I bring to the attention of the Committee a new program being run across a number of Victorian primary and secondary schools. It is called the Schools Breakfast Program and it was implemented in April this year with schools providing breakfast for those children who otherwise would go without.
Erinbank Secondary College located in Westmeadows and Keilor Secondary College, both in my electorate, are two of the five Victorian secondary schools participating in this program. I visited Erinbank Secondary College in March this year and met with the principal, Mr Robin Lockington, the staff and the students. The staff of Erinbank recognise that their community has a high rate of unemployment and a high level of recipients of income support from the state and federal governments. As of 1998, 47 per cent of all students came from homes receiving income support.
Like a number of other schools in the region, it was gravely concerned about students coming to school without having breakfast. This worrying trend was partly attributed to the disadvantaged family background of many of the kids. Results yielded by similar programs in other regions showed a noticeable improvement in student performance after the introduction of breakfast programs. Erinbank Secondary College decided to join with four other schools and, in partnership with the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union and the Australian Education Union, agreed to run a breakfast program. At this point, I would also like to note the work of a local resident and activist, Ms Terri McNaughton, and her participation in the early development of this program.
As part of the program, 11 secondary and primary schools have been paired with 11 construction sites. The CFMEU was more than happy to participate in this program, because it is a large union with a large membership base and a strong commitment to social justice issues. It also has a tradition of lending a hand to mates in trouble, and helping to alleviate some of the burdens carried by the disadvantaged. The union organised for its members working at Melbourne airport—which is also in my electorate—to be paired with Erinbank Secondary College, and they assumed the responsibility of raising around $500 a week to pay for the program. The AEU has also played a key role in organising schools and program coordinators. The program will be ongoing, with the major financial sponsor of the program remaining the CFMEU membership.
In a recent AEU report, CFMEU shop steward Damien Eley described the reasons behind the union's support for the program:
“Those of us lucky enough to be in jobs can help dozens of students who miss out on breakfast. It's a purely voluntary scheme but in times when governments are less than willing to invest in welfare basics, other bodies such as the CFMEU must step in.”
We all know the significance of breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day. Studies have shown that children who have a healthy breakfast are better at concentrating and have better memory skills during the school day. Naturally, as a former teacher, I can attest that those kids who skip breakfast tend to be inattentive and irritable by about mid-morning. Schools, together with the broader community, understand the need to cultivate good eating habits and the effects they have on learning, and are grateful for the help that the union in this case and its members provide. Darrelyn Boucher, who is the principal of Cockatoo Primary School—which has also benefited from the program—was quoted in an AEU report as describing the construction workers as `these big, burly men with hearts as big as Texas.'
The welfare role performed by the union movement is not novel or one-off. The CFMEU and other unions have a tradition of humanitarian and charitable assistance, which belies the often one-dimensional and negative view promoted by those who are not comfortable with the existence of unions in this country—certainly a view unfairly promoted in the current politically charged atmosphere of the royal commission into the building industry. If schools and educators are aware of the correlation between good nutrition and overall physical and cognitive development, then governments and bureaucrats should also be aware, and action to address these matters should not be left to the generosity and social conscience of trade unions alone. It is also the responsibility of government. Many people in our community feel as strongly about this as I do.
