Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This morning, I woke to see a press release from the Victoria Labor government stating that there will be extra learning support for children with special needs in Victoria next year. It is about supporting students in their transition and getting assessments appropriate to ensure that, when students with special needs reach school, the right things are there to support them. It got me thinking about this place and the commitments that this place has made to students with a disability—students with special needs. It got me thinking, 'What has this government said of late about students with disability?' It also got me thinking about all of those families who have made submissions to the Senate inquiry about the impacts of this government's cuts to education, the real impacts on families supporting students with special learning needs. The bottom line is that the $100 million per year for more support for students with a disability was terminated under this government.

Then I had to stop and think, 'I know that the former Minister for Education has moved on to fix other things, but who is the Minister for Education?' I had to look it up. Apparently, it is someone called Senator Birmingham. I have not heard him make an announcement. I have not heard him say a thing about education. He is another one who needs to get down and do his job. You can change your Prime Minister and change your minister— (Time expired)