Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently I was very shocked and saddened to learn that Seton College, on the border of my electorate of Bonner, will permanently close in 2024. Seton College was purpose-built for personalised learning and has a reputation for supporting students with learning difficulties, including special needs. They help students who are struggling in a mainstream school and turn their educational experience around, into a positive, inclusive and successful one. The announcement of their closure has had a profoundly devastating impact on the Seton College community. Parents, students and even current and former teaching staff have spoken out against this decision and have formed a Save Our Seton, or SOS, action group. While their cries for help have fallen on the deaf ears of some, to great disappointment, when parents of the Save Our Seton group contacted me, I was ready not only to listen but to fight for their cause.

Parents of a child with special needs will understand why it is so difficult for them to accept this news lying down. If you have a child with learning difficulties—mental or physical disabilities—then you know every single day is a battle. You fight to give your child the best opportunities to not only survive but thrive in this life. You want them to have the best chance to be happy and successful. This is true of every parent, but, for a child with learning difficulties, the battle to give them this is that much harder.

Since speaking with some of the Save Our Seton parents, I have been inundated with families sharing their experiences with me and why they are so desperate to keep Seton College open. At last Sunday's Mount Gravatt Markets, the LNP candidate for Mansfield, Janet Wishart, and I were approached by families who expressed that this fight was about not just their children but future students who would benefit from this inclusive school. I would like to share some of these stories with the House. One parent wrote: 'My two boys with autism found a more sympathetic and effective environment at Seton. Standard schools do not have the knowledge or focus to protect and enhance the lives and education of students with special needs, including autism.'

Another parent wrote to me and said: 'Seton has given my child the opportunity to socialise, to integrate with others, to feel like he belongs and to have friends that he's never had before. He has every right to be part of this world and feel socially accepted. I cannot tell you how important it is that a school like Seton stays open for children like mine. It is the only school in this area that provides and addresses all needs concerning children with a disability. I've never seen my boy so keen to go to school, so happy to be there and to feel so content when he comes home without being angry, upset or traumatised.'

Another parent shared this: 'Like many Seton parents, it was our last hope educationally for our daughter. Instead of closing Seton College, I believe Catholic Education should be duplicating this educational model around Australia. My daughter is currently in year 10 and, as a family, we are devastated by the news that the school will close. Seton College has been a blessing for us, as it has provided my daughter, who suffers ASD, is severely dyslexic and has oral and written language disorder, with a safe and happy educational environment where she can achieve her goals both academically, socially and emotionally.'

To all these families I say: I stand with you, I am listening to you and I will support you.