Tuesday, 29 July 2025

 Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (15:25): I wish to speak on Skyline Education Foundation Australia. Comments like ‘He’s a bit odd,’ ‘You’ll never make it’ or ‘Can’t you just be like your peers’ are words that sometimes are received by gifted students, some of whom also face generational poverty and family violence. Rather than cutting down tall poppies, Skyline Education Foundation Australia is helping these students beat the odds. I met with Skyline’s exceptional CEO Samantha MacRae, whose foundation received 138 scholarship applications for 2026. Some students are even from my community. Skyline guides gifted young people through challenging settings with financial and moral support, enabling them to progress into tertiary education and big careers. Skyline’s alumni are living proof of what is possible. Here is an example: a daughter who lost her father to lung cancer and was raised by her mother in public housing is now a university lecturer with a PhD. A young man who nearly dropped out of year 10 earned a 92.3 ATAR and became a full Janet Clarke Hall scholar. Having raised gifted children myself, I know how vital it is for them to build self-belief, because when we back our brightest, especially those doing it tough, we all benefit.