Thursday, 3 August 2023

Inclusive education

Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (17:28): (365) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Education in the other place, and the action I seek from the minister is to overturn this appalling decision to shut down visiting teacher services. It is absolutely appalling that we have a broke Victoria but the way the Andrews government decides to cut corners is to cut services to our most vulnerable students and their families and predominantly in rural and regional Victoria. 170 frontline specialist teaching jobs employed under the scheme will be slashed to only 32. Over 4000 students with disability and/or a serious medical condition in mainstream schools are supported by this program, and it is traumatic for parents and students to learn that they may well lose access to their invaluable special support teacher.

I was contacted early this morning by a parent who had just heard – in outer Gippsland, as it is termed in education speak – that her very valuable and valued specialist teacher, who has been attending to her young daughter, who is now in year 8, since grade 1, will be removed. And I will not put names in, but these are some of the things that she said. The teacher:

… has worked in partnership with –

her daughter –

… and the school, providing specialised knowledge, advice and information to make the journey as successful as possible. She instructs on the use of technology, provides individualised learning guidelines, educates on communication … and generally solves any and every problem.

She is so valued. There is no rhyme or reason. It is callous that the Andrews government would think it is appropriate to slash these frontline services, and I heard the minister, when my colleague the member for Gippsland East raised this for the minister today, say, ‘Oh, no, but wait – we’ve got a disability inclusion policy, and it’s going to be rolled out. All will be well.’ Well, it will not deliver one additional teacher into the classroom – not one additional teacher. They are pulling out these specialist teachers, and the clincher here is that outer Gippsland will not receive this inclusion policy and any funding, if it comes, until 2025. This young girl, who is in year 8, will have just about finished her education by that time if this policy actually rolls out. It is unfair and it is unjust, and I call on the minister to overturn this ridiculous cost-cutting benefit that only hurts families of disability children.