Judi Moylan (Pearce, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand the member for Cowan is going to propose the motion that was on the Notice Paper in the name of the member for Canning.

Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently I was visited by a delegation of people in my electorate office to talk about school chaplains and ask me for my support to have the federal funding renewed and increased. I was told that there were 19 chaplains in schools within the electorate of Cowan. I appreciate that they came to see me, but they were already speaking to the converted because I see the excellent work that chaplains do in Cowan schools. And I believe so much in their work that I am coordinating a chaplathon, or a walkathon, next month.

Youth Care runs the School Chaplains Program, and the chaplathon will involve a number of chaplain district councils gathering together at the Carine Open Space with supporters from throughout the northern suburbs. Representatives of the district councils have been organising the chaplains, their schools and local churches. I acknowledge the chaplains and local church leaders that have been helping me organise this event: Peter Jackson, Fran Blamphey, Darrell Thatcher, Colin Zis, Zoe Clune, Joe Forde, Shirley Pyre, Dianne Stephenson and Malcolm Rule.

With regard to the chaplathon, local businesses have been donating food for the sausage sizzle, and the Encounter Church will be donating use of their bouncy castle. This is a community effort and will demonstrate the strong support that exists for the chaplains. It will, however, not raise a sum of money that will enable more chaplains to be employed or to greatly increase the capability of chaplains to assist school students. The continuation and expansion of federal government funding for school chaplains is required, and that is why this motion has been moved by the member for Canning.

Funding chaplains in schools was commenced by the Howard government in 2007, an excellent decision. Although some elements objected and said funding should be for counsellors, the majority of this nation thought it was a good idea and embraced it. In preparing for today I asked for the views of school leaders across Cowan to see what they would say about the coalition’s move for continued and more funding.

I can inform the House that support was overwhelming. I will begin with the cluster of schools comprising Ashdale Secondary College, Ashdale Primary School, Landsdale Primary and Madeley Primary School. These schools work closely together and have been acknowledged as independent state schools by the Barnett government in Western Australia. The schools have one chaplain between them, and I refer to Zoe Clune. Carol Strauss, the principal of Ashdale Secondary College, describes Zoe as, ‘an integral part of our student services team as she provides emotional support for students who may not feel comfortable talking about some of their issues with a teacher or school psychologist’. Carol Strauss finishes a substantial letter with: ‘I would strongly advise against a move to take away funding for this vital component of our school systems’—a point clearly made.

I also thank Dr Tony Curry, the principal of Mercy College, for his letter. Mercy College is a Catholic school that offers an education from K to 12. The school is located in Koondoola, and that is a suburb of challenging socioeconomic circumstances—as are the nearby suburbs. Dr Curry told me that the SES rating is low at 94 and that 35 per cent of families are eligible for the Commonwealth’s healthcare card. Fifty-eight different nationalities are represented by the students. In these circumstances, complex and at times more severe problems face the students. Dr Curry says of his chaplain:

We believe that we have a responsibility to “reach out” to such students (and their families) and the chaplaincy funding has enabled us to do this. The existence of a chaplain has meant undoubtedly that many social problems are either minimised or negated completely.

I would also note in particular the strong support by Mr Noel Woodley, the principal of Girrawheen Senior High School, Dave Stevens of ALTA-1, as well as Gay Fortune, the principal, and Ian Maserai, the deputy, at Morley Senior High.

I have for some years known Peter Jackson and Fran Blamphey, chaplains and supporters of young people. If we talk about long-term commitment to an area and the children of an area, it is easy to mention these names—and so many people know them as well. These are good people, committed to a better community and dedicated to giving children and young people the best possible future. I finish by saying that in Cowan I have never heard a bad word said of the chaplains, only ever strong support. I have seen the way the chaplains work and the way the children interact with them. This is an excellent program that adds great value, and I urge the government to commit to an expanded program immediately.

Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was in opposition for three years, as you know, and I have been on the government side now for a year and a half. Having been on both sides of the House, one of the things that I think would make governments even better would be if they did not have to actually make choices. It would be good if, every time we saw a program which a large number of people in our electorate liked or which we thought had some merit, we could just go with it and did not have to sometimes put one thing aside in order to support something else. I remember the epiphany I had within about four hours of us winning government when I realised that, when you are in government, there really are no excuses. If you do not do something, it is because you did not want to, as you really do have the power. Yet, when we are in government, we are continually looking at that infinite range of choices and deciding which of those options we will pursue and which we will set aside. Which choice we make on the National Schools Chaplaincy Program is not defined as yet. The review is still underway, yet I am very aware when I listen to the members of the opposition speak on this that there is considerable support for it, but we will, in time, have to consider whether it is a priority area or whether we have other priorities.

The National Schools Chaplaincy Program was a three-year program initiated in 2007 by the Howard government and it allocated $165 million over three years for chaplaincy services in schools. Each school was able to apply for up to $20,000 per year for three years. It recognised that for some religious affiliations the word ‘chaplain’ may not be appropriate and it uses that word as a generic term, but it can equally apply to imams, rabbis, lay leaders or religious workers. There were two rounds of the program in 2007 and around 2,700 schools were funded. On election, the Rudd government undertook to honour those commitments and will fund the schools for the program through its three-year term to 2010.

There have been some issues with implementation of the program and changes were made in early 2008. The main problem was that schools were able to apply for funding without having identified a chaplain, and a number of schools that had received funding reported difficulties with finding a chaplain. For this reason, the government decided to allow the successful schools to use an alternative worker if they could not locate a chaplain by July 2008. Such schools are able to use other suitable services such as appropriately qualified counsellors, youth workers and other secular support staff.

I am aware that many schools are making use of the funding in areas that are much broader than the original chaplaincy stream. These include organising sporting events, working with children who suffer trauma from their times in refugee camps, and working with children with drug-affected parents or children with language needs. The immediate needs vary considerably and the alteration of the program due to the difficulty in finding chaplains, I believe, has made the program much more flexible to respond to the needs of the local community.

I am aware that in some electorates—and the previous member referred to 19 schools in his electorate—the program has been widely adopted. In my electorate it is much more marginal as there are only four schools in the electorate of Parramatta that have taken up the chaplaincy program, although I do admit that there may be a couple of Catholic schools that I have missed because of the commonality of names such as St Pauls and the lack of addresses on the reports. But there appear to be only four schools in the program in my electorate, and I am aware that those schools use those chaplaincy funds very well for the needs of their local community.

We are of course extremely well served by religious institutions in Parramatta which has a very strong Catholic community and has one of the largest proportions of Catholics of any electorate. We have the largest Sikh temple to the north, the largest Hindu temple to the south, the largest Buddhist temple outside of Wollongong just on the border and there is a brand new mosque opening very soon. In terms of religious institutions it is an extremely well-served community.

Money for education is not unlimited and the Rudd government, like all governments, will need to make choices. The process that leads to that choice is taking place now. The program will be reviewed and its effectiveness assessed. There is no plan for a further round at this time but the program will be reviewed and, as appropriate, the government will make a decision on whether the National Schools Chaplaincy Program delivers in a priority area and whether it is the most effective mechanism to deliver services to schools. Meanwhile, we can all acknowledge the hard work being undertaken in our communities by schools, chaplains and lay people who work with children, teachers and families in need.

Don Randall (Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Energy and Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak today about the increasingly vital role that school chaplains play in schools across Australia. The program was the coalition’s initiative, fostered by the wide support of local communities. This support has seen the National School Chaplaincy Program become a fundamental service in many Australian schools. Chaplains offer students support, advice and guidance across a raft of issues and in many cases they fill a void. But the highly successful program is in jeopardy, with funding set to run out. Existing contracts end next year and there has been no commitment by the Rudd government to extend the program. We have had that largely confirmed tonight.

I welcomed the coalition’s initial investment of $90 million to ensure that any Australian school that wanted a chaplain got one. That was $20,000 to every school. In fact, the program was so popular that $165 million was put into it. The success of the program speaks for itself. Since 2007, the number of school chaplains in Western Australia has tripled. The Rudd government must recognise that there are other means of nurturing students’ wellbeing. There is nothing wrong with values based education. Chaplains are men and women who come from a trained background and bring a strong value into often complicated lives.

