“That ICPA Qld works in conjunction with the Country Women’s Association of Queensland to lobby the Queensland Government and relevant Ministers to commit to the establishment of a new state-run boarding school, attached to an Agricultural School of Excellence, in rural and remote Queensland. This would provide a more financially viable secondary education option with boarding facilities for rural and remote families, allowing rural students to access an Agricultural School of Excellence when boarding is the only option for access.”
Rural and remote families who have no choice but to send their children away for secondary education are facing increasing financial pressure due to the rising cost of living and the widening gap between school fees and the current LAFHAS allowance. There are currently only three state-run boarding facilities in Queensland, two of which are First Nations–focused, while the third is already at capacity. As a result, families have limited affordable options, and there is a growing need for an additional state-run boarding facility to help ease financial burden and prevent the continued exodus of families from rural and remote communities.
