EDUCATION —
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION WA
757. Hon CHARLES SMITH to the Minister for Education and
Training:
I refer to the state government–funded
Inclusive Education WA program, which is being delivered to schools across Western
Australia by the Western Australian AIDS Council.
(1) Can the minister confirm that Inclusive Education
WA is largely a rebranded version of the old Safe Schools program and involves at least some of the
individuals who previously ran the Safe Schools program in WA?
(2) Is the
minister aware that students seeking more information on the Inclusive
Education WA program are referred to the WA AIDS Council website, which
contains graphic sexual content?
(3) Is the
minister aware that the WA AIDS Council website also contains a section
advising people how to use meth safely?
(4) Does the
government concede that it is inappropriate that Western Australian students
are directed to a site that exposes them to highly explicit sexual content and content
on how to use illicit drugs?
Hon SUE
ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) The Safe Schools Coalition WA changed its name to
Inclusive Education WA. This was not the McGowan government rebranding
the program. The Department of Education has an agreement with the WA AIDS
Council to provide professional development and support to principals, teachers
and support staff to understand the individual needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender and/or intersex students in public secondary schools. Public
secondary schools make the decision about whether the Inclusive Education
program is right for their school community. It is not delivered to schools
across Western Australia, as the honourable member has suggested.
(2)–(4)
The content to which the honourable member refers is on a public website, was
developed for a specific purpose and is targeted at an adult audience. The WA
AIDS Council offers a number of services to the broader community. The work for
which it is contracted by the Department of Education is for those public
secondary schools that make a decision that the Inclusive Education program is
right for their school community.