The Greens agree with Recommendation 1 of the report that the Senate should not pass the Australian Education Legislation Amendment (Prohibiting the Indoctrination of Children) Bill 2020 (the bill).
The bill, introduced by Senator Pauline Hanson, is nothing but an attempt by One Nation to insert their brand of far right politics into the national curriculum. The bill is a poorly disguised attempt to force a rewrite of the national curriculum to require teaching of climate denialism and harmful conservative ideas of gender and sexuality in our schools.
While the text of the bill purports to support some kind of 'balance' in the national curriculum, it is bleedingly obvious that this piece of legislation, if passed, will harm trans and gender diverse students and introduce anti‑science concepts into classrooms around the country. The curriculum should be based on independent evidence and expertise, not Senator Hanson's latest bigoted thought bubble.
Besides the harmful agenda, the bill fails on multiple grounds. It is poorly drafted legislation with no clear definition of frequently used words like 'balance'. Indeed, the explanatory memorandum of the bill goes so far as to state the bill is compatible with human rights and freedoms recognised in relevant international instruments. This is patently false. The bill is a clear attack on trans and gender diverse people.
The Australian Greens believe all people are entitled to equal protection of the law without any discrimination, including on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex status. Inclusion and celebration of diversity are essential for social justice and equality. Society should be free of harassment, abuse, vilification, stigmatisation, discrimination, disadvantage or exploitation on the basis of the actual or perceived sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex status of a person, or someone they are associated with. We want the education system to provide age-appropriate information to students, and training and resources to teachers, about respectful relationships and the diversity of sexuality, gender identity, intersex variations and family structures.
The Australian Greens believe that decisions about curriculum, testing, reporting and teaching should be based on evidence and made in consultation with appropriate educational experts, teachers and their unions, and other stakeholders. We echo the Australian Education Union, who stated in their submission that democratic curriculum development should adequately represent the views of teachers, students, parents and appropriately qualified experts in the field.
It is vital that every child learns the reality of the climate crisis, the truth of Australia's settler colonial past and how to have respectful relationships in the context of comprehensive sex education in schools.
The Australia Greens utterly reject this bill, the intent of this bill and the accompanying hateful speeches made by Senator Hanson.