Tim Storer (SA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the Discrimination Free Schools Bill 2018. Late last year Australian voters overwhelmingly backed the abolition of laws preventing marriage equality. It was a reminder that on many issues the voters are well ahead of their elected representatives. A few months ago a YouGov Galaxy poll found that 82 per cent of those surveyed opposed laws currently allowing schools to expel students because of their sexual orientation. Nearly as many—79 per cent—opposed the ability of schools to sack teachers if they married people of the same sex. It is another sign that the voters are well in front of their elected representatives. As I've said before, I oppose any moves to increase discrimination against students and teachers based on their sexual orientation, and I am supporting this bill because it seeks to scrap current exemptions allowing some schools to discriminate against students, teachers and other staff on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identification.

This is not a theoretical problem. We have heard today, and I myself am aware, of schools where teachers, even principals, have had to hide their sexual orientation to avoid the sack. These were people who in some cases were committed Christians. These were teachers who were loved by their students and whose teaching and insights are remembered long after by the pupils they taught. This is not acceptable in a nation where gay marriage is now legal. Even so, there are still cases where teachers are being sacked for acknowledging that they are gay. One of these cases, reported by the ABC, involved Craig Campbell, a practising Christian who was employed as a teacher at a Baptist college south of Perth. He had previously been a student at the school, but his employment was terminated last year after he told the school that he was in a same-sex relationship. Speaking to the ABC, Mr Campbell wondered—legitimately, in my view—what existing laws allowing discrimination said about these schools and their attitude to religion. After all, as the Bible states in Paul's letter to the Galatians:

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Mr Campbell asked:

What's the ultimate goal in not allowing these kids within your school?

Religious schools, their bigger purpose is to provide environments where kids can interact with their faith and so by excluding the students they lose that opportunity. To me, it seems nonsensical.

I could not agree more. It is beyond time to bring all schools in line with the prohibitions on sexual discrimination that operate elsewhere in society. It is high time that the laws allowing schools to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identification, martial status and pregnancy for students and staff are amended. I do hope that the Senate passes this legislation and that the government has the good sense to allow it to be debated in the other place so that it can become law. We do not want a repeat of the extreme words and actions that arose out of the marriage equality debate last year.