Judith Troeth (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Every now and then an issue arises that provokes such a sense of urgency and passion in people that they are moved to make a representation of their views to their federal member of parliament or their senator. They are people from all walks of life who may never have contacted a member of parliament before but suddenly are so moved by an injustice that they do get in touch.

Throughout my 16 years in this place there have been a few of these issues and I have always been prepared to stand up on behalf of the people I represent to ensure that their views are heard, respected, and responded to. School chaplaincy is one of those issues. It is fine for Senator Moore to say that there is a review of a Howard coalition program in place. Perhaps it is one of the 177 reviews or one of the countless committees that the Rudd government has put into place to review programs, and who knows when we will hear a result?

There is no doubt that today young Australians, such as the ones of sitting here in the gallery, face challenges and opportunities they need every bit of help to meet and grow from. At the same time as school children are experiencing the horizon of opportunities that are beginning to dawn on them, they have to make sense of issues that we as adults find trying. Having a dedicated person at school to provide pastoral care on issues like bullying, alcohol, drug abuse, family and mental health can be a tremendous help for many children who may not be able to get that support elsewhere. That is why the coalition introduced the National School Chaplaincy Program in 2007 and why we are just as conscious of and committed to ensuring the program’s long-term viability today.

We have received many letters and emails on this subject. Here is part of a letter I received from a parent in Rosebud, Victoria:

Chaplains bring to students a quality of concern, compassion and understating, while secular personnel cannot. Nor can psychologists work with students to the same degree. Chaplains work with a sense of calling.

An email I received from another parent, in Balwyn, Victoria reads:

I believe that religious and spiritual matters play an important part in the lives of students, and they need someone on the school staff that they can trust and turn to for guidance in thinking through these matters. As you are one of my Victorian Senators, I hope you will support the continued funding of the present chaplaincy arrangement.

I am strongly supportive of the school chaplaincy program and I will do everything I can to ensure that it survives into the future. The whole coalition is strongly of this view and, unlike the Rudd government, we have been consistently committed to a strong future for the program and the students and schools that it means so much to. Our program enables schools to employ a part-time chaplain to provide pastoral care to students across religious denominations and backgrounds.

It is no coincidence that on the very day that the Leader of the Opposition, Malcolm Turnbull, and the shadow minister for education, apprenticeships and training, Christopher Pyne, announced that the coalition would continue this program if we came into government the Rudd government proceeded to announce a review instead of casting doubt over the program’s future.

This program has come from the communities and schools themselves and it deserves to be returned to them so they can use it as they wish in order to provide the best possible peace of mind. I call on the government to commit to the long-term continuation of this program, which generations of young Australians can use to help meet their challenges and realise their dreams.