, the bad, the beautiful and also the painful.
“People need to know the stories; they need to know the truth.
“That will go on but it won’t be with be with lawyers. It will be respecting the stories that you have in your community.
“But the funding from that was quite substantial and we’ve got communities that don’t have water, running water.”
Minister Simpson said education was one of the frontline needs which would help to Close The Gap.
She said there would be more than $100 million now that was would be available to go to “frontline, measurable, tangible outcomes; shovel-ready (projects) … in areas such as health, such as education, such as housing”.
