Christian Schools Australia (CSA) has lodged a joint submission with Adventist Schools Australia (ASA) and Australian Association of Christian Schools (AACS) to the NSW Legislative Council Portfolio Committee No. 3 – Education Inquiry into the Education Legislation Amendment (Parental Rights) Bill 2020.
The submission points to the role of parents as primary educators and reinforces the importance, and bi-partisan support across many decades, for parental choice in education. After touching briefly on the obligations in international law for governments to “have respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardians to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions” we point out the importance of parents in instilling attitudes and values.
A copy of the submission is available below.
View the Submission
UPDATE: 6 September 2021
The NSW Legislative Council Portfolio Committee No. 3 – Education, has released its Report following the Inquiry into the Education Legislation Amendment (Parental Rights) Bill 2020. Amongst its recommendation are sweeping proposals such as -
That, in recognition of its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the NSW Government support all parental primacy provisions and protections in the Education Legislation Amendment (Parental Rights) Bill 2020 including:
- the statutory recognition of parental primacy in definition, object and principle within the Education Act 1990 and related statutes;
- the requirement for teaching to be non-ideological;
- the enhanced consultation requirements with parents; and
- the right for parents to withdraw their children from teaching that is inconsistent with their core values and convictions.
The NSW Government has until 7 March 2022 to respond.