Janelle Saffin (Page, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to share with the House an email I have received from one of my small schools, Hernani Public School. It is about the Active After-school Communities program. It reads:

Dear Ms Saffin,

I have just been advised that the Federal Government has announced that the AASC has been extended for another 12 months. This is wonderful news for our small rural community which has been participating in this worthwhile program since its inception.

Not only does this program provide our school community with opportunities to interact positively with students of all ages, it encourages healthy living practices and provides opportunities for cooperative play, peer leadership and skill building in all areas of physical education.

This program also encourages and provides funding for community coaches to travel to rural and remote schools like ours to impart their knowledge and skills and interact with students in a small school environment.

On behalf of the whole Hernani school community, I would like to sincerely thank the Gillard Government for the $43.5 million to extend the AASC program for another year and we look forward to it continuing into the future.

With kind regards,

Liz

Liz Arnold

Principal

Hernani Public School

This wonderful program of after-school activities in communities is of benefit particularly in rural and regional areas. It certainly benefits some of the schools in my area. There are 96 schools, and—(Time expired)

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