Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The National School Chaplaincy Program is an important part of our school education system, providing vital support in an environment that places ever-increasing pressure on both students and teachers. In the lead-up to the 2010 federal election, Prime Minister Gillard promised that the program would not be secularised; yet recent government announcements on the program do exactly that. The truth of the matter is that the chaplaincy program is not a religious program. I have spoken previously in this place about chaplaincy—in particular, the journey of a teacher who transitioned into chaplaincy as she saw the importance of helping students with deeper issues.

The merits of chaplaincy have not changed. Yet it was February when I last spoke about this issue and now we are in November and the question mark still remains. Tim Mander, probably better known as an NRL referee but, more importantly, the CEO of Scripture Union Queensland, has estimated that, should funding of the school chaplaincy program be cut, up to half of school chaplains would be lost overnight. There are more than 500 'chappies' operating in 600 state schools across my home state of Queensland, and the initiative is strongly supported by parents, teachers and students alike. As of August this year, Mr Mander had already received 30,000 statements of support for the chaplaincy program, and hearing the stories of students who are currently benefiting and have benefited from chaplaincy programs in our schools makes it easy to see why chaplaincy contributes so much to society.

Chaplaincy and pastoral care have long been adopted and accepted by schools and the wider community as services that transcend religion. They provide support and lend a listening ear to students in need. We all went through high school; we all know the troubles we faced then. But there are a myriad of further pressures placed on students today. Furthermore, more and more is being expected of teachers, who are already overworked. Chaplains provide an extra service in our schools to help deal with these pressures and have the opportunity to support students with deeper issues.

Chaplains have a distinct and defined role, and it is such an important one: they are there to provide comfort and support at a critical time in a child's life. It is far better and more effective to have resources in our schools to try to address youth issues when they are prevalent and to have programs in place to prevent larger problems and more serious ones from developing. Let us not be short-sighted. Remember: the right help at a crucial moment in a child's or teenager's life can prevent a lifetime of problems which can be much more costly to our society in the long term. Furthermore, chaplaincy is not limited to schools. Chaplains have long held roles with emergency service organisations, defence forces, hospitals and professional sporting teams. The notion of pastoral care for development of a young person is highly valued by our community, with schools and university residential colleges in particular proudly promoting this service as a benefit of their institution. It is also important to note that the national chaplaincy program is optional for schools and that federal funding is only $20,000 per school. That is not enough to fund a chaplain. Therefore, a great deal of support for a chaplain in a school must come from the community, as only approximately two-thirds are covered by the government. This has led to a type of government-community partnership for local chaplains and has provided a great deal of community cohesion around the chaplaincy program. From this, it is easy to see why in 2009 a national survey noted that 98 per cent of responding school principals who had a chaplain on campus said that they wanted their program to continue.

Chaplains provide a vital support service at a time when mental health issues are causing huge concerns around Australia. While suicide contributes to just 1.5 per cent of deaths in Australia, it is disproportionately high in our youth. In 2009, 24 per cent of male deaths of those aged 15 to 24 were suicide. This statistic is heartbreaking and it is a worrying sign that we are failing our youth—the future of our nation.

School chaplaincy testimonials from students around the country have attributed chappies to helping them to beat their demons and to grow into the successful, contributing and, most importantly, happy young people that they are today. I have heard their stories and I would like to take this opportunity to put on record my ongoing support for chaplaincy services.