Funding withdrawn from Mt Sinai
State Labor Member for Heffron and Shadow Minister, Ron Hoenig has today expressed his outrage at the Federal Liberal Government cutting the school counsellor from Sydney’s Mount Sinai College, in the wake of the recent antisemitic attack of Jewish school students on a school bus.
The funding of approximately $60,000 was provided to Maroubra’s Mount Sinai College under the School Chaplaincy Program. The Abbott Government has heartlessly withdrawn its funding support for this program, determining that non-religious welfare officers will no longer be funded.
The School Chaplaincy Program was introduced in 2006 by the Howard government. In 2011 the Labor Government extended the program to include secular welfare workers such as school counsellors.
Mr Hoenig is outraged; “It astonishes me that particularly after the recent disturbing antisemitic attacks on young Jewish students from Mount Sinai College – who needed counselling by the school counsellor – would now have no more funding for these important counselling services.
Ron Hoenig
“I can’t imagine why the young Mount Sinai children who were threatened with having their throats cut should not have access to continued funding to school counselling.
“While Mount Sinai College continues to enhance the school’s security measures for the students’ safety, bearing in mind the high threat levels to Australia, the Federal Government cuts support services to victims of antisemitic attacks.
“School counsellors are an essential part of a school’s structure. They provide students with an outlet to express themselves confidentially with someone they trust.
“To cut this position and jeopardise the progress the school counsellors would have made with students demonstrates a total lack of foresight.
“The students who were subject to the antisemitic attacks, some of which are in my electorate, were provided with the support of the school counsellor. This very counsellor has been cut.
“I call on the NSW Premier to stand up for the welfare of our Jewish students at Mount Sinai College and ring his mate Mr Abbott to reverse this cut,” Mr Hoenig said.
Mt Sinai has been operating for over 30 years. Ron Hoenig is the NSW Shadow Minister for Ports and Emergency Services.
