PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Ms ALDRED (Monash—Opposition Whip) (18:45): I rise to support this motion by my friend and colleague the member for Berowra. As the daughter of a primary school teacher who did teach in some of the state's most disadvantaged schools during her career, I think my colleague's motion reflects the challenges and aspirations my mum had for her students and all teachers and parents have for young people right across our state and country.
We all aspire to have a world-class education for young people, regardless of whether they attend a government, Catholic or independent school. This debate should never be about one sector versus another. It should be about what is best for each individual child.
Parents know their children better than any government ever will. They choose schools for many reasons: academic opportunity, faith, culture, values, specialist programs, disability support, safety or as the school that best meets that student's needs. Those choices deserve to be respected.
Across my electorate of Monash, we are very fortunate to have some absolutely outstanding schools across every sector. From government secondary schools to Catholic colleges, Christian schools, specialist schools and independent schools, every single one of my schools in the Monash electorate is making an important contribution to the next generation of Australians.
Families in regional Australia often make significant financial and practical sacrifices to access the education they believe is right for their children. Many travel long distances, relocate closer to schools or pay school fees while managing higher costs of living and working multiple jobs. Government policy should support and enable these decisions, not make them harder.
There's never been a more challenging time to be a young Australian than right now. Schools are dealing with increasing rates of anxiety, mental health challenges, bullying and pressures created by social media. Education today extends far beyond reading, writing and mathematics, and that's why student wellbeing programs are so important.
In my electorate of Monash, I want to give a shout-out to Warragul Regional College, which has operated a school chaplaincy program for more than 60 years. It's one of the longest-running programs in Victoria, and I'm very proud that it's in our local electorate. The college recently lost $80,000 in Commonwealth funding over four years, leaving the local community to raise even more money simply to maintain a service supporting around 700 students.
Their chaplain, Oscar Correa, previously spent more than a decade working in prisons before dedicating himself to supporting young people. Whether it's providing a safe place to talk, running breakfast programs or simply being another trusted adult that students can turn to, chaplaincy plays an invaluable role in many school communities. Leongatha Secondary College has built a comprehensive wellbeing team, including mental health practitioners, counsellors and school nurses, alongside programs like the Resilience Project, which provides youth access clinics and mental health first aid.
Different schools choose different approaches because different communities have different needs. One of the great privileges of representing the electorate of Monash is seeing these incredible achievements happening in schools every week. I want to give a shout-out to year 9 students at Foster Secondary College who recently volunteered as umpires for the local primary school sports day.
Students at Bass Coast College won silver medals at the Australian Culinary Federation's secondary schools competition. Chairo Christian School students Kiana and Mataya became state dance champions. Marist-Sion College students volunteered to deliver bread to disadvantaged families across Melbourne.
I also had the pleasure of visiting Warragul and District Specialist School to present a flag and see firsthand the outstanding work done to support students with additional needs. These achievements come from every education sector, and the coalition supports that. They demonstrate that excellence is driven by dedicated teachers, supportive families, committed school communities and students who are encouraged to reach their full potential in life.
Funding schools should never become an ideological exercise. Funding should follow students. It should recognise need, provide certainty and support the diversity of schools that Australian families choose.
Parents should never be made to feel guilty for making the best decision they can for their own child, and that is why I so strongly associate myself with this motion.