By Laura Wakely
THE GREENS have forced the Government to release a report into autism education in the West in the next fortnight.
Western Metropolitan MP Colleen Hartland asked Parliament last week to vote on a motion for Premier Ted Baillieu to release the Grant Thornton report on Educating Year Prep to 12 Students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Western Metropolitan Region by midday on Tuesday 6 December.
Ms Hartland said the Government had been “sitting” on the report and families were yet to see the results.
“The Baillieu Government made an election promise to provide the western suburbs with a Prep to year 12 school for children with autism,” Ms Hartland said.
“One year into the Government’s term and not only have they not delivered on this commitment, but they are failing to release the related reports and recommendations.
“What are they hiding?”
She said the community needed to see what the report said about the number of students diagnosed with autism, how they’re being “served” by the current system and any recommendations, before they could “get on with the job” of delivering better education in the West.
Western Metropolitan MP Bernie Finn supported Ms Hartland’s motion.
“I hope this information that is provided by the department will go some way to providing answers and much needed support for families and children affected by autism in the western suburbs,” Mr Finn said.
“It is important that parents and families are given some choice of education for their children with autism, because each child is different; each child has a different degree of autism.”
The motion was also supported by several of Mr Finn’s ministerial colleagues and members of the Labor Opposition.
Action for Autism Education spokesperson Danny Sorbello said the report would give parents “certainty one way or the other”.
“People need that certainty,” Mr Sorbello said.
“We’ve been getting mixed messages in the last six months or so since the budget.”
Mr Finn told Star the school, which was allocated $4 million in the State Budget, would definitely be “going ahead” and that there would be announcements “soon”.
Mr Sorbello hoped the announcements would give parents an indication of the size and location of the school.
“Hopefully the wait is worth it in terms of the outcomes for the west,” he said.
