The new centralised hub will provide teachers with the tools and skills to cater to complex educational needs. Photo: Western Australian Government.
The Western Australian Government plans to establish a $15.7 million Disability and Inclusion Professional Learning Hub as part of a larger package of programs and initiatives to support educators, students and schools.
Funded in the state’s 2026-27 Budget, the new hub will provide teachers, education assistants and principals with the training, support and tools to help students with disabilities or complicated needs.
The program will bring together existing and emerging resources into one streamlined system for educators, in one centralised hub for high-quality disability training and professional education.
“Western Australia’s educators are among the very best, and establishing this new training hub will help to ensure principals, teachers and education assistants are supported to continue delivering for students with disability, their families and their carers,” Education Minister Sabine Winton said.
Practical tools, evidence-based professional learning and targeted support are central to the vision for the hub, which the government hopes will lead to improved outcomes in line with the review of the School Education Act 1999.
Special needs education assistants will also receive mandatory induction training, delivered through the hub, with a compulsory disability module for graduate teachers.
The hub is part of the government’s broader approach to disability reform, which includes the ”Our plan for public education in Western Australia” blueprint, a long-term strategic plan.
Central to the new strategic plan is a system-wide priority to ensure that every student has the chance to reach their full potential in education.
Western Australian school staff will also be given an extra school development day in 2027 to align local planning priorities with the department’s long-term strategic vision.
Funds have also been marked for expert advisers to guide the delivery of the initiative, with professional learning and training development to begin from July, ahead of implementation in 2027.
The government said the work would be informed by people with a lived experience of disability.
Budget money has also been allocated to continue the Small Group Tuition initiatives and the Complex Behaviour Support Coordinator role in 2027.
“At the centre of our successful public education system is our schools and education workforce, and our government is committed to supporting them to do their best work and create high-quality learning environments across the state,” Ms Winton said.
