Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Earlier this year I visited the Barrett Adolescent Centre Special School at Tennyson in my electorate of Moreton, a school that transforms children's lives. Sadly, the young people attending the Barrett centre have all suffered immense mental anxiety and distress. Regular schools do not cater to their needs.

I was given a couple of examples of how the Barrett centre has transformed the lives of such students. One student had stopped attending school altogether. He was at the point where he found it extremely difficult to leave the house, experiencing panic attacks when he did. When referred to the Barrett Adolescent Centre Special School, he couldn't even get out of the car, but the staff understood. Three camping chairs were placed on the footpath near his mother's car. His teacher sat in one and invited him to join her. It took lots of patience—patience that teachers in other schools often don't have time to exhibit—but, over weeks of building trust each day, eventually he walked into the classroom. Two years later, that student is able to attend TAFE one day a week. Another student had been missing 80 per cent of classes at her regular school due to extreme anxiety. Now, at the Barrett centre, she's only missed two days in a whole semester. Her father says the school has changed their lives.

The Barrett centre is giving these young people the chance to fulfil their educational dreams, as all Australian children deserve. So a big shout-out to all the staff and parents who invest so much in the Barrett centre and long may they prosper.