From the Principal

I write to update all parents on important legislation that is currently before parliament.  You will have read in the news there is currently much consternation around the new Derived Median Income (DMI) funding model as Regional schools could lose $97m under funding revamp.  Under this new proposal, The Hamilton and Alexandra College will lose approximately $2.6 million of its Commonwealth funding over an eight year period from 2022 – 2029.   As a result, I have been in touch with the Minister for Education, the Honorable Dan Tehan MP, and expressed my strong concerns surrounding the future impact on our school.  The Minister has been generous with his time and promised a review of this unfair funding formula.  However, the automatic appeals the Minister has offered, will not come soon enough to allay real alarm in regional communities.  We are not asking for more dollars, just a fairer division of available funds and further statistical analysis.    The median income funding model, if not varied, will threaten our viability and push our fees up. On the back of drought and bushfire, I feel our treatment relative to larger independent metropolitan schools and lower fee independent schools is inequitable.  Hence, I ask you to draw your concerns to the Minister as soon as possible and seek an ‘immediate ceiling on funding score increases for regional schools’.    

For your information, we are still mildly hopeful our Year 9 may be able to visit China in 2020.  Our preferred option at this stage is to conduct a shortened trip in late September 2020. A final decision will be made on June 19th (end of term 2).  If the September trip does not proceed then we will investigate offering an optional 2021 trip for Year 10 students during the first term holidays.  Given the current international escalation of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, I do seek your support to notify the school if you are travelling overseas during the next Easter Break.  Please contact Mr MacLean to discuss your movements and please understand, that depending on your travelling destination, a period of self-isolation may be imposed by the school.  The College remains determined to minimize any possibility of an outbreak of Coronavirus amongst the Greater Hamilton community. 

Finally, I heartily congratulate our College Swimming Team on their outstanding success over the past weeks.  First, they won the Glenelg District Championships in Portland and yesterday, they defended the Starr Award for the eighth successive year at the Independent Country Coeducational Schools Championship in Melbourne.  Our racquet sport players also represented us well with the badminton team finishing second.  I commend all athletes, Mr Alexander, Mr Singh, Mrs K. Winter Cooke, Mrs Outtram and Georgia Williams.

Dr Andrew Hirst