Weekend Wrap for 11 April 2026

QLD: Queensland regulator investigating complaints about the teaching of religious stories in science classes (5 Apr 2026)

Queensland's regulator of non-state schools, the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board (NSSAB), has confirmed it is investigating two publicly funded Christian schools following a complaint by the Rationalist Society of Australia about the teaching of religious stories in science classes. The RSA lodged complaints in February after discovering that Dalby Christian College and Chinchilla Christian College, both from the Open Brethren's Christian Community Ministries network, describe science in their subject materials as providing "insights into God's creation." Both schools receive millions of dollars in federal and state funding and are required to teach the Australian Curriculum, which grounds science content in evidence and scientific methods, including evolutionary theory and the Big Bang.
Read more at the Rationalist Society of Australia

NSW: Sydney council warned of illegal prayer hall years before Bondi attack (5 Apr 2026)

Freedom of information documents obtained by The Age reveal that Canterbury-Bankstown Council received complaints about the Al Madina Dawah Centre in Bankstown — a prayer hall linked to radical preacher Wissam Haddad, who had associations with Bondi shooter Naveed Akram — as far back as November 2023, more than two years before the council finally issued a cease-use directive in January 2026. Council officers investigated, found it appearing on the Go Pray app used by Muslims to locate mosques, and noted it was likely operating without consent — but took no further action. The story raises questions about what was known by regulators before the attack, and why repeated findings of non-compliance did not result in action.
Read more at The Age

National: Concern raised over homophobic statements from One Nation candidates (6 Apr 2026)

A Newspoll analysis published in The Australian shows One Nation's support rising sharply, with the party now polling at 30 per cent in Queensland — ahead of both the ALP (27 per cent) and the LNP (23 per cent). The report comes alongside an ABC investigation into One Nation's candidate vetting processes, prompted by the party's record SA election result (four seats in the House of Assembly and three in the Legislative Council). Candidates Tyler Green (Mawson) and Bruce Preece (Schubert) had documented histories of, respectively, homophobic, antisemitic and racist social media posts, and multiple domestic abuse-related intervention orders. A third candidate, Aoi Baxter, was dropped in the final days of the campaign after it emerged he was wanted over a sexual assault in the United Kingdom. With the party expected to contest multiple seats at the Victorian state election in November, scrutiny of its candidate vetting processes is likely to intensify.
Read more at OUTinPerth

VIC: Moira Deeming ‘Does A Bradbury’ In Wild Liberal Preselection Race (6 Apr 2026)

Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming has been unanimously endorsed for her party's Western Metropolitan Region upper house ticket after the second preselection contest, scheduled to proceed over the Easter weekend, fell apart when one candidate was ruled ineligible and another withdrew. Deeming thus secured the top spot on the ticket without a vote. The reversal follows a chaotic fortnight in which she was defeated at the original ballot on 30 March by businessman Dinesh Gourisetty, who then withdrew within 24 hours when it emerged he had provided a character reference for a man convicted of grooming and sexually assaulting a child. Deeming, who has a long record of opposition to transgender rights and LGBTQI+ education, has confirmed she will campaign strongly ahead of the November state election. One Nation had publicly courted her during the preselection chaos; that conversation appears, for now, to be on hold. The Victorian Liberal Party's internal divisions — between a moderate faction that tried and failed to remove her, and a conservative base that supported her — remain unresolved.
Read more at the Star Observer

WA: Labor MP claims “widespread support” among colleagues for replacing WA parliament’s daily Christian prayers (8 Apr 2026)

West Australian Labor MP Dave Kelly (Bassendean), a former state government minister, has made a submission to the Legislative Assembly's Procedure and Privileges Committee calling for the daily Christian prayers to be replaced with a moment of silent reflection — and claiming he has personally canvassed many colleagues in both chambers and found "widespread support" for the change. Kelly argued that forcing elected representatives to participate in a Christian prayer "is no longer acceptable or lawful" in a proudly multicultural state, and noted that the current arrangement forces some members — including himself — to miss the Acknowledgement of Country, as prayers follow immediately after it. He also raised the impact on survivors of church abuse, stating that "you cannot underestimate the triggering effect on survivors when they come to this place and see that the LA starts every day with a Christian prayer."
Read more at the Rationalist Society of Australia

National: LGBTIQA+ people in Australia still experience discrimination at work (8 Apr 2026)

New research from Diversity Council Australia's biannual Inclusion@Work Index shows that discrimination and harassment of LGBTIQ+ workers is increasing, not declining. The report, drawn from a nationally representative sample of 3,000 workers, found 46 per cent of LGBTIQ+ workers reported experiencing discrimination and/or harassment in the past year compared with 26 per cent of non-LGBTIQ+ workers. LGBTIQ+ workers were also more likely to be socially excluded, have incorrect assumptions made about their abilities, or be ignored at work. The research documents significant mental health consequences and higher rates of job attrition as a result. The findings land at a time when South Australia — the only mainland state with no civil anti-vilification protections for LGBTIQ+ people — has just added One Nation members to its upper house, and when the federal government's hate speech legislation passed in January excluded LGBTIQ+ people from the new vilification offence entirely.
Read more at OUTinPerth

TAS: Glenorchy City Council In Tasmania Unveils First LGBTIQA+ Action Plan (10 Apr 2026)

Glenorchy City Council has unanimously endorsed a five-year LGBTIQA+ Action Plan and accompanying Statement of Commitment — the council's first. Developed after extensive consultation with around 600 community members and an LGBTIQA+ Inclusion Codesign Group, the plan focuses on community education and aims to make Glenorchy a city where LGBTIQA+ people feel safe and included. Mayor Sue Hickey noted that the survey underpinning the plan showed that LGBTIQA+ people in the city "continue to face discrimination and harassment." Equality Tasmania spokesperson Rodney Croome welcomed the vote and said it would encourage other Tasmanian councils to take similar action, noting that several already have or are developing their own inclusion plans.
Read more at the Star Observer

VIC: RSA tells Victorian Labor MPs of disappointment over capitulation to religious lobbyists on prayers issue (11 Apr 2026)

The Rationalist Society of Australia has written to Victorian Labor MPs expressing disappointment that the Allan government has capitulated to religious lobbyists and abandoned its election commitment to replace the daily Christian prayers in the Victorian parliament. Victorian Labor made the promise in August 2021, pledging to "workshop a replacement model that is purpose-fit for Victoria." Despite a large number of Labor MPs boycotting the prayers, the government did not act on the commitment during the 2022–2026 term of parliament. The Liberal Party, which has vowed to "fiercely oppose" any removal of the prayers, claimed credit for the outcome. With the November 2026 state election approaching, the commitment now risks lapsing entirely without delivery.
Read more at the Rationalist Society of Australia