Ms Maria Joyce:

On the issue of discrimination and racism, it is recognised across the board that a high percentage of Traveller children who are in the education system experience racist bullying and discriminatory practice. That is from their peers and from teachers. As I said earlier in this session, it is fundamentally underpinned by institutional and systematic racism. A fundamental change to the system is needed. There is racist name-calling and the issue of even having access to the school. For many Travellers of a certain generation in this country, segregated provision, its long legacy and its negative impact on Traveller parents is also a fundamental issue in respect of Traveller parents wanting to protect their children.

I appreciate we are talking about the experience of discrimination and racism but it is really frustrating that we have to lay bare these experiences to try to achieve the long-needed change in the system to deliver outcomes for Traveller children. We should not have to do that continuously. I fully appreciate where Senator Flynn is coming from, as someone who has been in the system and experienced the blatant racism that many Travellers, including the three Travellers speaking at this meeting, have experienced. Any of us who has children in the system will have experienced blatant racism. It is so frustrating that we must constantly lay bare those experiences to achieve basic rights in this context.

We spoke comprehensively about the digital divide. It is crucial that the gaps created as a result be addressed for both children still in school and the Traveller children who have dropped out of the system as a result of Covid and school closures. Furthermore, there must be learning from Covid to ensure these problems will not happen again in the context of online learning.

I will hand over to Ms Reilly because I am conscious of the time.