Daniel, thank you very much, what an introduction. And yes, go cats, the mighty cats. Well, good evening everyone. It is wonderful to join you on this very special occasion. I would like to firstly start by saying thank you, thank you for all that you do because Christian schools matter. Faith-based schools matter. But here in this house of democracy, I am going to cut to the chase.
This is not a universal view. So, ladies and gentlemen, we have a fight on our hands. But I can assure you, the coalition is up for the fight. 12 months ago, when I addressed you at this very same forum, I held great hope that the interim report of the ALRC would be relegated to the dustbin. We all held that great hope, that common sense would prevail.
I reflected on the wonderful words of Robert Menzies, who, when speaking about the importance of freedom of worship in 1942, said we are a diversity of creatures with a diversity of minds and emotions and imagination and faiths. When we claim freedom of worship, we claim room and respect for all. But I say, ladies and gentlemen, where is the room and respect for all
in 2024? I won’t beat around the bush because time is running out. You have every right to feel marginalised and disrespected. You have every right to feel there is no room at the inn and that is not acceptable. We are blessed to live in a country which has always support, stood and nurtured our freedoms, freedoms which were fought and won on the battlefield.
Our freedoms of speech, association, the freedom to pursue the life of your choice and the freedom of worship. The freedom to believe or not to believe, as the case may be. The freedom to follow your faith, to live a life consistent with the tenants and beliefs of your religion. But now we are faced with potential laws which put your future in peril.
We now have a final ALRC report which, if enacted, reportedly would destroy the very fabric of your schools. I say reportedly because this draft legislation is still secret. And I ask you why? It is secret Because exposing the truth about these proposed laws would expose the truth about the government’s intentions. Our word is our bond. We promise you we will not support any change in the law unless
it takes schools of faith forward and not backwards. The Prime Minister has also used the same language in providing you with similar assurances. But I have to say, and I regret to be so partisan, but as I say, time is running out. It is difficult to believe the Prime Minister’s word is his bond because under this government, unlike any previous Labor government in my lifetime, non-government schools are under attack.
As you would know, the Productivity Commission has recommended an end to DGR status for all schools, so that’s an end to school building and library funds, which would compromise and put at risk some $3 billion of funding for non-government schools, independent and faith-based schools every single year. We were delighted, with the current teacher crisis in many schools,
when the government announced $50 million for teacher training scholarships. And then we read the detail, because these scholarships are only available to student teachers who elect to teach in a government school. Like the decades of bipartisanship our country has enjoyed in supporting Israel. This would never have happened under the Bob Hawke, when he led an earlier Labor government.
So I make this point because this should not be a matter of politics. This should not be a partisan issue, but sadly, it is. In recent weeks, along with my very good friend, Senator Michaelia Cash, the Shadow Attorney-General. We’ve had the great privilege to address the faith in our future rallies in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. They were very moving.
The stories we heard about the impact that faith based schools had on so many different people were incredible. But it did steal my resolve that we must together fight against these proposals. Parents choose faith based and independent schools because they want their children educated in a community where staff adhere to or support the traditions of that school institution.
The coalition believes in that fundamental right. And I know we all believe here in that fundamental right. So many parents believe in that fundamental right. And that’s why we’ve seen such a surge of enrollments in faith based schools in recent years. However, we know what the numbers are in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. We know we cannot depend on the Greens.
So, as I said last week in Melbourne, it’s critical that you make your voice heard on these proposed laws. Raise your voice to the rooftops, to the skies and to the heavens. Tonight, like last year, I still hold hope. And you must hold hope as well. You’ve done an incredible job in advocating for your rights, in advocating for your schools, for your school communities.
I know so many of you and I’ve met and spoken with so many of you about the challenges you face in your schools, the difficult issues that you deal with with your students. And I continue to hear stories about how you deal with those issues, with love and compassion and integrity and commitment.
As the Shadow Minister for Education, it is a real honor to fight for you. It is a real honor to fight for higher school standards. As we know, 1 in 3 children are currently failing that plan. The average year ten student is one year behind in their learning compared to 20 years ago. So as a nation, we must do better.
It is an honor to fight against indoctrination and activism in the classroom, and I know this is something that is very close to your heart. It is an honor to fight against division and height in our schools and our universities in the fight against anti-Semitism.
I have to say, I met at the Sydney Faith and our future rally, a wonderful man who is the who is the leader. He’s the leader of an Islamic school network. And he said, thank you for what you’re doing in your fight against anti-Semitism, because the families which belong to our school community, and they hate this as much as anyone else.
Muslim families in our country do not want to see this division and hate in university campuses, and that just gave me such a great deal of hope and joy when I heard those words. Ladies and gentlemen, I am really proud to fight for you, to fight for your faith and for your future. And I’m really proud to say that together we can and will prevail.
Thank you.