Brisbane Broncos Expand Girls Academy program

The Brisbane Broncos have expanded their Beyond the Broncos Girls Academy program to include new mentoring initiatives at Cherbourg and Murgon State Schools, marking the first time the program will extend into primary school education.

Designed to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls, the expansion introduces tailored mentoring for students in years four to six at Cherbourg State School, with a focus on easing the transition into secondary education at Murgon State High School.

The program, which operates in over 50 schools across Queensland and northern New South Wales, aims to improve school attendance, retention, and leadership outcomes among Indigenous youth.

Local community member and Wakka Wakka woman, Wy-Larra Duncan, has been appointed as a Student Support Officer to lead delivery at Cherbourg.

Having grown up in the region and experienced the schooling system firsthand, Duncan said her role is grounded in providing the type of support she lacked as a student.

Underscoring the program’s focus on community-embedded mentorship, Duncan mentioned, “There used to be nothing for the girls and now there’s something we can do to help them stop dropping out of school and keep pushing forward,” she said.

The Queensland Department of Education is a key stakeholder in the program, with representatives including Helen McCullough present at the launch.

While funding details have not been publicly disclosed, government involvement indicates alignment with broader public policy objectives related to Indigenous education and regional youth engagement.

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