Schools back the program. It has been hugely successful in supporting not only students but teachers and the wider school community. I recently met with Stanley Jeyaraj, National School Chaplaincy Association convenor and Chief Executive Officer of YouthCARE, who could not speak highly enough about the results the program is delivering throughout the country. In Western Australia alone, more than 80,000 students have access to a chaplain and in 2008 more than 80,000 pastoral care appointments were made with YouthCARE chaplains.

A report recently released by Edith Cowan University and the University of New England confirmed that the government should re-fund the program for at least another three years because ‘chaplains provide better pastoral care, support and guidance than school based staff’. A survey of 688 principals cannot be wrong. The study found that behaviour management, bullying, peer relationships, family relationships and self-esteem issues accounted for up to 90 per cent of the chaplains’ work. More than half also reported dealing with drug and alcohol abuse and mental health issues. Without chaplaincy there are limited resources to address these social issues.

The flow-on effect this outlet has had on communities must be acknowledged. Youth unemployment and antisocial behaviour are among society’s top-ranking issues and the levels of youth depression are concerning. The impact a support base in school could have on curbing these problems cannot be underestimated. As a former school teacher, I have seen firsthand that the earliest years of life have important implications for a child’s future. School communities are looking for support and certainty from the government on this issue. They have called for an investment of $300 million over three years. They also want to see criteria expanded to allow more schools to access the funding.

More than 4,000 Canning families have access to a school chaplain, with 19 Canning schools having YouthCARE chaplains. A number of local schools secured funding under the program, including Serpentine Jarrahdale Grammar School, Carey Baptist College, Westfield Park Primary School, Kelmscott Primary School, Kelmscott Senior High School—and students from that school are here in Canberra today—Roleystone District High School, Halls Head Primary School and Armadale Senior High School. I recently met with Armadale Senior High School Principal Mary Griffiths and heard about the positive influence that chaplain David Karcheski has on the students. He is well respected, and students are comfortable speaking with someone outside the facility.

At the Kelmscott Show this weekend I met Glenda Morgan, the school chaplain at Neerigen Brook Primary School, who loves her job. Glenda was appointed when the program commenced two years ago and she was telling me about the huge success the program is at the school. The additional emphasis the school places on pastoral care really ties in with her work. Glenda is paid two days a week under the program, but the school stumps up the extra money itself. Obviously her job will be under threat next year if it cannot be funded. She is fortunate that the school finds a way to pay for the additional two days that she does a week.

Also at the show, it was great to see volunteers from the Anglican St Mary-in-the-Valley, Kelmscott Parish, manning a stall selling crafts, cakes and jams all to raise money for chaplaincy. These volunteers are to be commended on donating their time and effort to raise money to keep chaplains where they are needed—in the schools. If government funding is not continued, it will take some very successful cake stalls to raise the sums of money needed to keep chaplains in the schools.

I commend this program. Pinjarra Senior High School in my electorate recently wrote to the Prime Minister, calling on him to find ongoing funding for the program. I do not have time to read out the letter from Beth Aitkin, the principal, but she certainly endorses this program. It really does make a great deal of difference to students, and $300 million is a small price for huge benefits. (Time expired)

Julia Irwin (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When the funding program for school chaplains was first announced in 2006, it was broadly supported by the Labor Party. I know that because I was one of the few who raised objections to the funding in the caucus. The then leader, Kim Beazley, was very supportive of the proposal and made the same point as the member for Canning: that the program was well received in the state of Western Australia, where it had been in place for some years. I must say that I have not changed my view of the National School Chaplaincy Program. As I said in 2006—and it applies even more today—there is a crying need for a boost to school counselling services and family support measures and these should receive priority over a program which, as far as I can tell, is poorly targeted and does not address the needs of disadvantaged schools in my electorate of Fowler and other electorates throughout Australia.

I have to say that in my 11 years in this parliament I have visited the full range of schools in my electorate. As members would be aware, visiting schools often leads to a wish list of resources and facilities that the schools desperately need. But in those 11 years I cannot recall one request—not one—for funding for a school chaplain. School staff are increasingly frustrated by the lack of response when mandatory notifications are made to the New South Wales Department of Community Services. It is clear that the crucial needs of so many students are not being met.

