The Rationalist Society of Australia has called on the Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton, to support the removal of religious indoctrination, including scripture programs, from Australian classrooms.

The RSA wrote to Mr Dutton this week after he declared that, if elected to government this year, the Coalition would demand “education not indoctrination” in schools.

In the letter, RSA Executive Director Si Gladman highlighted the problem of education laws in Queensland and New South Wales allowing religious missionaries to enter public school classrooms during normal learning time to deliver scripture classes.

He also asked Mr Dutton to address the issues of faith schools teaching science and evolution through a “Biblical lens” and the requirement for chaplains to have religious credentials under the federally funded National Student Wellbeing Program (NSWP).

Speaking today, Mr Gladman said voters would be eager to know whether Mr Dutton shared their concerns about such religious indoctrination in schools.

“If Mr Dutton is serious about wanting to prioritise education over indoctrination in schools, then he really needs to address these issues of ongoing religious indoctrination in classrooms across Australia,” he said.

Mr Gladman detailed evidence of disturbing material being taught in the Special Religious Education (SRE) program in New South Wales and the Religious Instruction (RI) program in Queensland, including the teaching of anti-scientific and anti-evolution material in Christian classes.

He told Mr Dutton that SRE and RI were disruptive, segregating children along religious lines and forcing non-participating students to fill their time with non-curriculum activities.

“While this is a state matter, we urge you to call on Queensland and New South Wales to prioritise education over indoctrination and move scripture classes to be held outside normal learning hours,” Mr Gladman wrote.

He also asked Mr Dutton to ensure that faith schools in receipt of public funding remove religious indoctrination from science classes.

“We are aware that many faith schools teach science and evolution through a ‘Biblical lens’ or through the ‘Christian worldview’,” he said.

“As a result, children are learning that evolution is not a well-established scientific theory supported by a large amount of scientific evidence. Instead, they are being taught that religious myths explain the natural world and humanity’s place in it.”

“Such indoctrination of religious dogma should not be happening in the science classrooms of any Australian school, especially when these faith schools receive significant public funds from Australian taxpayers.”

Mr Gladman also urged Mr Dutton to commit to removing all religious requirements from the NSWP and prioritise the wellbeing of students instead of the demands of religious interest groups.

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Si Gladman is Executive Director at the Rationalist Society of Australia. He also hosts ‘The Secular Agenda’ podcast.

Image: Peter Dutton (Facebook)

RSA letter to Mr Dutton, 22 January 2025

Dear Mr Dutton,

I’m writing on behalf of the Rationalist Society of Australia (RSA), which is Australia’s oldest freethought group promoting reason, secularism and evidence-based policy.

We note with interest your announcement earlier this month that a government under your leadership would demand “education not indoctrination” in schools.

We welcome any moves by the Coalition to advocate for the removal of religious indoctrination from Australian schools.

Scripture classes

Education laws in Queensland and in New South Wales allow for religious missionaries to enter public school classrooms during normal learning time to deliver scripture – known as ‘Religious Instruction’ in Queensland and ‘Special Religious Education’ in New South Wales. These programs have the effect of segregating children along religious lines and interrupting the normal learning time for many students, forcing non-participating students to fill their time with non-curriculum activities.

The missionaries in these programs indoctrinate children in particular religions, with Christian classes found to be teaching anti-scientific and anti-evolution material, Islamic classes teaching on “hellfire” and warning children not to “compromise or change your identity”, and Hindu classes teaching the discriminatory caste system.

While this is a state matter, we urge you to call on Queensland and New South Wales to prioritise education over indoctrination and move scripture classes to be held outside normal learning hours.

Mr Dutton, will you call on the Queensland and New South Wales governments to put an end to this religious indoctrination during normal learning time in their public schools?

School chaplaincy

Despite the Albanese government’s welcome decision to give school communities a choice of either a chaplain or a secular wellbeing officer under the National Student Wellbeing Program (NSWP), religious-based discrimination remains a systemic feature of the federally funded program.

As we revealed in a research report in 2023, chaplaincy positions in the program continue to be recruited through religious labour-hire firms that require candidates to meet religious credentials, such as attendance at church or endorsement from a faith leader.

Anti-discrimination and human rights commissions in a number of states – including Western Australia and Queensland – have recognised that such practices represent religious-based discrimination under their relevant state laws.

As revealed by a 2022 review into the then National School Chaplaincy Program, children and parents continue to raise concerns about these chaplains using their access to children to proselytise or lure them to church activities outside school hours.

We note that former coalition governments have required that all workers in the program have religious credentials. We urge you to remove all religious requirements from the NSWP and prioritise the wellbeing of students instead of the demands of religious interest groups.

Mr Dutton, will you commit to ensuring that any federal support for student wellbeing programs in public schools funds the professional secular support that Australian kids need, instead of religious activities and indoctrination?

Science classes in faith schools

We are aware that many faith schools teach science and evolution through a “Biblical lens” or through the “Christian worldview”. As a result, children are learning that evolution is not a well-established scientific theory supported by a large amount of scientific evidence. Instead, they are being taught that religious myths explain the natural world and humanity’s place in it.

Such indoctrination of religious dogma should not be happening in the science classrooms of any Australian school, especially when these faith schools receive significant public funds from Australian taxpayers.

This practice also breaches Australia’s commitment to international human rights that protect each child’s right to scientific education. Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides for the fundamental human right to freely “share in scientific advancement and its benefits” – known as the “right to science”.

Any school receiving public funding should be required to teach science without interference from religious indoctrination.

Mr Dutton, if elected to government, will you ensure that faith schools in receipt of public funding remove religious indoctrination from science-related classes?

Regards,

Si Gladman

Executive Director,

Rationalist Society of Australia