NAOMI LEVIN

PRIME Minster Kevin Rudd has confirmed that funding for school chaplains would continue until 2011, pledging to invest an additional $42 million in the program.

The initiative was established by the previous government in 2007. Since then, the $115 million pumped into the program has seen around 2700 Australian schools receive funding of up to $20,000 a year towards their chaplaincy.

In a speech to the Australian Christian Lobby’s national conference in Canberra last month, Rudd stressed the importance of chaplains –- including rabbis -– in providing care that teachers often cannot offer.

He added: “We will guarantee funding for the next two years until December 2011 for schools currently funded under the National School Chaplaincy Program.

“This will involve a total additional investment of $42 million over the 2010 and 2011 school years.”

During that time, he said the Government would reconsider the program and would call on community submissions to assess the best way to carry it forward.

“While there is no denying the success of the National School Chaplaincy Program, it could be improved to better accommodate schools in rural and regional areas, small schools and schools in disadvantaged communities,” he said.

Opposition education spokesperson Christopher Pyne had been encouraging the Government to commit to the chaplaincy program’s continuation for some time.

“This program was introduced by the Coalition government and enabled schools to employ a part-time school chaplain,” Pyne said last month.

“According to figures released during [Senate] estimates hearings last week, an extraordinary 97 per cent of participating school principals supported its continuation.”

Pyne, though, was critical of Rudd’s announcement, saying it only provided for the continuation of current funding, and did not allow schools that were not already receiving funding to apply.