While some may see value in chaplaincy services, it is easy to see where resources are most needed. ‘Praise the Lord and pass the Ritalin’ is no substitute for well-resourced and professional intervention where children face a home life often dominated by alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence and family tragedy. While such intervention is the responsibility of state governments, it makes no sense for any government to lavish funds on chaplaincy programs while denying children and families adequate support. In a similar way, personal support programs exist in every school but, again, in many cases a shortage of resources restricts the ability of these programs to fully meet the needs of the school community. It only remains for chaplaincy services to address the spiritual side of student welfare. This in itself is a contentious aspect of the chaplaincy program, with not all religious bodies being happy with school chaplaincy services being provided by another denomination or faith.

At a time when we are to compare the performance of schools nationally, we acknowledge that all schools are not created equal. Study after study in Australia has found that the most significant indicator of a student’s performance is the home environment. Good teaching can only make a difference when students are receptive to learning, but in many schools in the Fowler electorate teachers can spend most of their time dealing with behaviour problems and only a small fraction of their time on teaching. It is the good students who miss out because of the loss of teaching time. We must admit that classroom teachers can only do so much to deliver the stable and caring environment in which learning can take place. Teachers must first of all be educators, not social workers. Without backup resources, our poorest performing schools cannot be expected to improve.

So far, the proposed steps to follow the identification of poorly performing schools include little in the way of intervention which will improve the home and school environment, which is necessary to help students. While we talk of the cycle of poverty, as a nation we have done little to break that cycle. We know that education is the key to improving the lives of young Australians from disadvantaged backgrounds, but while ever we simply put the total responsibility on our schools and teachers we will never address the problem. We do not need school chaplains. We do need resources and professionals to improve the home, community and school environment to support our teachers to do what they should—and that is to teach. That would be a real education revolution.

Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the National School Chaplaincy Program motion moved by the member for Canning. As we know, the program began under the Liberal government in October 2007 and was funded for three years until late 2010. In Western Australia, this program is implemented through Youth Care, who provide pastoral care, Christian religious education, personal and professional development staff and volunteers and, most importantly, put chaplains in schools where they are needed. In my electorate of Forrest, 34 schools have Youth Care chaplains servicing around 12,826 students and over 5,000 families. The NSCP provides assistance not only to schools but also to their communities. It has been estimated that the chaplaincy service in Collie, a town in my electorate, is supporting 50 to 70 per cent of the community.

Recently two schools, Wilson Park in Collie and Busselton Senior High School, have been the target of arson and vandalism. In these circumstances, the chaplaincy program is a necessity to provide care and comfort to the students, teachers and parents. One school chaplain in my electorate named Adrianne has said:

I see anything from 4 to 10 students per day for a range of issues - mostly to do with family relationships, peer problems and behaviour management. Sometimes, I see pairs or small groups of students for mediation and often have a quiet smile on my face because kids will bring a friend when they think that friend needs some help.

Adrianne also shared a story that I will share:

A bright, attractive girl usually wearing a very big smile, Rebecca was given 2 minutes by the staff member to speak to me. After a brief chat, it quickly became clear that Rebecca was going to need more than a few minutes. I rescheduled her for the afternoon and spent an hour just chatting with her fairly informally. She disclosed that she was feeling sad all the time and was cutting herself on a regular basis. Rebecca has become a regular for me and as our relationship has developed, she has opened up even more, revealing some serious issues in her background. The good news is that I have been able to refer her to our School Psychologist and we are now working as a team in this case. Rebecca came to see me recently and very excitedly told me she hadn’t cut herself for over 2 weeks. She said she was feeling happier in general but of course we will continue to keep her engaged.

A principal from one of the schools in my electorate who is part of the NSCP also shared a story:

The parent of a student passed away suddenly in the most unfortunate circumstance. The young family was traumatised by the passing and got through with the support of family and friends until the funeral. However after this time the family went into an emotional decline. After the schools response plan was initiated the chaplain was able to:

Approach the child at the school and establish a friendly rapport as a significant adult confidante

Establish a safe place for the student to run when grief issues arose during the day - and where they could talk and compose

Arrange for counselling for the child in school and for the remaining family adults out of school

Support the children in line with advice from these counsellors including liaising with teachers by offering advice

Help the family adult approach Centrelink for system support - a real issue here

Arrange for a meal roster with other families and

Arrange for the children to attend a local youth group one evening per week.

