Lyn Allison (Victoria, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I ask Senator Vanstone to also ask the minister: school chaplains provide Bible instruction and worship services, pray with students and provide religious education classes. In some schools, I understand they provide instruction classes for confirmation, assist with communion and so on. Are these the activities the government wants to fund rather than funding teachers to provide literacy and numeracy programs, for instance, or physical education, nutrition education, sex education to reduce teenage pregnancies or indeed career counselling?