Weekend Wrap for 6 April 2025
Welcome to the NSL Weekend Wrap for 6 April 2025, where you can catch up on the latest secular-related news from around the country.
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At the National Level
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has proposed using federal funding as leverage to counter what he perceives as "indoctrination" in schools, a move that has drawn comparisons to Donald Trump's tactics and criticism from Labor and education unions. The Albanese government has recently signed new schools funding agreements with every state and territory, but finer details such as the sequencing of that money are yet to be resolved, offering a window of leverage for a newly-elected Dutton government. Dutton has also emphasised a focus on foundational skills like reading and maths, but his vague stance on funding cuts and curriculum changes has sparked concerns about potential politicisation of education and the impact on teachers and students. (2 Apr 2025)
Read more at ABC News
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has updated its position on Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD), marking its first revision in nearly a decade and signalling a significant shift in end-of-life care. The statement recognises VAD as a legitimate health service available in all Australian states, with implementation in the ACT set for November 2025. It emphasises doctors' ethical duty to alleviate suffering and support patients' preferences, while also advocating for the right to conscientious objection and the importance of palliative care. The AMA calls for reforms, including allowing telehealth for VAD consultations to assist remote or severely ill patients. This update aims to reduce stigma, reassure healthcare providers, and ensure VAD is discussed openly as part of end-of-life care. (2 Apr 2025)
Read more at Go Gentle Australia
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has stated that the ABC must demonstrate “excellence” and efficiency to justify its annual government funding of over $1 billion, threatening potential funding cuts if the Coalition wins the federal election. Dutton criticised the broadcaster for being overly centralised in metropolitan areas and suggested redirecting resources to better serve regional communities. Labor has responded by framing Dutton’s comments as a threat to the ABC’s funding, citing his history of cuts during previous Coalition governments. The ABC chair, Kim Williams, has previously highlighted a 13.7% real-term decline in funding over the past decade, while the current Labor government has increased the broadcaster’s budget and extended its funding agreements. (2 Apr 2025)
Read more at ABC News
The Rationalist Society of Australia has urged independent parliamentarians and minor parties to pursue reform of Australia’s charities system during the next term of parliament in order to restore public confidence and improve accountability and transparency. The RSA have called for the removal of the 'Basic Religious Charities' (BRC) category, removal of "advancement of religion" as a charitable purpose, and removal of tax concessions enjoyed by commercial enterprises owned by religious charities and where business activities were unrelated to the charitable purpose. MPs were urged to support the advice of the Productivity Commission, which, in its Future foundations of giving report, recommended removal of the BRC category to “enhance regulatory consistency and public transparency”, and to ensure that all charities are “regulated in a consistent manner”. (4 Apr 2025)
Read more at the Rationalist Society of Australia
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton faced allegations that his team removed Pride flags and other items ahead of his visit to Headspace’s Melton branch in Melbourne. It's been suggested that Dutton’s advance team rearranged the space to avoid visible LGBTQIA+ symbols. A spokesperson for Dutton emphasised the Coalition’s commitment to supporting youth mental health, including a $400 million funding package for Headspace, but did not address queries about his stance on Pride flags. Rodney Croome of Just.Equal criticised the optics of the actions, arguing that removing flags undermined the inclusive message Headspace aims to convey to LGBTQIA+ youth. (4 Apr 2025)
Read more at OUTinPerth
Around the Country
WA: The WA state government are being urged to modernise the Standing Orders of both houses of the West Australian Parliament to address the imposition of Christian prayers by removing the daily Christian prayer ritual or replacing it with a practice that is secular, more welcoming and inclusive, and better reflective of the West Australian community. (1 Apr 2025)
Read more at the Rationalist Society of Australia
VIC: The Australian Christian Lobby has sent an election mail out in Victoria, spreading transphobia and trying to discredit The Greens. The mailout stated that “while you wait for urgent medical care, The Greens want to use your tax dollars for free gender transition surgeries”. The pamphlet also accused the Greens of wishing to put more gender clinics in hospitals while emergency departments are in crisis. (2 Apr 2025)
Read more at QNews
