We are excited to share with you some of the latest developments from the National School Chaplaincy Association (NSCA) and their Parliamentary Friends of School Chaplaincy initiative. SU Australia CEO Alison Hunter, together with other SU and NSCA stakeholders visited Canberra in September as part of their quarterly Canberra advocacy activities.
They were joined by a principal from Western Australia, Queensland chaplain Chang Po Ching, and student Nathaniel, whose story you may recall was shared as part of our EOFY Appeal campaign. During the visit, they met with Jason Clare, the Federal Education Minister, and spoke at a special event held in Milton Dick’s courtyard (the Speaker of the House) attended by both sides of parliament, where our nation’s leaders learned more about the important role chaplains play in the life of a school community.
Many other meetings were held in the parliamentary offices of Members of Parliament and Senators from around the country. At each of these meetings, a national proposal was presented seeking:
- an increase in chaplaincy funding per school,
- expansion of the National Student Wellbeing Program (NSWP) to all Australian schools, and
- the return of DGR for chaplaincy donations.
MPs and Senators alike were keen to meet and overall supportive of the NSWP. This month Alison and the NSCA will return to serve breakfast to politicians and their staff as they experience a ‘Breakfast Club’ in the courtyards of Parliament House.
We still have much work to do however we are confident that the NSCA is having an impact and SU Australia is playing an important role in this space.