Thursday, 10 February 2022

School camps and excursions

Ms LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (12:14): My question is for the Minister for Small Business. Minister, contrary to previous guarantees by your government that school camps would take place in term 1, many school camp operators have been inundated with cancellations during the first few weeks of the school year. This is because schools have been directed by the department of education’s school operations guide to reschedule staff-intensive activities such as school camps. These family-run small business operators have been on their knees under financial stress for the last two years because of constant lockdowns and homeschooling decisions of this Labor government. Will the government immediately reverse its decision to direct schools to cancel school camps so that these small businesses and this sector can survive?

Ms PULFORD (Western Victoria—Minister for Employment, Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Resources) (12:15): I thank Ms Lovell for her question around the impact of restrictions and health advice to schools and to families and the impact that that is having on the camp sector. My ministers statement not very many minutes ago was reflecting on some work that we had done with the swimming instructing industry—very similarly affected by the interruptions to normal school activity. I am certainly well aware of the issues that Ms Lovell speaks of and had, with Minister Merlino, toward the end of last year been involved in a sort of surge in camp and excursion activity to support a catch-up both in all those educational opportunities that kids have missed but also of course in recognising that these have a very significant impact for the kinds of businesses that Ms Lovell is referring to.

In terms of the return to school, which is now just a week or two in, depending on what day people started, there certainly has been a large increase in the number of school camps and excursions occurring. But in terms of omicron impacts on those and the effect of advice to schools changing in the last week or so, what I would like to offer to do is to take the opportunity to confer with the Minister for Education, because obviously that is not advice I provide—about activities for teachers and staff and students—and provide you with a written response at the earliest opportunity.

Ms LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (12:17): Thank you for that undertaking, Minister. But, Minister, with schools cancelling camps at short notice these small businesses are unable to pay the bills and people will lose their jobs. What financial compensation will you provide to these small school camp businesses that are suffering as a direct result of government policy?

Ms PULFORD (Western Victoria—Minister for Employment, Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Resources) (12:17): The pandemic is a relevant factor here, which I know the opposition sort of run hot and cold on in recognising the existence of.

Ms Crozier: What a ridiculous thing to say.

Ms PULFORD: Well, you know, you all kind of let it rip and then you pretend it does not happen. Anyway, back to Ms Lovell’s important and serious question—

Members interjecting.

Ms PULFORD: Well, Ms Crozier does not really do important, serious questions so much, but Ms Lovell has on this occasion I think asked a very important question. So, as I said, I will confer with the education minister and Deputy Premier about the latest advice in the last week or two and decisions that have been made as a result of government policy. But what I would indicate is that the businesses in this sector, like many in many other sectors, particularly those that bring people together in groups, have all been eligible for the supports that have been provided through the pandemic and would all be eligible for the programs that are currently running as well.