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Media Release
Religion in Queensland State Schools
22 May, 2006
A Bill introduced into the Queensland Parliament by the Beattie Government is a blatant attack on religious education and moral values in schools, according to Federal Education Minister, the Hon Julie Bishop, MP.
Queensland schoolchildren shouldn’t be taught in a moral vacuum imposed by political correctness gone mad.
The proposed changes to the State’s Education Act replaces the current ‘opt out’ system whereby a child’s parents can decide that their child will not receive religious education, to an ‘opt in’ system where parents must specifically provide a school’s principal with a written notice if they want their child to receive religious education.
The proposed changes also widen the definition of what can be taught to “religious or other belief” (see section 77(4) of the Bill). This will now allow cults and fringe groups to register and begin teaching their beliefs to Queensland school children.
“The Beattie Government’s proposed change to Queensland’s Education Act will do two things, it starts to place hurdles in front of parents who want to ensure that their children get some religious instruction at school, and it also opens the door to cultish groups to start preaching unacceptable views in schools,” Minister Bishop said.
“At a time when parents are moving across to non-government schools in droves because of their concerns about quality and values, the Beattie Government is trying to make it more difficult for our churches to give children a religious education.
“Political correctness has gone too far when religious education at school now permits almost any belief system to be taught, including witchcraft and paganism.
“The new requirement on parents to give school principals a written notice before their children can be allowed to receive religious education in schools, rather than the arrangement that has worked well for the last 90 years of parents opting out, is absurd.
“This is an underhanded method of trying to reduce the number of students attending religious education in government schools.
“And for the first time, the Government is now imposing a cap on the amount of religious education a student can receive.
“The current arrangements have worked well for decades – there is no logical reason for change.
“I call on the Beattie Government to scrap their plans to radically alter the way religion is taught in schools in Queensland,” said Minister Bishop.
Media Contact: Murray Hansen 0417886155
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