Mr PETER DRAPER (Tamworth) [1.57 p.m.]: I have been contacted recently by many local parents who are very concerned by a decision to close the Dalwood Assessment Centre and Palm Avenue School in Seaforth at the end of term. I have been told that this decision will have a devastating effect on many local children, not to mention kids from across country New South Wales. Dalwood offers specialist literacy services to regional and remote families whose children have significant educational difficulties. The children have been unable to be helped through local education resources. Once the resources have been exhausted applications can be made to Dalwood to have children assessed, and then programs are designed to meet their specific needs. Students are referred to Dalwood from State, Catholic and independent schools, and from indigenous and non-indigenous families.

Locally there has been an extraordinary rate of success. Dalwood has allowed children to reach a level of achievement in their schoolwork previously unthinkable. Without Dalwood, children affected by learning challenges would be stuck in a cycle of repeating programs not suited to their particular learning problems, and continuing to fail. The process most families follow for children struggling in these areas is a distressing one. It is a very real and very painful experience. For many children, Dalwood and Palm Avenue has been a door to success, healthy self-esteem and confidence in literacy.

It is my understanding that the centre is currently providing services for 200-plus children per year from country New South Wales, and there are already more than 100 on next year's waiting list. Parents have every right to ask what will happen to their children in the future as the risks of allowing children to grow up functionally illiterate are very well documented. The new proposal that has been put forward is not providing the answers that parents are looking for. If the existing facility was properly funded the current waiting list could be eliminated, giving each child a better chance in life. If funding was increased, the service could accept applications much earlier or visit the children's home schools, facilitating a thorough assessment of their circumstances and needs while reducing the need for travel to Sydney. I received an email from another local parent yesterday stating:

I have a 7 year old son who entered the Dalwood system at the beginning of this year. He was so far behind in his reading and literacy skills, his prospects for achieving a reasonable level of education seemed limited. With the programs put in place by Dalwood, in the space of 9 months, he has gone from looking at the pictures to reading for enjoyment. The spin off to his story is that his school is now using the same program to help other kids, and believe me, there are so many of them who simply can't read.

Almost all of the Dalwood staff have already been given a termination date and only a proportion of the Palm Avenue teaching staff will be moved to the new, and as yet untested, unit at Westmead. There are fears that this unit will not be set up in the same form or with the same mandate as the Dalwood and Palm Avenue facilities and that it will provide services only to children from the most remote areas. Closure without making this sort of service widely available to all country kids would be short-sighted and a waste of the combined experience, expertise and professional wisdom of existing staff.

Parents and professionals have told me how important the educational component is under the current system at Dalwood. David Paterson, senior lecturer in special education and educational psychology at the University of New England, told me that there is no doubt that powerful outcomes for students with learning difficulties and disabilities are much more likely when professionals work together. He said that the combined centre proposed for closure was one of the few places where that collaborative practice was a normal part of day-to-day operations. David said:

interagency cooperation is regularly talked about in the field of education but less regularly practised. This usually means that advocates for the child—usually the parents—are the ones who have to make connections between various service providers. This is a very difficult undertaking, particularly for parents who do not live in the major cities.

Simply no other service, existing or proposed, meets the needs of country children in the way that the Dalwood and Palm Avenue facilities do. While there is talk of more inclusive services, no-one can provide quantifiable details of how the alternative proposal improves upon what already exists at Dalwood or details about what will become of children overlooked in non-remote areas such as in and around Tamworth and Gunnedah. I stress that parents do not mind where the service is based—they are not saying that it must be delivered from the current site at Seaforth.

However, the existing proposal is being strongly challenged by both parents and educators. The decision appears flawed, with parents expressing very serious concerns about inadequate consultation. Country parents are rightfully worried that this decision will result in further disadvantage to already vulnerable children in our education system. I have already been contacted by the Minister's staff, and they have indicated to me that they will provide answers to the questions that mums and dads in my local area are asking. I look forward to receiving that advice. However, the many consultations I have had with parents indicate that this appears to be a poor decision and one that will not advantage young people in regional New South Wales in the future.

Private members' statements concluded.

[The Assistant-Speaker (Ms Alison Megarrity) left the chair at 2.02 p.m. The House resumed at 2.15 p.m.]