Afternoon Tea for The Australian Council of Educational Leaders, Queensland Branch

Australian Council for Educational Leaders Patron, Emeritus Professor Frank Crowther; Queensland President, Dr Deb Kember; Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Aasha Murthy; guests, distinguished as are you all. It gives me great personal pleasure, with Kaye, to welcome you to Government House to honour and celebrate the teaching profession.

As some of you may know, our daughter Carolyn is a secondary school teacher, and both my parents were teachers. And so I know firsthand of the time and commitment demanded of teachers, and the professionalism with which they undertake their work.

It is a challenging profession, but few would argue that it is not one of the most important.

What we prize most about ourselves as a society has its genesis in what we teach our young. 

We are very fortunate in this State to have world-class teachers.

We are fortunate also to have a world-class organisation to guide leadership in education.

The Australian Council of Education Leaders does an outstanding job of providing resources and learning experiences to educational leaders across the country.

The Queensland Executive of ACEL is to be commended on developing a Statement of Commitment for the use of all in the profession.

The philosophy behind the statement is not new. It is acted out every day in classrooms and education facilities across the State and country.

What isnew, however, is that these shared ethical values and beliefs have been collectively acknowledged in such a format for the first time.

As the statement makes clear, teaching is a collaborative effort, and it is notable how many different sectors of the education community have contributed to its formation.

The document makes inspiring reading.

It highlights the personal and very human element of teaching, and reiterates the level of knowledge and skill required of those who teach.

It emphasises that teaching is about relationships as much as it is about pedagogy.

It reminds teachers of the reasons they became teachers.

The opening sentence makes clear that each teacher is given the opportunity and the privilege to make a positive difference in the lives of people, particularly young people.

Much of a teacher's work is unseen, but rarely unfelt.

As William Yeats said, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

To all the teachers here today, I thank you for lighting many fires!

It is an exciting time to be involved in education, and I wish everyone here today the very best in their pursuit of excellence in this most noble profession, supported as you all are by the magnificent work of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders. Thank you.