THE Queensland government and a state-wide school chaplaincy provider say local chaplains are not under threat despite the ACT government's announcement that it will ban the role from public schools next year.
The ACT withdrew from the federal government's National Schools Chaplaincy Program in February, with chaplains being allowed to stay only in secular roles from 2020.
The NSCP provides funding for chaplains in primary and secondary schools.
ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry said having chaplains in public schools conflicted with the schools' secular operation under the ACT's Education Act.
Scripture Union head Peter James said suggesting a secular environment meant there could not be a supportive role for spirituality ignored spirituality's importance in the identity.
"Even the secular wellbeing models actually all acknowledge the role of spirituality in wellbeing," Mr James said.
Whether a person is a Christian or a Muslim or a Buddhist, most people do have a sense of spirituality.
- Scripture Union chief executive officer Peter James
"That doesn't mean that someone has to be a church-goer or religious but spirituality is an important part of identity, so trying to remove that from schools I think is doing a disservice to the students."
FamilyVoice Australia national secretary David d'Lima said he was concerned the axing of the program in the ACT might spread to other jurisdictions.
Mr James said there was plenty of support for chaplains in the Redlands.
"The situation in the ACT is very unique to the ACT," he said.
"(In Queensland) we have communities who are putting in at least as much as the government."
He said between $18,000 and $28,000 needed to be raised by the school community per year to keep chaplains in schools three days a week.
An Education Department spokesperson said the Queensland government had agreed to the continuation of the National School Chaplaincy Program over the next four years.
The state government had advocated changes to the NSCP to allow schools to decide whether a chaplain or a student welfare worker would best meet community needs.
Bowman MP Andrew Laming backed the NSCP, calling for local bipartisan support of the program.
"People often use throw-away lines (saying they) want trained secular counsellors, not chaplains," Mr Laming said.
"They forget that this role costs about $200,000 a year in the public service and chappies are in our school for a tenth of that price thanks to local fundraising."
The reality is no government will ever fund an extra counsellor position in every school.
- Federal MP Andrew Laming
Mr James said chaplains offered emotional, social and spiritual support for students.
"It's great that we have guidance officers and counsellors but it's often the chaplains that work in the playground spaces that helps identify the students that need the other services and takes them there," he said.
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