Principal
Good news! We welcome the decision on Tuesday by the Chief Health Officer of Queensland to provide interstate students with exemptions to return home for the coming holidays. Many in the school community will be aware of the strain that was being placed on our Boarding families, as well as hundreds of young people from around the state. The College has been a part of the significant lobbying that has taken place over recent weeks to encourage the Government to take a more compassionate and common sense approach to students returning home from boarding school. The exemptions are good news and the happy smiles on the faces of our young boarders and, no doubt, their parents, are a testament to that.
There were also many happy faces at the Year 12 Mothers’ Luncheon last Friday. At the request of some of the mothers who were present, I share with you Dr Tracey Harbour’s speech from that event. Tracey is the mother of our College Captain, Injarra Harbour. We all know that Injarra is a gifted speaker. Now we know that he inherited this quality from his mother who has kindly agreed to share her speech with the community here. I commend it to you as a beautiful reflection on mothers and the powerful role they play.
It is Child Protection Week in Queensland and this was a focus for Dean of Students Mr Peter Todd in last week’s newsletter, as well as during Tuesday’s Assembly. I share with you the Statement of Commitment made by EREA earlier this year, as well as links to various online resources. Our boys are always at the centre of our decision making at Nudgee College. Keeping them safe and protected to the very best of our ability is of the highest priority for all our staff. My hope would be in reflecting on these words that parents would believe that our actions authentically reflect this intent.

Edmund Rice Education Australia Statement of Commitment to Child Safety
All children and young people have a right to feel safe and be safe. Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) is committed to embedding a culture where the safety, wellbeing, and participation of all children and young people under our care is paramount. Particular attention is given to the needs of vulnerable children and young people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people, children and young people with disability and mental health issues, children and young people from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, children and young people who are unable to live at home, and those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex. We are committed to at all times acting in the best interests of children and young people.
We have zero tolerance of child abuse and all allegations and safety concerns are treated very seriously and consistent with our robust safeguarding policies and procedures. EREA is committed to nurturing the wellbeing of all children and young people, respecting their dignity, ensuring their safety and protecting them from abuse and other harm. EREA, its schools and its staff, contractors and volunteers have legal and moral obligations to respond swiftly including contacting authorities where relevant when we are concerned about a child’s safety, which we follow rigorously.
EREA and its schools demonstrate commitment to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people by:
- taking into consideration the views of children and young people about decisions that affect their safety and wellbeing;
- empowering children and young people by taking their views seriously, and addressing any concerns they may have;
- acknowledging the cultural diversity of families, and being sensitive to how this may impact on child safety;
- taking proactive steps to prevent child abuse, and identifying risks early so that such risks may be removed or reduced;
- involving families, carers and relevant communities in decision making processes that support the development of a child safe culture;
- continuously reviewing and improving our systems and practices to protect children and young people from abuse;
- providing children and young people with the knowledge and skills to understand and maintain their own personal safety;
- ensuring that EREA and its schools have in place strategies to embed and enhance a culture of child safety and wellbeing through the leadership, governance and culture of the organisation;
- applying robust human resources and recruitment practices for all staff, contractors and volunteers;
- providing regular training and education on recognising the nature and indicators of child abuse and other harm, responding to safeguarding risks and how to build culturally safe environments for children and young people;
- implementing specific policies, procedures, training and a National Code of Conduct and a set of Child Safeguarding Standards to support the achievement of a child safe culture;
- listening to concerns about the safety of children, and suggestions to improve the child safety processes in place;
- responding swiftly to any child safety concerns and implementing clear procedures for managing and reporting child safety concerns; and
- ensuring that every person involved in EREA and its schools understands the important and specific role they play individually and collectively to ensure that the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people is at the forefront of all they do and every decision they make.
(Statement endorsed by the EREA Board 1 June 2020)
Relevant Links
- https://www.napcan.org.au/ncpw-theme/
- https://childprotectionweek.org.au/uncategorized/key-messages/
- https://childprotectionweek.org.au/
- https://danielmorcombe.com.au/keeping-kids-safe-resources/
Finally, we wish our Year 10s well as they undertake their Immersion program next week. Despite the limitations provided by COVID-19, we believe that we have created a program that will enable our young men take another step in becoming Signum Fidei – ‘Signs of Faith’.
Mr Peter Fullagar
Principal