Schools chaplain program extended with bullying focus

The $240m school chaplains program will be extended for another four years in the budget with a focus on anti-bullying.

Education Minister Simon Birmingham. Picture: AAP

The $240 million school chaplains program will be extended for another four years in Tuesday’s federal budget — with an enhanced focus on “anti-bullying” — after lobbying by conservative backbenchers.

The Australian understands the program went to the government’s expenditure review committee, where Education Minister Simon Birmingham canvassed options to continue or jettison the scheme.

Funding for the program, which began during John Howard’s prime ministership, was allocated from outside the education budget. In 2016, the Coalition dumped funding for Safe Schools — an anti-bullying program for LGBTIQ students. It argued the program hid an ideological agenda but no specific schools initiative replaced the measure.

A spokesman for Senator Birmingham would not comment on “budget speculation” but the minister has previously supported chaplains in schools. “Well, I’ve had representations from many, many schools around the country, arguing in favour of the continuation of that program,” Senator Birmingham said in a radio interviews in March.

“It is important for listeners who may have misconceptions about it to realise that there are strict qualification criteria that sit around school chaplains, that they have to be well-trained and versed in terms of their capacity to provide counselling and support to students, that they are not allowed to proselytise or preach religion, as such, in schools.”

Senator Birmingham visited Bald Hills State School in Brisbane’s north last month where he remarked upon the “great work” being done by its chaplain.

The funding commitment is ­expected to fall short of demands from Coalition and independent backbenchers to increase total funding for school chaplains by 25 per cent.

The National Schools Chaplaincy Program has repeatedly been reincarnated throughout its 12-year history. When Kevin Rudd became prime minister, the initiative was redesigned to allow secular youths or social workers to be counted as chaplains. This amendment was ditched by Tony Abbott in 2014.

In the meantime, the program survived two successful High Court challenges. The court ruled the program’s funding mechanism was invalid but the Abbott government switched from funding schools directly to distributing the money to state and territory governments for the same purpose.

Mr Abbott renewed the program in 2014-15 for four years, and it was due to expire in July.

Under existing guidelines, schools are eligible for $20,000 each year to fund a chaplain. ­Remote schools receive $24,000.

A petition led by Queensland LNP MP Luke Howarth, with at least 30 signatures from other backbenchers, called on the federal government to increase funding for the program by 25 per cent. There are more than 2300 chaplains employed by schools and the vast majority, with the exception of about 40 positions, are held by Christians. Labor has opposed any version of the program that prohibits secular youth workers from being hired in the place of a ­religion-backed chaplain.

The anti-bullying focus follows the suicide of 14-year-old student Amy “Dolly” Everett in the school holidays in January.

Malcolm Turnbull has led the government’s response to bullying in schools, and has funded mental health support for young Australians. “Dolly’s passing highlights the devastating impact that bullying can have on its victims,” he said in a statement. “Every step must be taken to reduce the incidence of bullying, whether offline or on, and eliminate it wherever we can.”

The Prime Minister wrote to all schools in late February, urging principals “to stand united in their communities to say that bullying and violence is unacceptable”.

If you or someone you know may be at risk of suicide, call Lifeline ­
(13 11 14) or the Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), or see a doctor.