The Wire

At the Halls Creek in remote north-east WA, teaching staff have previously pulled out all the stops to address truancy in the community school. But Principal Garry Smith says he and his staff are excited about a “no school, no pool” policy to be introduced in the community next year. It’s an example of the new breed of Federal Government Shared Responsibility Agreements, or SRAs – where the government goods or services come with definite strings attached. While the SRAs have attracted criticism from some quarters as being paternalistic, many communities see them as a way to gain facilities, and are happy to make their own deals with the Commonwealth. But Mr Smith says additional plans for a “no school, no welfare” scheme have come unstuck, with Centrelink pulling the pin on their involvement.