Queensland’s Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has given a commitment to US-based Answers in Genesis in support of home-schooling just weeks after the organisation launched a curriculum teaching kindergarten kids “dinosaurs were present on the ark”.
In an email to supporters in late May, Answers in Genesis’ chief executive officer Martyn Iles revealed that Mr Crisafulli’s office had telephoned him with what Mr Iles described as “news about an important development in the fight to protect home education”.
“[Mr Crisafulli’s office called] to say the Opposition does not support any changes that would restrict home education in Queensland, in particular the discriminatory requirement that home education be ‘in the best interests of the child’,” wrote Iles.
“This is a positive development. Please pray that this will prevent restrictions to home education.”
Ken Ham, the creationist Christian behind the Ark Encounter tourist site in Kentucky, appointed Iles to Answers in Genesis last year following Iles’ sudden departure from the Australian Christian Lobby.
Since then, Iles and Ham have been promoting their future plans to establish a Christian education movement based on home-schooling.
In April, Christian radio reported that Answers in Genesis had released a new curriculum targeted at Christian schools.
In a ‘scope and sequence’ outline for kindergarten-level children, learning objectives include: recognising that “dinosaurs were on the ark because they were land animals created on day 6 of creation”; explaining “how dinosaurs could fit on the ark”; and recognising that “dinosaurs existed after the flood because they were kept safe on the ark”.
Other objectives include recalling “evidence in Scripture that helps show the age of the earth and universe to be about 6,000 years old”.
Earlier this year, Queensland’s Labor government introduced a bill to parliament seeking to require home-schooling parents to teach a program consistent with the Australian curriculum, or the state syllabus for senior students. The legislation also sought to ensure that home education be “in the best interests of the child”.
In April, following a backlash among home-school families, education minister Di Farmer announced that provisions relating to home education would be removed from the bill and a Home School Advisory Group established to consider how to deliver high-quality home education.
Si Gladman is Executive Director of the Rationalist Society of Australia. He also hosts ‘The Secular Agenda’ podcast.
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Image: David Crisafulli MP (Facebook)