Chris Sarra takes helm at Queensland Aboriginal affairs

Educator Chris Sarra has being appointed head of Queensland’s Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships.

‘Thrive, rather survive’: Chris Sarra

Educator Chris Sarra plans to “reset’’ how government interacts with Queensland’s indigenous community after being appointed as the head of the state’s Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships.

The professor of education at the University of Canberra said last night he was determined to change the policy approach of government to empower Aboriginal communities “to thrive, rather survive’’.

Dr Sarra, founder of the Stronger Smarter Institute that developed a program that has lifted results in hundreds of Aboriginal schools, wanted to focus on local leadership to go beyond current policy.

“I’m really determined to lead the department into how we can do things with people, rather than to people,’’ he said.

“Part of that is investing in authentic localised leadership, rather than subcontracting out. There is a need for reset as there is a level of frustration because we have hundreds of millions of dollars thrown into this area, and charlatans dropping in and saying they have the solution.’’

The co-chair of the prime minister’s indigenous advisory committee came to prominence as the first Aboriginal principal of the Cherbourg State School, in an indigenous community, where he dramatically lifted school attendance, literacy and numeracy results.

Deputy Premier Jackie Trad hoped Dr Sarra would have a “big influence’’ on indigenous policy in Queensland.