FED:More chaplains under Labor

08-08-2010
FED:More chaplains under Labor

CANBERRA, Aug 8 AAP - Up to 1000 additional schools, including those in remote or disadvantaged
areas, will get a chaplain service under a re-elected Labor government.

The National School Chaplaincy Program already provides the service to 2700 schools.

If Labor wins the August 21 election, the program would get $222 million to reach more
schools, and secure existing chaplains for a further three years.

Labor last year committed funding to run the program for the full school year in 2011.

A national consultation process will consider the scheme's effectiveness and how it
fits with other student support activities, with a discussion paper to be released by
October.

In a statement, the Labor party said it recognised that some schools in rural, remote
and disadvantaged locations had so far missed out.

They would be better considered in the new round, and in rural areas, funding could
be pooled so chaplains could service a number of schools.

Labor says funding for the policy would be offset over the forward estimates.

AAP gd/rl/jm

KEYWORD: POLL10 CHAPLAIN

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