Video Information


Below: On June 18, 2014, the ABC showed the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, responding to the High Court’s decision that the manner in which the National School Chaplaincy Program is funded is unconstitutional.




Below: In June 2014, Ron Williams, a private citizen, mounted a successful legal challenge in the High Court against the manner in which the National School Chaplaincy program is funded. This video clip shows Mr Williams questioning the nature and value of the program immediately after the May federal budget committed to fund it for a further four years.




Below: On May 26, 2014, RTR FM Perth aired an interview with public education advocate, Jane Caro, in which she criticised the National School Chaplaincy Program for undermining the secular tradition within Australian state schools.




Below:On June 19, 2012, National School Chaplaincy Association spokesperson, Peter James, responded to the first High Court decision that the federal government had no constitutional sanction to fund this program. The ABC telecast Mr James defence of the program.




Below:On August 15, 2011, the ABC’s current affairs discussion program, The Drum, telecast an interview with theologian and former Uniting Church minister, Scott Stephens, in which he criticises the operation of the National School Chaplaincy Program.




Below:A three minute promotional video produced by Scripture Union Queensland in 2010 claiming there is value in the National School Chaplaincy Program.




Below:A June 2011 ABC 7.30 report following a complaint made by a Northern Territory mother that her emotionally disturbed nine-year-old son was receiving counselling from a school chaplain that the man was not qualified to give.






Web links, documents


On July 4, 2014, The New Daily published an opinion piece in favour of school chaplains written by Peter James, a spokesperson for the National School Chaplaincy Association. The piece is titled ‘The case for: Why chaplains are good for schoolkids’ and can be accessed at http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2014/07/04/case-school-chaplains/

On July 2, 2014, The New Daily published an opinion piece by Saman Shad, a Sydney-based freelance writer, playwright and storyteller. The piece argues in favour of secular education and is titled ‘Comment: Keep religion out of my child’s classroom’
It can be accessed at http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2014/07/02/keep-religion-out-of-my-childs-classroom/

On July 1, 2014, On Line Opinion published a comment by Brian Greig, a former Democrats Senator, which was critical of the National School Chaplaincy Program primarily on the grounds that many chaplains were inadequately qualifies and did not offer impartial advice to homosexual students.
The full text of this comment can be accessed at http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=16450&page=2

On June 18, 2014, The Sydney Morning Herald ran a report detailing claims made by retiring Senator Louise Pratt that a number of school chaplains had made damaging remarks to homosexual students. The report is titled ‘Anti-gay chaplains driving children to self-harm, says outgoing Labor Senator Louise Pratt’
The full text of this report can be accessed at http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/antigay-chaplains-driving-children-to-selfharm-says-outgoing-labor-senator-louise-pratt-20140618-3adyv.html

On June 17, 2014, the ABC’s Religion and Ethics website posted a comment by Rodney Croome, is a member of the Tasmanian Department of Education LGBTI Issues in Education Working Group and is National Director of Australian Marriage Equality. The piece is titled ‘School Chaplains can be Friends not Foes in Anti-Homophobia Fight’
It can be accessed at http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2014/06/16/4026248.htm

On June 1, 2014, The Courier Mail published an opinion piece on aspects of the National School Chaplaincy Program titled ‘Opinion: Allocating $245.3m for school chaplains at odds with Budget cuts’
The piece, written by Mike Bruce, is essentially critical of the program. It can be accessed at http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/opinion-allocating-2453m-for-school-chaplains-at-odds-with-budget-cuts/story-fnihsr9v-1226938435156

On May 19, 2014, Radio National’s ‘Life Matters’ ran a segment on the federal government’s budget decision to renew funding for school chaplains for the next four years.
The segment features the views of Peter James, the chief executive officer of Scripture Union Queensland, who favours the chaplaincy program, and David Stokes of the Australian Psychological Society, who believes that federal funding would be better spent extending specialist secular counselling services in schools.
A full audio recording of this program can be accessed at http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/school-chaplains-or-counsellors3f/5461234

On May 18, 2014, The Sunshine Coast Daily ran a report titled ‘School chaplain investigated for preaching to students ‘. The report gives details of a school chaplain who is being investigated in relation to claims made on his website which suggest he is using his position as a school chaplain for preaching.
The full text of this report can be accessed http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/school-chaplain-investigated-preaching-students/2261645/

On May 15, 2014, the ABC ran a news report titled, ‘Budget 2014: Funding for secular counsellors cut in school chaplaincy program’
The full text of this report can be accessed at http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-05-15/cut-to-secular-advisors-program-in-federal-budget/5455176

On March 26, 2014, The News Mail published a report titled ‘Bundaberg schools back their chaplains’. The report gives the opinions of a number of school principals and others praising the work done by school chaplains.
The full text can be accessed at http://www.news-mail.com.au/news/tour-backs-chaplains/2210120/

On March 20, 2014, the ABC’s Religion and Ethics website posted a comment by Margaret Maddox titled, ‘Too Much Faith in Schools: The Rise of Christian Schooling in Australia’. The author favours secular education in Australia, and traces critically the increasing integration of religious instruction and perspectives within the different state education systems.
The full text of this article can be accessed at http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2014/03/20/3968199.htm

On November 7, 2013, The Courier Mail published a number of reader letters giving a range of views on the operation of the National School Chaplaincy Program. These letters can be accessed at http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/letters-school-chaplaincy-programs-are-a-conflict-of-interest/story-fnihsr9v-1226754507194?nk=6dbf3742ce92c16844136c1c4e18be9d

The National School Chaplaincy and Student Welfare Program Guidelines published July 2012 can be accessed at http://www.saasso.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/National-School-Chaplaincy-and-Student-Welfare-Program-Guidelines.pdf

On June 21, 2012, The Conversation published a comment by Cathy Byrne, Sociology Tutor at Southern Cross University. The piece is titled ‘School chaplaincy case: a missed opportunity for secular education’ and is critical of what the author sees as the increase in religious education and influence within state schools in Australia. It sees the chaplaincy program as a part of this trend.
The full text can be accessed at http://theconversation.com/school-chaplaincy-case-a-missed-opportunity-for-secular-education-7789

In September, 2009, Edith Cowan University’s School of Psychology and Social Science released a report titled ‘The Effectiveness of Chaplaincy as provided by the National School Chaplaincy Association to Government Schools in Australia’
The report was produced by Dr Philip Hughes of the Edith Cowan University and Prof. Margaret Sims of the University of New England.
The report judged the program effective, though it needs to be noted it was commissioned by the School Chaplaincy Association and did not consider the effectiveness of the chaplaincy relative to secular provision.
The full text of the evaluation can be found at http://schoolchaplaincy.org.au/files/2012/09/chaplaincyeffectiveness.pdf

Scripture Union Queensland (SUQld) is one of a number of organisations which supplies chaplains to state schools in Australia. The Union’s homepage, including its mission statement, can be accessed at http://www.suqld.org.au/mission-vision-values

Scripture Union Tasmania (SUTas) is one of a number of organisations which supplies chaplains to state schools in Australia. On its Internet site it supplies a number of arguments supporting the value of the chaplaincy program to schools.
These can be accessed at http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=16450&page=2

The National School Chaplaincy Association Internet site has a section given over to responding to a number of claims about the chaplaincy program it characterises as ‘myths’.
This section of the site can be accessed at http://schoolchaplaincy.org.au/about-school-chaplaincy/