VIC: The state parliament is set to investigate coercive control practices within controlling cults and "organised fringe groups," following a push from Geelong Labor MP Chris Couzens. The inquiry, referred to the Legal and Social Issues Standing Committee, aims to address issues raised by former members of the Geelong Revival Centre (GRC), a strict Christian church accused of extreme teachings and severe control tactics, including isolating members from loved ones and dictating personal freedoms. This follows a podcast and media reports exposing the GRC’s practices, with survivors advocating for coercive control laws to be expanded beyond domestic relationships to hold cult leaders accountable. The inquiry, due to report by September next year, also seeks to address similar issues in other high-demand religious groups, such as the Toowoomba "Saints," whose leader was recently jailed for manslaughter. (3 Apr 2025)
Read more at The Age
VIC: Vilifying LGBTQIA+ people, women and people living with a disability is now illegal in Victoria, after the passing of the Justice Legislation Amendment (Anti-vilification and Social Cohesion) Bill. LGBTQIA+, women’s and disability groups welcomed the news, which gives the relevant communities the same protections that have been afforded on race and religious grounds for over two decades. Jail sentences will be introduced for vilifying LGBTQIA+ people, women and people with disabilities based on their "protected attribute" – including posting offensive comments or photos online. The legal threshold to prove vilification will also be reduced to “likely” to incite contempt, revulsion or severe ridicule against a minority group. (2 Apr 2025)
Read more at QNews
VIC: Meanwhile, Christian groups have registered their opposition to the new hate speech laws, claiming they will have a "chilling effect on freedom of speech, belief and worship in Victoria." (3 Apr 2025)
Read more at CathNews (originally published at the Herald Sun)
NSW: Conversion practices seeking to change or suppress an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity have been officially banned in NSW. The ban commenced overnight at the stroke of midnight on the 4th, when the Conversion Practices Ban Act 2024 came into effect. Legislation banning LGBTQIA+ conversion practices was initially approved by the NSW Parliament on 22 March, 2024. The delay in commencing the ban was to allow for preparation, education and training. Under the legislation, people who deliver or perform conversion practices that cause substantial mental or physical harm face up to five years in jail. (4 Apr 2025)
Read more at QNews
Commentary and Analysis
ABC Radio National / Dr Renae Barker: What place do sacrilege laws have in 21st C Australia?
"In 2025, in a country that’s now minority Christian, a South Australian man who allegedly broke into a church faces a charge … of sacrilege. It’s an offence many probably thought had long disappeared from the law. Dr Renae Barker is a senior lecturer specialising in law and religion at the University of Western Australia." (2 Apr 2025)
Listen to this piece at ABC's Religion & Ethics Report
Margery Evans (chief executive of the Association of Independent Schools of NSW): Public funding for government schools outstrips the rest: claim
"Trevor Cobbold is well known in education circles for selectively presenting funding data to lead readers to a pre-conceived conclusion. He was at it again in Pearls & Irritations on 14 March, saying that public funding for non-government schools has risen faster than it has for government schools. ... He compounds this trickery by using percentages to suggest that Catholic school funding increased by 34.8% – double the 17.5% increase for public schools! Independent school funding rose 21.2%, he says. However, the data below — from the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority — shows that the public funding gap has actually widened in favour of government schools since the introduction of the current student funding model in 2014 (ie, following the Gonski Review)..." (2 Apr 2025)
Read more at Pearls & Irritations
Events and Campaigns
The Australian Education Union is seeking volunteers to letterbox flyers on their block in the lead-up to the federal election, encouraging people to support Labor's promise to increase funding for public schools. Read more at the Do Your Block campaign website
The full videos of presentations and panel discussions from the 2023 Secularism Australia Conference are freely available for viewing on the Secularism Australia website and on YouTube!
The Australia Institute are calling on federal parliament to pass truth in political advertising laws that are nationally consistent, constitutional and uphold freedom of speech. View the petition at The Australia Institute
The Human Rights Law Centre are running a website for those who want to support an Australian Charter of Human Rights & Freedoms. Visit the Charter of Rights website here
The Australian Education Union is running a campaign calling for “every school, every child” to receive fair education funding. Support the campaign here.
The Human Rights for NSW alliance is running a campaign calling for NSW to pass a Human Rights Act.
That's it for another week!
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