Hi ,
In this final week of the state election campaign, we want your help to put two issues on the radar of political candidates.
1. Ask candidates whether they support continued segregation of public schoolchildren along religious lines under the Special Religious Education (SRE) program.
Disappointingly, both major parties have ignored public calls for SRE to be moved outside of class hours.
On top of that, the Perrottet government seemed unconcerned after we raised the alarm about the existence of SRE teaching materials that promote creationism.
2. Ask candidates whether they
support the major parties’ policies of giving religious organisations even more influence in the policymaking process through the parties' respective faith advisory bodies.
The Perrottet government has established a Religious Communities Advisory Council, while the Minns opposition has pledged to set up a Faith Affairs Council. Both promise to give
religious leaders a strong role in decision-making.
But what about the state’s growing non-religious population? Will non-religious groups get an equal opportunity to participate in a new government’s policy-making?
We have raised our concerns, but New South Wales’ voters deserve details about how such an advisory body would function and how much influence it would have.
If you’d like to help us to continue to make an impact in New South Wales, please consider becoming a member for $5 a month or making a donation.
