Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Education, Senator Carr. I refer the minister to comments made by the Prime Minister prior to the 2007 election, when he said that school chaplains actually are ‘the glue which keeps school communities rolling’. Why did the government yesterday vote against giving a long-term guarantee that this important School Chaplaincy Program would be continued?

Government Senators:

Government senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I remind those on my right that the time for debating this is at the end of question time, if you desire. Senator Mason, continue.

Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister confirm that the Rudd government still believes that school chaplains actually are the glue which keeps school communities rolling?

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Mason for his question. Senator Mason would know the truth in regard to this matter. He would know that this was a program which was commenced by the previous government. They provided $165 million for a program that was to run for three years. One hundred and sixty-five million dollars over three years was to be made available to Australian school communities to assist in the provision of chaplaincy services. It was for only three years. We now hear this claim that there should be a program that goes indefinitely. That is not what the previous government decided. That is not what the Howard government decided. The Howard government decided that this program should go for only three years and advised schools accordingly. That is why it provided for the program to run for three years. As a consequence, we now have a situation where some 2,700 schools have received funding, and the funding to those schools was scheduled to end in mid-2010. That was the decision of the previous government: to end the program in 2010.

The Rudd Labor government has expressed its determination to ensure that schools are supported in providing for the wellbeing of their students, and it has acknowledged that the National School Chaplaincy Program has been an effective way to assist schools in achieving this important goal. So on 21 November the Prime Minister—Prime Minister Rudd—announced that an additional— (Time expired)

Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Given that 2,700 schools have school chaplains and over 97 per cent of those schools think that chaplains have had a positive influence on their school, why has the Rudd government chosen to deny more than 7,000 other schools the chance of applying for their own school chaplains?

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on 21 November Prime Minister Rudd announced that there would be an additional $42.8 million made available for this program—a program that, under the previous government, was to end in the middle of next year. The decision of the previous Prime Minister, Mr Howard, was to end the program. But Prime Minister Rudd has in fact extended the program by $42.8 million, which will provide funding to ensure that the good work of the 2,700 schools will continue until December—

Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Mason interjecting—

Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Sherry interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I need some silence. Senator Mason and Senator Sherry are arguing across the chamber when Senator Mason is trying to listen—and I do not know how—to the answer that is being given by Senator Carr. I do invite people on both sides to cease interjecting so that the person who has asked the question can hear the answer. Senator Carr, continue.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister has announced that the $42.8 million will be available to assist schools to provide additional support up until December 2011. This is to extend the program way beyond what the Liberals had done—that is, to end the program next year. (Time expired)

Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister explain to the Senate why the government will happily spend an extra $1½ billion to cover their mismanagement of Building the Education Revolution and $800 million to cover up their mismanagement of the Digital Education Revolution but cannot find enough money to secure the future of the school chaplaincy service?

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What the parliamentary secretary has obviously failed to appreciate is that his government only provided—I apologise; I mean the ‘shadow parliamentary secretary’. I trust that he still is the shadow parliamentary secretary. I hope his resignation has not been accepted. We are yet to hear advice on that.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Carr, address the question.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What the government is doing is to provide additional support and provide wide consultations with chaplaincy providers, school principals, parents and community groups, state education authorities and the Catholic and independent school sectors to examine the options that exist beyond 2012. While the program has been well supported by schools and communities, the consultation process will examine some of the preliminary feedback that we have already received, including further consideration of services for disadvantaged or remote schools, the inclusion of secular support staff and alternative funding models. (Time expired)