The federal education department is masking ongoing religious-based discrimination in chaplaincy roles in the National Student Wellbeing Program (NSWP) through inadequate reporting processes, says the Rationalist Society of Australia.

Documents obtained under freedom of information (FOI) laws show that the states and territories are required to simply mark ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, or ‘Y’ or ‘N’, to the question of whether student wellbeing officers and chaplains employed in the NSWP “were of any faith or of no faith”.

In the annual ‘Checklist of Annual Reporting’ for 2023, all states and territories confirmed that the program met this requirement, along with the requirements that wellbeing officers and chaplains “respected, accepted and were sensitive to other people’s views, values and beliefs”, and “did not proselytise”.

In the 2024 reporting year, the three states that had submitted by the time of the RSA’s request for documents earlier this year had also indicated that the program met these requirements.

However, as the RSA has continually pointed out, religious-based discrimination remains a central feature of the $61 million-per-year NSWP, with the chaplains employed in schools under the program being required to meet religious credentials.

Last month, the RSA – supported by eight other non-religious, ex-religious and pro-secular organisations – detailed the discriminatory nature of the NSWP in a submission to the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review into Australia’s human rights. It was one example of discrimination and unfair treatment against non-religious people in government institutions and programs.

The submission said the federally funded program discriminated on the grounds of religion and belief as the employment of chaplains via third-party religious labour hire firms required candidates have religious credentials, such as ordination, an active church life, and endorsement by a religious institution.

The NSWP funding agreement says the program is explicitly not religious and that wellbeing officers and chaplains may be “of any faith or of no faith”.

Yet, in response to questions from secular advocates in 2023, the federal education department stated that the chaplaincy roles were distinguished by the need for chaplains to “confirm their faith”. A spokesperson for the education department also said that a worker’s religion had nothing to do with the work they do and that secular wellbeing officers and chaplains provide the same services in schools.

The RSA’s submission to the UN Human Rights Council last month also argued that the NSWP program was discriminatory in failing to cater for non-religious students and families, as the religious nature of chaplaincy roles erected barriers to some people in seeking care.

After releasing the documents under FOI to the RSA, the federal education department also published them on its website (see here).

Speaking today, RSA Executive Director Si Gladman said the annual reporting by states and territories appeared to be a “tick-and-flick” exercise aimed at avoiding any serious review of the NSWP. 

“The reality is that a large number of these NSWP roles that are funded by taxpayers require that people hired be people of faith. The Albanese government, with this inadequate reporting process, is masking from the public the religious-based discrimination that is a defining feature of the NSWP,” he said.

The NSWP – formerly the National School Chaplaincy Program – has long been dogged by allegations of chaplains using their access to children in public schools to proselytise. In 2022, an evaluation report of the program highlighted testimonials from students that chaplains had tried to “push their religion”, had “attempted to discuss religion with me”, and promoted off-site religious activities.

In June this year, the RSA revealed that the chaplaincy and pastoral care teams of many religious schools that receive millions of public funding under the NSWP were performing religious activities, such as leading Bible studies, conducting chapel services, providing spiritual support, and running prayer and devotional sessions.

Follow our campaign on school chaplaincy.

If you want to support our work, please make a donation or become a member.

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