Pauline Hanson calls for children with autism and other disabilities to be taken out of mainstream schools – because 'they're holding other students back'
- Queensland Senator Pauline Hanson caused outrage in Senate on Wednesday
- She said children with autism should go into special classes away from others
- Ms Hanson claimed disabled children took up too much of the teacher's time
- As a result, she claimed other children were being held back in their learning
- Disability advocates have slammed the Senator, labelling her a 'bully'
- Research has shown benefits for all children when classes are integrated
One Nation's Pauline Hanson has called for Autistic children to be pulled out of mainstream classes and educated in a 'special classroom'.
Speaking to the Senate on Wednesday, she said having a disabled child in a mainstream classroom was holding back other students, as they required special care.
The Queensland Senator made the remarks during a speech confirming she will help to pass the Federal Government's $18.6billion school funding package.
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One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson has told the Senate children with autism should be moved to special classes as they take up too much of the teachers' time
'These kids have a right to an education by all means - but if there's a number of them, these children should actually go into a special classroom, looked after and given that special attention,' she said.
'Most of the time, the teacher spends so much time on them they forget about the child who wants to go ahead in leaps and bounds in their education, but are held back.
She continued on to say people needed to be 'realistic' and 'get rid of those people' to help the other children.
'It's no good saying we have to allow these kids to feel good about themselves and we don't want to upset them and make them feel hurt,' she said.
'We have to be realistic at times and consider the impact that it's having on other children in the classroom.
'We need to get rid of those people because you want everyone to feel good about themselves.'
She said teachers were spending so much time with students working with a disability that they 'forget' to help the child without one (stock image)
Association for Children with a Disability CEO Eddie Chapman said the Senator's comments were 'outdated and uninformed'.
'Efforts to include children with disabilities in schools have shown it's not only possible, but all kids in the class benefit when you have the diversity of need there,' he told Daily Mail Australia.
'To get rid of any children with a disability from mainstream classrooms would be leading us back to dark days, when people with disabilities were kept hidden and unable to contribute to society.
'The reality is our community is made up of people with different needs and modelling that in our schools is the best way to an inclusive society.'
Association for Children with a Disability CEO Eddie Chapman said the Senator's comments were 'outdated and uninformed' (stock image)
Education Lecturer at the University of Newcastle, David Roy, said Ms Hanson's comments were a 'demonstration of her continued ignorance of reality'.
'I'm sadly not surprised,' he said, noting it was not the One Nation leader's first comment degrading the disabled.
'She's already linked autism to vaccine use, of which there's no evidence, and now she's making these comments.
'They're not worthy, they're second class, they're sub humans is the implication.'
He said huge amounts of research had proved including children with a disability in mainstream classrooms had benefits for everyone.
'There is no evidence to suggest non-disabled children suffer academically or in any other way when children with a disability are included in mainstream classes,' he said.
'As a woman who claims to be a battler for Australia's needy, perhaps she could spend less time attacking the most vulnerable, and as an independent senator stand up for those without a voice.'
Education Lecturer at the University of Newcastle David Roy (pictured) says research has shown both disabled and non-disabled students benefit from integrated classes
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