The family are travelling as well as could be expected but the child has been present each day since intervention and is keeping up with their school work.

As you can see, the National School Chaplaincy Program recognises that schools play a key role in providing support and assistance for all students as they cope with the challenges and stresses of life.

I recently met and discussed the significant impact chaplains are making with the NSCP Convenor and Youth Care executive officers. Chaplains are particularly significant in regional and isolated areas, including in towns in my electorate, where chaplains are more likely to be living in the local community and are able to bring support within the school for community projects. A recent study found that approximately 53 per cent of chaplains are under the age of 30, meaning they are often more in touch with the issues and pressures facing students. To have access to a safe service that offers guidance and support for students is of immeasurable assistance.

Youth Care has requested an increase in funding from $165 million to $300 million for the program to provide for two days of chaplaincy per school per year throughout Australian schools. I strongly support Youth Care and their request for an increase in funding for the National School Chaplaincy Program and urge the government to continue funding this program past 2010. The Collie Rotary Club places such importance on the chaplaincy program that we conduct that I assisted them with a ‘sleeping out with the homeless program’ to assist in funding the chaplaincy program in schools in Collie. That is the value that the local rotary club and community place on this particular program.

Kerry Rea (Bonner, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to inform the House about the very significant role that school chaplains play in the schools in Bonner in the bayside suburbs, particularly Wynnum and Manly. The school chaplains in the two key high schools in those areas—Wynnum State High School and Wynnum North State High School—have been there since the early 1990s. They are not there as a result of a program that was introduced by the previous government in 2007. In fact, there have been several school chaplains. Greg Deighton and Randall Gill, the current serving chaplains, are doing a wonderful job in supporting the students of those two high schools. They are doing that with the great support of the chaplaincy chairman for that area, Tom Andrews, who is a well-known character in the Wynnum-Manly area. He is a great supporter of the community. He has a very generous heart and he understands many problems through his own personal suffering and through his commitment to helping people whenever they are in need.

The local bayside area significantly recognises and values the chaplains. Every year there is a fundraising breakfast held at the local leagues club to raise money for the school chaplaincy service provided at those two high schools. It has now expanded, as a result of the 2007 funding, into several primary schools at Tingalpa, Wynnum North, Darling Point Special School, Manly State Primary School and Lota State School, where Nyree Mannion, Bruce Gowlett, Chrissie O’Brien, Chris Allen and Aaron Bligh all play a very significant role in supporting the students in that local community.

As we have already heard, the school chaplains play a very vital role, which is effectively a counselling role. They provide emotional support to students. They respond to crises. They attempt to prevent, and hopefully pick up early signs of, problems. They are able to work with the students, the school community and their families to try to deal with those issues.

I wanted to speak to this motion because, having met the school chaplains in my area, in particular Tom and those who serve at the high schools, I am very aware of how important those individuals are. It may well be because they are school chaplains or it could well be because of the commitment they have made to religious service, but I think it is also because of who they are as people and their dedication to supporting the children and the students in that local community. That is why I believe that this motion, to a certain extent, while it is expressing support for school chaplains, is a little misleading.

I believe it is important that the government has committed three years of funding to next year, 2010, to this service. I also believe it is important that all schools and school chaplains acknowledge that they must be accountable for the money that is being funded to them through the government and the taxpayers of this country. Therefore, I believe a three-year time frame is an adequate period in order for the chaplains to provide an important service and to build up good relationships in the school.

At the same time we must always acknowledge that taxpayer funding cannot simply be never ending. There must be a period of review and evaluation. If we acknowledge that the role that chaplains are playing is primarily an important and significant one because of the counselling that they do then I believe the government should look through its budget processes at ways in which it can provide a broader service that may not necessarily just be faith based. There could be other forms of counselling and other opportunities for a school community to provide that support to its students.

Whilst I am very pleased to support the chaplains in my area and the work of the Scripture Union, particularly its CEO, Tim Mander, who is a great referee but primarily a person devoted to school chaplaincy—they have proved themselves to be very successful in the bayside—I acknowledge there are many other schools in Bonner and across the country. I look forward to the government reviewing this program that provides a very important support service to students and seeing a way in which funding can be flexible and address the needs of individual schools.

Judi Moylan (Pearce, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.