Find 20, it's not a big exercise

The only piece of actual election-related news today (apart from the canal which I refuse to blog about) was Gallop's shock declaration that WA high school students would have to complete 20 hours of community service in order to graduate. The policy will begin with a pilot program next year and will also involve the spending of $1.9 million to encourage volunteering and make programs available, and making school uniforms compulsory. Excuse me? This is a colossal display of stupidity and one of the worst policies by the ALP that I can think of, in fact it borders on insanity.

It will not work, both on the part of being impractical and unfair, and also in achieving the broader goals of the idea. First to it's practicality issues.

• Gallop doesn't plan to implement it for "the pressures of Year 12", rather for year 10 and 11 students. What he fails to see is that while year 12 is the make-or-break year on paper, year 11 is a vital precursor and from mine and many other's high school experience, year 10 is a cut-throat grade - all three are vitally important, it is ignorant to say otherwise.
• 14-16 year olds are often not independent enough to do community service work outside of school. They can't drive and with the increasing number of dual income families just do not always have the ability to attend such things during the week.
• Forcing students to do community service during school hours is only going to succeed in depriving them of valuable education time - time they need.
• Those in remote communities, or with problematic family situations, would find it extremely difficult to get involved. They may be required to look after the house or work to supplement their parent's income, it is unfair to disadvantage them further.
• Increased bureaucracy dealing with the authenticity of the community service work done (just look at learners permit log books and Centrelink).
• Unfair on those with disabilities. (Weezil can attest to this).

The policy is also clearly wrong, despite any moral high ground Gallop tries to take.

• Gallop harps on about providing Western Australians with choices concerning their education, when all this effectively does is take choices away. Students should be able to choose whether they want to participate in community service or not, not have it forced on them by a government using them to push an agenda.
• State mandated altruistic acts would, by definition, make them cease to be community service and become forced labor. This kind of thing is something that is only forced onto convicted criminals, what have these students done to deserve similar treatment?
• It is not the role of the state to legislate "morality" and enforce it onto kids.
• It is the implementation of yet another instance of excessive government intervention into the private lives of citizens.
• Voluntary work is voluntary for a reason, organisations need people who want to be there, not who are forced to be there.

What's Gallop's justification?

"Community service can help students develop socially, morally and emotionally. It can increase students' self-worth, competence and commitment... students can experience the satisfaction that comes from helping others and learn first-hand what it takes to make a difference. Our children need to be able to recognise the value of service to the community and to understand their rights and responsibilities as active members of society. Solving real-life problems challenges students to exercise leadership and responsibility".

Ridiculous, unsubstantiated rhetoric. There is no valid evidence, either statistically or logically, that supports such a notion. There is no denying the benefits that can be gained from community service, but it is far from a sure thing that every student will become a better person as a result of undertaking community service. As a private school student myself and my peers were forced to undertake in-school community service, I can tell you all it did for many was build resentment and gave none of the supposed life skills Gallop is championing. The argument does not hold enough water to jusfity a regime of compulsory community service, especially one that will cost the taxpayer a whopping $1.9 million - I can think of many better uses for that much money.

Even suppose the argument was valid, what's to stop us imposing exercise and diet programs onto overweight people under the same premise? "I'm sorry, you haven't run enough today, we're reducing your social security payments." What about sun screen police? Enforced "2 fruit, 5 veg"? Compulsory pre-marital counseling? State-sponsored trips to third world countries to "get perspective"? Chairs that regulate posture and force you to stand up from your desk every so often? Compulsory bilingualism? The slippery-slope would get ridiculous. Where do we draw the line?

"The announcement is part of Labor's wider plan to put values back on the agenda at government schools". Please spare us. It is not the role of governments or schools to forcibly indoctrinate "values" into the minds of school children, this sounds like something Tony Abbot would say, not a Labor Party leader.

This policy is unworkable, unfair and downright wrong.