It is great to see young girls competing in a sport they love but it's also concerning to me to see girls as young as six referred to as part of a “Lady” team and dressing more like 17-year-olds, in their outfits and makeup.

Reminds me of Jon Benet Ramsey and other doll-faced babies. 

In today's society we need to let our children be free to express themselves but also be aware there may be people out there who look at these young  girls in a different way.

The world we live in is not always as pure in thought.

They're all little stars and Maitland is very proud of them all.

I write to refute recent claims in the media that “3000 disabled students are at risk” of having their funding cut.

Protection for students is an absolute priority and the NSW Government has been quick to terminate providers which are found not to be delivering the kind of training our students deserve.

To be clear, not one student with a disability under Smart and Skilled has, or will have, funding cut as a result of the suspension or termination of a training provider.

This cannot occur because under Smart and Skilled the funding follows the student – anyone wanting to know the facts need only go to the website https://smartandskilled.nsw.gov.au/ or contact Training Services NSW.

Smart and Skilled providers who may have had their contracts suspended (​and cannot enrol new students) will generally still be able to continue to provide full support for existing students while investigations are conducted into any breach, often these are minor and easily fixed.

However, if a provider is suspended and subsequently terminated then Training Services NSW works with students to ensure they are ​not disadvantaged and ​are placed with a quality provider to enable them to complete their qualification.

The NSW Government provides Fee Free training for students with disabilities, along with other eligible disadvantaged or vulnerable students including;

·       People with a disability (including their dependants)

·       Indigenous Australians

·       Refugees and asylum seekers

·       Retrenched workers in key regional industry sectors

 Fee Free Scholarships are also available to young people aged 15-30

·       who are recipients of a specific Australian Government welfare (or allowance or the dependant of such a recipient)

·       Young people in (or formerly from) out-of-home care

·       Survivors of domestic and family violence (including their dependants)

Smart and Skilled training providers are required to meet strict quality assurance criteria and the NSW Government makes no apologies for raising the bar higher than ever before for training providers in this State.​

NSW Labor actually provided greater levels of support to private training providers, with barely any checks and balances.

NSW Labor handed over $200 million to 500 private providers in 2010. This NSW Liberal-Nationals Government committed $117 million through 440 non-TAFE providers in the last financial year aligned to strict criteria and review processes.

Smart and Skilled is all about ensuring quality and putting the student first – and again the fact should not be lost that under Smart and Skilled not one student with a disability will have any funding cut.

Any student who is anxious is encouraged to contact Training Services NSW for any support they may need. We'll continue to implement increased levels of vigilance in identifying providers who may not be delivering the quality of training expected.