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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-02-28 Daily Xml
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DISABLED STUDENTS

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:20): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Disabilities a question about the lack of funding for students with a disability.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: The Gonski Review of Funding for Schooling released on 20 February 2012 revealed the disparity between support provided for students with a disability in South Australia and the rest of the nation. According to the review, the average funding for students with a disability in government schools in South Australia in 2009-10 was $4,808 per student, whilst in other states disabled students had eight times as much financial support.

For example, in New South Wales it was $13,244 per student, in Victoria it was $19,800 per student, in Western Australia it was $20,233 per student, and in Tasmania it was $41,817 per student. These figures were supported by the January edition of the Productivity Commission, finding that South Australia's general support for people with a disability is far less than the national average. My questions to the minister are:

1. With other states providing eight times as much financial support to disabled students in government schools, why has the South Australian government given such little financial support to disabled students?

2. How will the Minister for Disabilities ensure the disability sector is prioritised urgently in this year's budget?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (15:22): This is a classic example of quoting statistics without the context behind them, giving you a false picture of what might actually be happening on the ground. This is an area where we should all take a lesson in stats, I suppose. South Australia has the second highest rate of students who receive disability support in the country—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: My apologies, Mr President.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: There is a lot of mumbling on the other side of the—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! You might want to listen to this so you get the statistics accurately from the minister. The honourable minister.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Clearly—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Ridgway has finished? The honourable minister.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Clearly, with the notable exception of one or two members on the opposite side, these people opposite have absolutely no interest in the area of disability and have no interest in my answer to the question, but I do thank the Hon. Ms Lee for her very, very important question.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: As I said, South Australia has the second highest rate of students who receive disability support in the country. Within our public school system, 9.1 per cent of children or about 15,000 students receive some form of disability support. This is much higher than most other states and territories and more than double the rate of states like Western Australia. This is because we recognise and support a broader range of disabilities than other states and territories. This is why it is so important for honourable members to understand the context of the questions they are asking and not to go for the cheap shot by not looking behind the statistics that they raise in this chamber.

This is also the case with my own agency, the disability services agency. We provide support to a greater number of people with disabilities than our counterparts in other states, because our definition of disability is so much broader. The Department for Education and Child Development spends an additional $124.29 million on specifically supporting students with disabilities. This is over and above the funding spent on students generally.

I am advised that that recent investment includes $54.8 million for the complete redevelopment of six special schools around the state—the biggest new investment in disability education in a generation. It includes another $9 million to develop six new special units for children with disabilities to ensure that those with special needs are provided with further options for their education and an additional $4 million in increased support to the non-government sector specifically for students with disabilities. This is an object lesson to honourable members: don't quote statistics and reports unless you know what you are talking about.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! I remind honourable members that they should take the time to have a look at standing orders 108 and 109 as far as asking supplementary questions. Some of those offenders have left the chamber, but they might have a look at Hansard and get it.

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