Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present the report of the Education and Employment References Committee on school refusal, together with accompanying documents, and I move:

That the Senate take note of the report.

Firstly, I want to thank my fellow committee members and the deputy chair, Senator Sheldon. I'd also like to acknowledge the time and effort invested into this inquiry by Senator Allman-Payne, who raised this issue with the committee as a former schoolteacher herself. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks, as well, to all those who made submissions and appeared in front of the committee at hearings, especially those parents, families and students who came and shared with us their very personal stories and experiences of school refusal. I thank you very much indeed. I know for many of you it was difficult, and you have been very brave in bringing forward your stories.

We heard some challenging and confronting stories from families during this time. I want to say to them: we hear you. We hear you, we hear that you're struggling, and we want to make sure that you get the right support, that you get the support that you need, to give your children the very best education possible and to give them a bright and shining future to look forward to. Our children are the future of our great nation, and it's up to us to help them reach their boundless potential. To do that, we need to chart a feasible course of action. This constructive and collaborative report that I've tabled here today on behalf of the committee steps out recommendations that we're all working towards to ensure that families, students, teachers and schools, or anyone affected by school refusal, will have access to the support they need.

Though those experiencing school refusal may face challenges, and some of those challenges are extremely severe, we know that we have a great education system here in Australia. It can be improved—there's no doubt about that—but we just have to make sure that all Australian children can access it in a way that works for them. School attendance is absolutely key. In 2013, the University of Western Australia and the Telethon Kids Institute, which back then was called the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, released their report titled Student Attendance and Educational Outcomes: Every Day Counts. One of the key findings of that report was that the average academic achievement, as indicated by NAPLAN results, declines as absence rates increases. That report stated:

The nature of the relationship between absence from school and achievement … strongly suggests that every day of attendance in school contributes towards a child's learning, and that academic outcomes are enhanced by maximising attendance in school.

The report says that there is no 'safe' threshold for absences. It went on to say:

The effects of absence also accumulate over time. … absence from school was related to academic achievement in numeracy, reading and writing not only in the current year, but in future years as well. Parents need to be aware of these relationships, and understand that when their child misses school it can have an ongoing impact on their learning.

Australian parents are acutely aware of this. What they need is for adequate support to be put in place that will help their children to get the education that they need so they are able to unlock their potential.

The 2019 report Spotlight: Attendance Matters, published by the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership noted: 'Irrespective of the reasons for absences, non-attendance affects student outcomes.' The AITSL report reiterated many of the findings from the 2013 UWA and Telethon report, quoting its finding that there are no safe thresholds for absences. It said: 'The impacts of absenteeism are cumulative'. It also said non-attendance 'can affect academic achievement in future years of schooling'.

I was pleased to learn recently that the education ministers have commissioned AERO, the Australian Education Research Organisation, to investigate the causes of declining attendance and provide advice on evidence based approaches to support attendance. AERO also provided a submission to the inquiry—and I thank them for that—stating that research in Australia is constrained by the current national standards and administrative systems for attendance reporting. I commend the Minister for Education for taking this important step and I encourage him to continue to pursue this.

Over the course of the inquiry, we heard some very harrowing accounts from some Australian families of their own personal experiences with school refusal. It was concerning to hear evidence from families and parents who were struggling with children experiencing school refusal. Many of them shared with us the great shame that they felt at the fact that they're struggling with this issue. Some students who are struggling with school attendance just, frankly, need a bit of a kick in the pants. They need to be told to keep off PlayStation at night and get to school. Of course there are those students who need that, but we heard from many parents that there are students who feel that they're put in the same category as those students who just need a bit of a nudge. I have teenage kids myself and I have seen the struggle of getting them to school over the years. That's, frankly, all they really needed. But we heard from parents who struggle to have their kids go to school, and they need every bit of support they can get, with the right tools and right support to be able to do that.

One of the problems we heard about was the extensive waiting times in every state for paediatricians and other allied health practitioners. In my home state of Western Australia, parents are waiting at least two years to see a paediatrician. Without that diagnosis, the school is not able to get the support and families are not able to get the support that they need. It is left to the schools, on their own, with their own budgets to provide the support to these students and it is simply not enough. It's not good enough.

My friend and colleague in the WA state parliament, the Hon. Donna Faragher MLC facilitated a successful petition supporting an inquiry into the adequacy of school development services and related programs delivered in Western Australia. More than 3,700 Western Australians signed that petition. These are families, carers, parents who are concerned about the lengthy waitlist for families needing to access paediatricians, clinical psychologists, speech pathologists and other allied health specialists. You name it, there's a long list in WA. It's simply not good enough.

We want to see parents and families supported by the health and education systems. It's only when a child receives a timely diagnosis that they can access the help they need. It is through accurate and effective data collection that we can ensure that no child is slipping through the cracks. There is a lot more work that needs to be done. We have just started in this space so families and children are not left floundering on their own. I'm sure there is unanimity on this issue in this place that we understand that the importance of receiving a quality education cannot be understated.

This inquiry was undertaken by the committee in a fantastic spirit of bipartisanship. Again, I thank my colleagues for all the work and time they have put in. I know I speak on behalf of my fellow committee members when I say that we all want every child to receive a world-class education. We have an excellent schooling system. There is room for improvement, and we can do better. There are many reasons why students might not be able to attend school or might find the mainstream school environment challenging and the inquiry process highlighted several reasons, many of them complex and multifaceted. To that end, there should be alternative methods of schooling available to these students. These alternative methods of schooling are out there, some of them are doing a fantastic job, and the committee report was able to highlight the fantastic job they do in helping students to re-engage with their schooling.

Through the COVID pandemic, we have seen that virtual schooling can be an avenue for some students who may not be able to engage with mainstream schooling. Of course, we are talking about students who have maybe neuro-diverse disorders, students with autism and others. Sometimes the mainstream system doesn't work and fitting them all into a single model doesn't always work. It works for many but not all, and we have to make sure that no child is left behind.

I want to reiterate the importance of having all Australian children attend school. It is simply not an option for children not to be attending school or receiving a world-class education. It's imperative for everyone. Our children are the future of our great nation. We do them a great disservice if we fail to support them in their education, so I commend this report to the Senate and indeed to the government.

Andrew McLachlan (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Do you wish to seek leave to continue your remarks?

Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to continue any my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.