The West Australian government has given the green light to a public school to directly hire a wellbeing officer under the National Student Wellbeing Program in a move that advocates hope could lead to the full removal of religious-based discrimination from the program in the state.

In a speech to the state parliament late last month, Labor MP Dave Kelly (pictured) confirmed that the Cook government was now trialling giving one public school the ability to directly employ a person for the role without having to source a chaplain or wellbeing officer via third-party labour hire firms.

In Western Australia, the largest provider of staff for the NSWP is Christian organisation YouthCARE, which requires candidates for chaplaincy roles to have religious credentials. Such requirements include demonstrating “active engagement in the life of a Christian Church” and being aligned with the organisation’s Statement of Faith.

The use of federal funding to allow for direct employment through the state’s Department of Education will mean the removal of religious-based criteria previously described by the state’s equal opportunity commissioner as constituting “prima-facie religious conviction discrimination” under state laws.

At Senate estimates late last year, the federal Department of Education confirmed that funds for the program could be used by schools to employ directly instead of using the established outsourcing arrangement.

The Rationalist Society of Australia understands that some states, including Victoria and South Australia, now have a policy of allowing schools to directly employ wellbeing officers. 

Also, the RSA understands that private religious schools in receipt of NSWP funds have been able to hire chaplains directly.

In his speech last month, Mr Kelly spoke of how he had worked with former education minister Tony Buti leading up to this year’s state election to arrange for the appointment of a directly employed wellbeing officer at a primary school in Mr Kelly’s electorate.

He told the story of how the woman, Sharon, had worked for about 10 years as a special needs education assistant before she decided that she wanted to move into a student wellbeing role.

Sharon was offered a position as a chaplain, but being “not a religious type” she did not want the chaplain title. So she agreed to take the job as a wellbeing officer, as changes made by the Albanese government to the program allowed schools a choice of either a chaplain or secular worker.

However, she was surprised that, in that role, she would no longer be employed by the Department of Education but instead would have to go through a third-party contractor and would lose her benefits and conditions.

“She then discovered that because she was not directly employed by the education department anymore, she would not be paid during the holidays and she would not qualify for sick pay. She was a little bit unhappy about that and that is basically why she spoke to me,” said Mr Kelly.

“I am really pleased to say that the discussions that we had before the election with the previous Minister for Education… confirmed that Sharon’s position as a student wellbeing officer could be funded under the national funding arrangements that are in place for these services. 

“I am really pleased that the previous education minister and I managed to work our way through what was needed so that she could be directly employed. I know that there will be other wellbeing officers who will be interested in those same arrangements.”

For a number of years, the Rationalist Society of Australia and the WA Public School Alliance have been calling for the end of religious-based discrimination in the NSWP and an end to outsourcing arrangements. 

RSA Executive Director Si Gladman has welcomed the trial of direct employment in Western Australia and has urged the government to widen the initiative to allow other schools to do the same.

In some parts of the country, data shows that schools have embraced the opportunity to appoint secular wellbeing officers instead of chaplains under the NSWP. Yet, as detailed in a 2023 report published by the RSA, religious-based discrimination remains a feature in the chaplaincy positions under the program.

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Si Gladman is Executive Director at the Rationalist Society of Australia. He also hosts ‘The Secular Agenda’ podcast.