Latest news with #SabineWinton
The Age
a day ago
- Business
- The Age
Rottnest Island school camps more affordable for WA parents under new scheme
Parents of more than 1100 West Australian school students will benefit from a new cost-of-living initiative to help make school camps at Rottnest Island more affordable. The subsidy of up to $150 per student for a three-night camp will help parents who otherwise may not have been able to give their child the chance to join in on arguably one of the more expensive school excursions. Students from across the state will benefit from the scheme – to be unveiled on Wednesday – including those from the Wheatbelt towns of Wagin and York, Mount Barker in the south and Dongara in the north. Participating schools will also receive as much as a 100 per cent subsidy on accommodation at Kingstown Barracks, bike hire from Pedal and Flipper Hire, and Rottnest Island Voluntary Guides Association educational tours. Subsidised ferry transfers are also available. The school camp subsidy will be available for overnight bookings during term 3, 2025, and is in addition to those available to all school groups throughout the year. Loading Those include a 40 per cent accommodation discount for school group bookings, discounted rates on bike hire, and waiving of the island admission fee. Education Minister Sabine Winton said it was important to make school camps more accessible for more students, as they formed a crucial part of education outside a classroom environment. 'School camps give students the opportunity to build new friendships, experience different environments, and create lasting memories,' she said.
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Rottnest Island school camps more affordable for WA parents under new scheme
Parents of more than 1100 West Australian school students will benefit from a new cost-of-living initiative to help make school camps at Rottnest Island more affordable. The subsidy of up to $150 per student for a three-night camp will help parents who otherwise may not have been able to give their child the chance to join in on arguably one of the more expensive school excursions. Students from across the state will benefit from the scheme – to be unveiled on Wednesday – including those from the Wheatbelt towns of Wagin and York, Mount Barker in the south and Dongara in the north. Participating schools will also receive as much as a 100 per cent subsidy on accommodation at Kingstown Barracks, bike hire from Pedal and Flipper Hire, and Rottnest Island Voluntary Guides Association educational tours. Subsidised ferry transfers are also available. The school camp subsidy will be available for overnight bookings during term 3, 2025, and is in addition to those available to all school groups throughout the year. Loading Those include a 40 per cent accommodation discount for school group bookings, discounted rates on bike hire, and waiving of the island admission fee. Education Minister Sabine Winton said it was important to make school camps more accessible for more students, as they formed a crucial part of education outside a classroom environment. 'School camps give students the opportunity to build new friendships, experience different environments, and create lasting memories,' she said.
West Australian
a day ago
- Health
- West Australian
Early Years bus service to provide vital school and healthcare access for Great Southern families
A brand-new Early Years bus service enables young children in the Great Southern access to essential early childhood services by removing persistent transport barriers. Taking its first trip on May 6, the service provides transport to families with children up to 4-years-old to early education services such as KindiLink, health services, and cultural events across Katanning, Kojonup, Gnowangerup, and Broomehill-Tambellup. The initiative developed from the Central Great Southern Community Plan, co-designed with local families, educators and service providers, who identified transport as a major hurdle when accessing early childhood education and health services. Funded through the Early Years Partnership, the place-based approach guarantees tailored solutions to the individual needs of families in the region to improve school readiness, health outcomes, and family participation in the community, to be evaluated in time. Early Childhood Minister Sabine Winton said she is eager to support young families and continue to deliver Early Years projects. 'The first five years of a child's life are so important. It is during this time that they build the foundation for lifelong learning, health and wellbeing,' Ms Winton said. 'The Early Years Partnership is a unique collaboration between the State Government, Minderoo Foundation, and the Telethon Kids Research Institute Australia that promotes new ways of working to achieve positive outcomes for children, families and the wider community. 'We know that attending early learning activities and child health appointments is vital in supporting children's wellbeing and school readiness. 'I'm pleased that the Early Years bus service is helping families in Katanning and surrounding communities to access early childhood services.' Families can enrol in the service via a barcode system with the BAC Connected Beginnings team.
ABC News
3 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Perth mother urges parents to vaccinate their babies as WA government renews free RSV jabs for second year
When Conor Gibbons was just nine months old, he developed a cold that quickly turned into a four-day hospital stay. He was diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which then led to bronchiolitis and pneumonia. His mother Delaney Gibbons watched as the virus wore down her son's body to the point where he needed a feeding tube to eat. "That was absolutely awful to watch," Ms Gibbons said. "He had to have IV [intravenous therapy] and antibiotics, he was so weak and tired." Ms Gibbons said she hoped her family's traumatic experience could push other parents to get their children immunised against RSV. In a bid to reduce hospitalisations for RSV, the WA government has committed $7.6 million to rolling out free jabs for infants and children under the age of two across the state. RSV is the number one condition children are admitted to hospital for in their first year of life, according to the state government. The program will run alongside the Commonwealth government's newly funded RSV vaccine rollout for pregnant women. The vaccine will be available at a range of healthcare facilities, including community health clinics, GP clinics, Aboriginal medical services, antenatal clinics and maternity hospitals. Preventative Health Minister Sabine Winton said nearly 22,000 babies were immunised through the program last year, resulting in a 57 per cent reduction in babies being hospitalised. Ms Winton said she was concerned about declining immunisation rates in the community and hoped making vaccines more accessible would help change that. "It is a priority for me to do everything I can to increase the vaccination rates," she said. "Not only for this important announcement to protect our young kids, but around the flu and COVID."
West Australian
27-04-2025
- Business
- West Australian
How to apply for Student Assistance Payments of up to $250 for parents of WA school-aged children
Western Australian families will be able to apply for up $250 cash from Monday, under the latest round of the State Government's Student Assistance Payment. Under the program, parents can apply for $150 for each primary school aged student, and $250 for each secondary pupil in their family from Monday. Education Minister Sabine Winton said the payment was designed to cover school costs which quickly add up. 'With families facing cost-of-living pressures as a result of global inflation, the Cook Government is committed to providing relief where we can,' she said. 'We want as many families as possible to claim, and I'm pleased that particular focus is being placed this year on supporting regional communities to claim the payment. 'By supporting WA families through this significant cost-of-living measure, we're ensuring students have what they need to thrive at school.' The program follows last year's payment, which was claimed by four in five WA families to a value of more than $75 million. But the roll-out of that program was criticised by the Opposition, for not providing live claim rates for school to all MPs and media to promote take up rates. To claim the payment, parents can lodge an application on Service WA using their child's WA student number. Payments are made directly into bank accounts. Applications remain open until July 4, the end of term two.
