Mr JOHN TURNER (Myall Lakes) [5.05 p.m.]: It is not my intention to bag the Government about this issue, which I have mentioned briefly to the Minister for Education and Training in an attempt to resolve it. Chatham High School teachers have decided to boycott the school for a period each day following the re-enrolment of a student with a history of aggressive behaviour and non-compliance. It is alleged that he has taken a knife to school, has been very violent at school, and has created great unrest at the school. The student has returned to the school for one hour per day—I believe that is to be extended to two hours—and the teachers maintain that the security of the school is being breached by his return.

The teachers do not believe that Chatham High School is an appropriate educational setting for the student. The teachers say he should be placed in another educational centre that provides more appropriate treatment for students with such problems. The teachers stress that they are not neglecting the child's needs; they recognise that he needs an education, but it should be provided at a different centre. In my electorate there are two places that students with such problems can attend, but those establishments are full. Schools in the Manning-Great Lakes area obviously require more resources to cater for students with such problems. At another school in a similar situation morale has been greatly diminished because one student is creating great unrest but cannot be placed anywhere else because of the lack of facilities in the Manning-Great Lakes area.

This problem has escalated, and obviously it must be resolved. There is one student on one side of the ledger and 730 students on the other side whose education is being disrupted. One parent contacted my office today and said that the students are now pretty adept at handball but they need to get back to their mathematics classes. When the teachers go on strike for one period while the student is on the school grounds, the other students receive minimal supervision and no education. Students could receive no tuition for approximately 1,460 student hours each day that the problem continues. The Teachers Federation has forwarded several motions to the department about this ongoing problem, and yesterday picketed the department's offices in Forster. One motion states:

This meeting of NSW Teacher's Federation members at Chatham High School condemns the DET for its failure to comply with the provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Legal Issues Bulletin No 40 in enrolling a student with a history of violence. The OH&S Act requires than an "employer must consult, in accordance with this division with the employees of the employer to enable the employees to contribute to the making of decisions affecting their health, safety and welfare at work" This consultation did not occur.

A further motion of 26 October 2009 stated:

This meeting of NSWTF members at CHS would like to make some suggestions with regards to the student's future.

As I said, this is not an exercise in beating up the Government; the school is trying to find a way to resolve this problem. The motion went on to say:

He could participate in his lessons at a different site.
Another district resource could be set up that caters for students with high needs such as this student's. Since the tutorial centre at Foster and the multi-categorical class at Wingham are both full; there is a real need for more funding and resources in this area.

That is the point I made when I began my contribution. More resources are needed. I accept the comments of the Minister for Education and Training to me earlier today that the department is attempting to put resources into the school. There have been problems with staff—there has been no principal or deputy principal for some time. An acting principal has now been put in place. It is a matter that needs to be resolved because it is not just this boy who is in trouble. The morale of the whole school community is going down and of course the students are losing valuable educational time.