Freedom fail worries Christian schools

Freedom fail worries Christian schools

Christian and other religious leaders renewed pressure on the Albanese Government this week to allow their schools to be free to employ staff who support the values of their parents.

“We’re losing faith” was the headline in The Australian yesterday as leaders expressed concern long-promised religious freedom protections may not be delivered before the next election, which is due in May next year but could be before Christmas.

The Australian reports:

Christian Schools Australia director of public policy, Mark Spencer, said there was a path forward for Mr Albanese because the opposition would support the churches’ proposed amendments to better protect religious schools in Labor’s draft laws, which were put to the government on May 9. There had been “radio silence” since.

“If the reported blow up between the Attorney-General and the shadow attorney-general is the problem, then the Prime ­Minister needs to step in, exercise his leadership, and make a pathway forward,” Mr Spencer said.

“If this parliament fails people of faith, as happened in the last parliament, our school communities will be devastated.

“We are pleading with the government to deliver on its promises. If this doesn’t happen, we will be seeking very clear and unequivocal commitments prior to the ­election with a timeframe for their implementation.”

These are strong words from a sector that has faced repeated hostile legislative attempts since the moment the ink dried on the law to change the definition of marriage, removing its gender diversity requirement.

Spurred into action by an Australian Law Reform Commission report commissioned by the Albanese Government which would effectively end Christian schooling in Australia, the sector has been holding large crisis rallies around the nation.

The “Faith in our Future” events have drawn large crowds of parents, teachers and concerned citizens as the sector has showcased the positive experiences of school communities to demonstrate the public good of their schools.

These events have made it crystal clear what would be lost if Albanese and Dreyfus proceed with their plans, which are supported by a number of influential Liberals, to force schools to employ staff who model radical gender fluid ideology and sexual identities.

Christian schools have been under sustained pressure since the definition of marriage was changed and both Liberal and Labor governments have promised and failed to deliver protections to allow them to teach the Christian view on marriage and gender and to employ staff who share their ethos on marriage, gender and sexuality.

The main LGBTIQA+ lobby, Equality Australia, continues to defame Christian and religious schools claiming they expel children because they are gay or pregnant, something the Chistian school movement vehemently denies.

The sector does of course, on behalf of parents, want the freedom to employ school staff who uphold their values and this is fair and reasonable in a society that purports to believe in freedom of speech, religion and association.

It is of course commonsense that students, whose parents choose to send them to a Christian school, should uphold the ethos of the school and not seek to undermine it.

The beauty of school choice is that those who don’t agree with a religious school’s ethos should be free to go elsewhere, not seek to use activism to undermine a religious school and the ethos of its parent community.

Family First is working to raise candidates at the up-coming Queensland, ACT and federal elections who will fight for the freedom of parents to send their children to the school of their choice.

The LGBTIQA+ lobby group Equality Australia, whose leaders include the likes of bestiality, transgender and sexual fetish advocate Teddy Cook, is publicly defaming Christian schools with television advertisements and its political lobbying.

The Greens, Labor and powerful sections of the Liberal Party represented by Senator Dave Sharma and Bridget Archer are on-board with Equality Australia’s agenda.

Family First is determined to give Australians the chance to cast a vote for school choice and freedom of association and religion.

Action: Join the fight for freedom school choice. Join Family First today.