[Greens-Media] Pyne gives NSW public schools the devil's choice

[John Kaye]

Pyne gives NSW public schools the devil's choice

Media Release: 29 November 2014

The National School Chaplaincy Program is exploiting the desperation of
many NSW public school principals for additional assistance  to cope with
their schools' welfare needs, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.

('Public schools in rush for funding for chaplains', Sydney Morning Herald,
29 November, p. 15, http://j.mp/smh141129)

Dr Kaye said: "It is hardly surprising that public schools are putting
their hats in the ring for another set of hands.

"Principals coping with the impacts of students from dysfunctional homes,
endemic poverty and even the normal stresses of growing up are unlikely to
turn down additional assistance, even if it breaches the promise that no
child will be proselytised at school.

"The program is deeply unfair.

"Principals have to make the devil's choice between extra resources to deal
with welfare stress and protecting their students from chaplains hunting
for converts.

"Religious schools that already have access to chaplaincy from their own
denomination's clergy will be allowed to double dip.

"Many of the more than 180 Catholic, Protestant, Islamic and Jewish schools
getting a free $20,000 a year gift would have had chaplains operating in
the school even without the program.

"In religious schools that are already supported by clergy and lay
volunteers, the program fails on even simple economic and governance
grounds to ensure that public money is purchasing a service that would not
have already been provided.

"Providing money to religious schools for chaplains is a waste of
taxpayers' money.

"The Agreement delegates the allocation of chaplains to a cross-sector
committee.

"Decisions about which public schools need more assistance will be handled
by a committee with representatives of the Catholic and Independent
schools, many of whom will have no idea of the range of stresses facing a
school serving a disadvantaged community.

"The NSW Department of Education will now be required to establish and
operate a new governance structure to cope with compliance, complaints and
child safety at more than 500 schools across all three sectors.

"The Abbot government is allocating an entirely inadequate $320,000 a year
for this task. Inevitably there will have to be a cross-subsidy out of the
public education budget to prop up religious recruiting.

"NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli should renegotiate the deal and
allow the money to be used to create more school counsellor positions in
public schools," Dr Kaye said.

For more information: John Kaye 0407 195 455


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John Kaye
Greens NSW MP
phone: 0407 195 455
web: www.john.nsw.greens.org.au
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