Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] I ask the parliament to stop for a minute and think about the parents, the kids and the teachers who are struggling in lockdown. This is an email I received from Amber: 'I sit in front of this screen wondering who else to turn to. I found myself here right now turning to you. I'm just another citizen in your electorate feeling the impact of this lockdown. I'm okay, but many are not. I'm an educator at a local public school. Our community has a lot of people who come from a non-English-speaking background. The parents I speak to every day are mentally drained and are crying because they don't understand a lot of the content. This is not their fault, and they're not failures. This government is a failure and has failed many of us. These parents think they are letting down their children's education, such a burden to have, when in fact just picking up their child's work every week for homeschooling should be celebrated because it shows they care. I'm not writing to you for recognition. I'm not writing to you for answers. I'm writing to tell you that our community is one hell of a community. Despite all the obstacles, they've shown up week after week to make sure their children are not left behind. Please celebrate parents, guardians and, importantly, the men and women who can't work at the moment because every damn day they get up and do it again.'