Media Release
Wednesday March 21st 2018
 
CALL FOR LABOR TO TIE CHURCH SCHOOL FUNDING TO EQUAL RIGHTS FOR LGBTI TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
 
LGBTI rights advocates have called on Labor to tie its promise of funding to faith-based schools with the removal of discrimination exemptions that allow such schools to sack LGBTI teachers and expel LGBTI students.
 
The Labor Party has recently promised an additional $250 million to religious schools but has also said it has no plans to remove special legal exemptions for such schools that allow discrimination.
 
Just.equal spokesperson, Rodney Croome, said,
 
"In every mainland state, religious schools are allowed to fire teachers and expel students simply because of their sexuality or gender identity."
 
"We call on Labor - a party that says it opposes discrimination - not to give another cent of taxpayer money to religious schools until those schools are governed by the same discrimination laws as state schools."
 
"In recent years in just one state, Western Australia, a seven year old was removed from her Mandurah religious school when it found out she had two dads, and a teacher was sacked from a Rockingham Baptist school for being gay."
 
"These cases are just the tip of an iceberg. Across the nation teachers and students live in fear of being found out and kicked out."
 
"For example, there are LGBTI teachers at publically-funded church schools who still can't get married because it would mean they lose their job."
 
In January, Deputy Labor leader, Tanya Plibersek, said Labor has no plans to remove exemptions that allow religious schools to fire LGBTI teachers.
 
For a copy of this statement on the web, click here
 
For more information contact Rodney Croome on 0409 010 668.