With both State and Federal elections set to take place in the next twelve months, the need to understand both state and federal politicians has never been greater for SCEA schools and other faith-based educational institutions.
As a person who works in a SCEA school, why would I care about politicians?
- The vast majority of school funding comes from Federal coffers, and the State Government also allocates significant funding to independent schools.
- SCEA’s quest to create education support units inside our current school sites (as Christian schools like Green Point Christian School on the central coast of New South Wales and Emmanuel Christian School on Queensland’s Gold Coast have) rests with government funding to ensure that adequate staffing can take place to serve students who need this level of care and attention.
- SCEA’s ability to hire Christian staff in all of its schools and the SCEA Head Office cannot be taken for granted. The debate about religious discrimination has dominated discussions over the past eighteen months, and discussions on both sides of parliament are consistently changing regarding potential legislation that would vastly affect our schooling environments.
These are just three of the many issues currently being discussed by SCEA Board Chair Mr Craig Clark, Chief Operating Officer Mr Nick Wood and Head of Risk & Compliance Mr Rhys Vallance as the election season begins.
Yesterday, the team met with Mr Sam Lim, the Federal Member for Tangney.
Mr Lim is originally from Malaysia, and has gained much traction with the international community of Tangney – including Bull Creek, Murdoch, Winthrop and Canning Vale.
“I was raised in a poor area, and it was a wonderful mission school that I have to thank for my education,” said Mr Lim.
“Without education, we can never elevate our status in society or really understand what we can be in life. It helps us to realise our potential.”
The ‘Faith In Our Future’ event that was held at Swan Christian College (SCC) in June this year brought politicians from Australia’s two largest political parties into one room to hear stories from past and present SCEA families about the transformative power of Christian education.
Since that night, the goal has been to build relationships with politicians who may be able to positively impact the world of independent education now and into the future.
“I would love to see a SCEA school in the Tangney electorate. It was this type of school that shaped me into who I am today, and you have my support in this venture,” said Mr Lim.
The map below shows the Federal electorates in the metropolitan areas of Western Australia and the representatives for each seat.
