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Below: a September, 2010 report screened on the ABC's religion / ethics program Compass. It deals with attempts to teach ethics in Australian primary schools, including as an alternative to religious education / instruction. The video below is PART ONE.
Below: PART TWO. Below: PART THREE. |
 Web links, documents |
The Victorian Education and Training Reform Act 2006 - SECT 2.2.11 outlines those conditions under which special religious education may be given in Victorian Government schools.
The full content of this section of the Act may be accessed at http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/consol_act/eatra2006273/s2.2.11.html
On November 1, 2010, the ABC's Religion and Ethics published an opinion piece by Cathy Byrne, a PhD scholar at Macquarie University's Centre for Research on Social Inclusion. The piece, titled, 'Special Religious Education: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly', presents a view of the origin of secular education in Australia and argues for a reform of the religious instruction programs run in Victoria and New South Wales.
The full text of this opinion can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2010/11/01/3054122.htm?topic1=&topic2=
On November 11, 2010, the Humanist Society of Victoria issued a statement outlining some of its objections to religious instruction as currently delivered within Victorian schools. These views can be found at http://humanist.quantechsolutions.com.au/2010/11/religion-in-schools/
On November 12, 2010, the ABC's Religion and Ethics published an opinion piece by Scott Hedges titled, 'Why does Australia Play with Religious Faith in Schools?' Mr Hedges is part of the Fairness in Religions in Schools campaign, apparently made-up of concerned parents.
The opinion piece is critical of the manner in which religious education is conducted in Victoria. The full text of this opinion piece can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2010/11/12/3064959.htm?topic1=&topic2=
In April 2011, ACCESS Ministries issued a media release responding to criticisms of the Ministries and the manner in which religious instruction is delivered in Victoria from the Humanist Society of Victoria. Access Ministries is an association of Christian denominations, which train and supply religious instructors who work as volunteers in Victorian primary schools. The media release is titled, 'Access Ministries and & Special Religious Instruction in Victorian Government Schools'. It was written by Dr Evonne Paddison, the chief executive officer of ACCESS.
The full text of the media release can be found at http://www.accessministries.org.au/sb/modules/news/attachments/13/ACCESS%20ministries%20and%20SRI_April2011.pdf
On April 5, 2011, Access Ministries published an opinion piece by Dr Evonne Paddison, their chief executive officer. Access Ministries is an association of Christian denominations, excluding Catholicism, which train and supply religious instructors who work as volunteers in Victorian primary schools.
Dr Paddison is arguing in support of this practice. Her piece answers a range of questions and objections that have been asked about religious instruction in this state.
The full text can be found at http://www.accessministries.org.au/news/id/11
On April 8, 2011, the ABC's Religion and Ethics published an opinion piece titled, 'Time to Review Religious Instruction in Schools'.
The piece is written by Gary Bouma, UNESCO Chair in Inter-religious and Intercultural Relations - Asia Pacific, and Anna Halafoff, Researcher in Inter-religious and Intercultural Relations at Monash University.
The piece argues for an inclusive form of general education in a range of religious traditions as a way of building acceptance of a variety of faiths and perspectives.
The full text can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2011/04/08/3185955.htm?topic1=&topic2=
On April 12, 2011, the ABC's Religion and Ethics published an opinion piece by Scott Hedges titled, 'Saving our Schools from Religious Instruction'. Mr Hedges is part of the Fairness in Religions in Schools campaign. His opinion piece examines the historical background to the introduction of religious instruction in Victoria and argues that it was a 1950s response to the Cold War. The full text of this opinion piece can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2011/04/12/3189000.htm
The Catholic Church in Australian runs separate schools that teach its religious beliefs. It is not a significant contributor to the Special Religious Instruction program run in state primary schools. A statement of its position on the importance of religious instruction is made by Stephen Elder, the Director of Catholic Education for the Archdiocese of Melbourne. This can be found at http://www.ceomelb.catholic.edu.au/
Some of the teaching materials used within Catholic primary and secondary schools can be found at http://resource.fraynework.com.au/
On April 18, 2011, New Matilda published a commentary and analysis by its religious editor Mark Fletcher. The article, titled, 'Teach the Godless About God', gives a good overview of the development of the issue as well as the views of its author, who supports a general education about different religions rather than religious instruction.
The full text can be accessed at http://newmatilda.com/2011/04/18/teach-the-godless-about-god