National School Chaplaincy Program

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:37): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, representing the Minister for Education a question in relation to the National School Chaplaincy service.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: We are halfway through term 1 of the 2017 school year and the National School Chaplaincy service providers were assured payment would be received in February, but this week the department has advised providers that an unexpected hurdle has arisen. Neither an explanation as to the hurdle nor an estimated date for the funding to be made available has been provided.

The Schools Ministry Group is the largest chaplaincy service provider in South Australia, serving over 340 schools. SMG will need to withdraw services from next Monday if funding is not provided, in which case the jobs of 300 pastoral care workers will be affected and the thousands of children who benefit from the support will lose out. The Schools Ministry Group has provided services in schools so far this year, despite the delay in funding, in good faith and with an understanding that the funding would be received in February. The impact of the government withholding these funds is that vital support for students across the South Australian Department for Education and Child Development schools will be withdrawn. My questions are:

1. What factors are delaying payments under the National School Chaplaincy service program?

2. When will the funding be released to these service providers?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (14:38): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. I undertake to take that question to the minister in the other place and bring back a response on her behalf.