There are many things which can be done to help stop or alter this program. This web site has a large amount of links and information which you are free to use.
• Write to or contact your local member. Addresses of members of the Australian Parliament can be found on the Australian Parliament House web site here.
• Write a letter opposing the program to the Minister for Education, Science and Training; Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women's Issues, the Hon Julie Bishop MP.
• Complain about the program to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission.
Our complaint is available here and you are free to use it.
• Suggest that a school which you may be involved with submit an application for funding for a non-religious candidate.
• Other politicians who have been actively supporting and promoting this initiative include the Prime Minister John Howard, Minister for Health Tony Abbott, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs Greg Hunt.
• Vote for politicians and parties which respect the separation of state and religion.
Below is an open letter sent to the Minister for Education Julie Bishop. The response received from the Minister is posted.
The Hon. Julie Bishop, MP
Minister for Education, Science and Training
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Dear Minister
We are writing to demand a halt to the National Schools Chaplaincy Program. As you are aware this program was announced in October 2006 and provides $90 million of Commonwealth funding over three years for school chaplains.
At the time of its announcement the program was criticised by a range of commentators on numerous grounds. These included that:
• the program amounts to direct government funding of religion.
• taxpayers' money spent in education should employ the best people available to help students, not just the religious.
• the preferencing of the religious, over the non-religious, for no reason other than their religiousness, is discriminatory and unacceptable in Government policy, particularly at a Commonwealth level, being at odds with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Declaration on Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief (1981) ("the Religion Declaration") which are incorporated into Australian Law through the operation of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986.
www.stopthenscp.org asserts that at the very least it should be open to schools to employ non-religious counsellors or welfare workers under this program as has been suggested by many commentators.
In addition, the fact that yourself, as a past board member of the Anglican Schools Commission, should have the role of judging the suitability of the religious beliefs of others who might wish to access funding under this program gives the appearance of a lack of impartiality.
Will you give a guarantee or an undertaking that the funding will not go disproportionately to non-government religious schools over government schools? In the interests of transparency, will you be releasing full details of who is funded and who is refused funding under the scheme?
Given all these considerations, we again call for you to stop or amend this scheme to ensure it is in the best interests of all Australian students and taxpayers.
Yours faithfully
www.stopthenscp.org
22 February 2007
The response dated 21 March 2007 is reproduced below:
Thank you for your letter of 22 February 2007 to the Hon Julie Bishop MP, Minister for Education, Science and Training concerning the NSCP. The Minister has asked me to reply on her behalf.
Schools chaplains are already making valuable contributions to the spiritual and emotional wellbeing of school communities across Australia, and the Australian Government has responded to the call that their services be made more broadly available.
While the key tasks of a school chaplain will vary depending on the needs of individual schools and their communities, they could include assisting school counsellors and staff in the delivery of student welfare services, supporting students to explore their spirituality, providing guidance about spiritual, values and ethical matters and facilitating access to the helping agencies in the community, both religious based and secular.
The NSCP is consistent with the provisions of the Australian Constitution. It is important to note that the purpose of the NSCP is to enhance students' overall well being, not to bring about or encourage commitment to any set of beliefs.
The NSCP is voluntary and school communities will decide if they want to apply for funding. School communities will also determine the role, faith and/or denomination of the chaplain. Schools that apply will need to demonstrate evidence of consultation with and support from their broader school community. If a school is successful in receiving funding, parents and students will be informed about the availability of chaplaincy services and its voluntary nature. Students will not be obliged to use the chaplaincy services.
All government and non-government school principals are eligible to submit an application for funding under the NSCP on behalf of their school community. The application must be endorsed by the school principal, parent body and/or school governing body, and the recognised religious institution or state and territory government approved chaplaincy service. If the application is not endorsed by all those parties it will not be considered for funding.
The Australian Government may publish the names of successful applicants and a summary of each project on the Program website at www.dest.gov.au/schools/chaplains and in periodic publications.
The guidelines are accessible online at www.dest.gov.au/schools/chaplains. Further information about the Programme is available at this website or by telephoning 1300 363079.
The Australian Government will continue to make every effort to work closely with school communities, parents and other stakeholders to support the well being of school students.
Yours sincerely
Anne-Marie O'Brien
Senior Advisor