Tuesday, 7 March 2023

 Ryan SMITH (Warrandyte) (13:15): Today I would like to raise a matter which is causing a lot of angst amongst parents and school communities. Because of the new conditions in the recent teachers enterprise bargaining agreement whereby teachers who attend any out-of-school-hours activities are entitled to time off in lieu, schools are having to reconsider having class excursions and camps. Teachers should be and deserve to be valued for the work that they do; that is not the issue. The issue is that this government, which agreed to these reforms, is now refusing to increase school budgets to factor in these increased costs to schools. Already dealing with budgets that are not fit for purpose, many schools are being forced to cancel these activities. This cruel decision by the government has the potential to rob children of these unique and character-building experiences with their classmates. School camps are often a highlight of the school year, and with many children already having missed camps due to government lockdowns, these opportunities are more important than ever. These experiences are often a child’s first time staying away from home and help to build confidence, independence, social skills and the formation of stronger bonds with classmates. I have had a number of parents pass on their concern that their child’s camps have been cancelled, frustrated that their school is continually underfunded by this government. With the government refusing to increase school maintenance budgets in line with inflation, this latest impost on staffing budgets is just another reason why principals are reportedly questioning their long-term commitment to the role. I urge the government to allocate the funding needed to compensate for these changed work conditions so that our students can continue to enjoy the memorable experiences of school camps.