Religious schools in Victoria will be prohibited from sacking or refusing to employ teachers because of their sexuality or gender identity. Laws will be introduced into the Victoria Parliament in Australia this year requiring schools to employ teachers who oppose their parent community’s Christian views on marriage, sexuality and biological gender. “Once again it seems that people of faith in Victoria are being told what they can and can’t believe, that religious schools can only hold and act on beliefs that the government determines are acceptable. Is the next step for the announced changes to ‘anti-vilification’ laws to limit what can be taught in religious schools or preached in a church, mosque or temple?” asked Christian Schools Australia public policy director Mark Spencer.
Are we going to see this type of dictatorship in NZ schools? It’s highly likely under this government. But conversely, teachers in the state system who refuse to use preferred pronouns because they don’t want to tell a biological lie will immediately be sanctioned. Seems like two sets of standards are being applied – one allowing for freedom of gender expression, the other limiting what religious groups are allowed to believe.
For further reading, here is an article from The Age:
