Submissions have now closed for the Inquiry into the Provision of Education to Students with a Disability or Special Needs. There are 3 hearings dates, being the 22nd and 23rd of March, and the 10th May, and these will be held at NSW Parliament. Thank you to everyone who made a submission to the inquiry, as I know many of you are busy caring for the daily needs of children and finding the time to prepare a submission can be very difficult. For more information on this inquiry, click here.

I have just announced a new inquiry into the provision of education to students with a disability or special needs. Interacting with the education system can be a frustrating and confusing experience for parents of a child with a disability or special needs, as they attempt to ensure that their child gets adequate support to reach their full potential. An area of concern for teachers and parents alike is the adequacy of funding for children with a disability or special needs attending NSW schools. The information on the inquiry click here. Submissions close on Friday 22nd January 2010.

As the Chair of General Purpose Standing Committee No.2, I am pleased to be able to announce the release of the Inquiry Report into the Bullying of Children and Young People, which has examined the extent of bullying, the prevalence of cyber-bullying and resources to tackle this issue. The committee found that NSW is not doing enough to address bullying and is not providing enough support to schools and teachers. For example, the national Kids Helpline receives more than 570,000 calls a year and almost half are from NSW. Yet the NSW Labor Government doesn't providing any funding to the service, unlike Queensland and Western Australia. The committee has made 25 recommendations in the report.

The NSW Coalition recently launched a Social Policy Framework called Smarter, Stronger, Healthier, Safer. The NSW Liberals and Nationals believe individuals and communities sit at the heart of our government and our society and we will adopt a whole-of-government approach to the delivery of social policy, based on a clear set of principles and supported by goals. These goals are grouped into Smarter, Stronger, Healthier and Safer. We want to hear your thoughts and contributions on this policy framework and we have opened up a consultation process to obtain your feedback. The dates for these meetings will be published in the local media and on the following websites: www.sshs.com.au, www.barryofarrell.com.au and www.andrewstoner.com.au. The closing date for submissions is 28th February 2010.