Queensland and South Australian governments face criticism for expanding segregated education despite calls for inclusive schooling.

Some disability advocates are raising alarm over recent government decisions to expand special schools, arguing the move will increase segregation and limit opportunities for students with disabilities.

The Queensland Government's announcement of a $1.09 billion investment to build six new special schools represents the state's most significant special school investment in history through the 2025-26 Budget.

The policy will deliver 15 new schools across Caloundra South and Ripley Valley, plus a new high school in Gracemere. South Australian Ministers for Disability, Nat Cook and Education, Blair Boyer, have meanwhile committed $3.5 million annually over four years to establish specialist classes and disability units in schools.

Boyer says she is creating special options to meet demand.

"Our government is taking comprehensive action to make schools in South Australia more inclusive of students with disabilities," Boyer says. "The Malinauskas Government is demonstrating our commitment to equity and improving schools so that students with a disability and their families are given the support they deserve."

The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability was deeply split on the issue of special (segregated) education. In its Final Report (2023), the Commissioners could not reach consensus on whether segregated education should be phased out in Australia.

The Australian Coalition for Inclusive Education (ACIE) has, however, released a statement urging all governments to stop investing in segregated settings and instead commit to fully inclusive education.

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The ACIE has recommended that governments phase out segregated education over 28 years, starting with a halt to building new special schools from 2025.

Rebecca Dowd, Business Development Lead and Policy Specialist at Purple Orange, argues segregated schooling "deprives students with disabilities of the opportunities of receiving education in mainstream schools."

"Segregated schools send a message that segregation is ok and fuel negative attitudes and result in greater barriers for people with disabilities," Dowd says.

"If a child attends a mainstream school, there's a greater expectation that they will go on to higher education and mainstream employment. It’s also more likely they will choose where they want to live and with whom."

Statistics support these concerns. Students with disability who attend special schools are 85% more likely to end up in sheltered employment and group home living, according to research cited by advocates.

Dowd warns that restricting education to special schools increases the likelihood of lifelong segregation. "Children who attend segregated schools are more likely to transition into other segregated settings, such as day programs, employment programs, or group homes.," she explains.

Nicole Balchin, spokesperson for Queensland Collective for Inclusive Education, chose mainstream schooling for her eleven-year-old daughter with Down Syndrome and severe intellectual disability, despite her eligibility for special schools.

"Initially my daughter went to both a mainstream and the Early Childhood Development Program which is special school kindy," Ms Balchin says. "When we went and looked at the special school, they did a really good job of selling it to us. But the thing that got me was that I wanted her to have the best possible chance to have a regular life."

Ms Balchin is concerned that special schools would restrict her daughter's ability to navigate the world independently.

"School teaches you to live in a world with everyone else. You don't learn the strategies to get on in the world if you've grown up in a protected environment."