The ACT government has assured the Rationalist Society of Australia that no religious-based discrimination will take place in the employment of workers to public schools under the National Student Wellbeing Program (NSWP).

In a letter from the ACT Education Directorate, Angela Spence, the Executive Group Manager for Services Design and Delivery, said the secular nature of the territory’s public school system meant that religious chaplains could not be employed.

In her letter to the RSA (see below), Ms Spence said the incorporation of religious chaplains in ACT government schools would be “inconsistent” with the territory’s Education Act 2004.

“There has been an expansion of the NSWP to include funding for professionally qualified student wellbeing/welfare officers, which ACT public schools can apply for. Consequently, ACT Public schools do not have Chaplains as part of the NSWP,” she said.

The ACT’s approach demonstrates that states and territories can accept federal funding under the NSWP and, at the same time, ensure discrimination does not occur in the hiring of these positions in public schools. In 2019, the ACT government announced it would not accept federal funding for religious chaplains in its public schools and withdrew from the then National School Chaplaincy Program.

Last month, the RSA wrote to all federal state/territory education departments to share with them the new report titled Religious discrimination in the recruitment of National Student Wellbeing Program (NSWP) workers in Australian public schools – a publication of the RSA.

The report showed that religious discrimination against youth workers remained a systemic feature of the operation of the program, with the usual recruitment practice requiring that qualified youth workers be Christian and have religious credentials to be eligible for the jobs in public schools.

While Catholic and independent schools in the ACT had the option to recruit a chaplain or wellbeing officer, Ms Spence said public schools would receive funding under the NSWP and directly employ student wellbeing officers.

“The ACT Government recruits Wellbeing Officers rather than Chaplains via Jobs ACT according to the required merit-based process; religious beliefs are not a consideration,” Ms Spence said.

“Recruiting directly also ensures that Wellbeing Officers are not subject to any religious conditions included as part of employment with an agency, including religious belief and faith affiliation.

“I’d like to reassure you that there is not discrimination in the recruitment practices for NSWP workers in ACT public schools.”

The RSA has been calling for state and territory education ministers to allow schools to bypass religious-based third-party providers – which only hire members of their faith communities – and directly employ wellbeing officers.

The RSA has asked each education department: whether the recruitment practices for NSWP workers in public schools, as outlined in the report, accorded with the department’s policies; and what steps they would take to address the systemic religious discrimination against NSWP workers in public schools.

Follow our campaign on the school chaplaincy issue here.

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Si Gladman is Campaign & Communications Coordinator for the Rationalist Society of Australia. He also hosts ‘The Secular Agenda’ podcast.

Letter from ACT Education Department, 29 September 2023

Dear Dr Doig

Thank you for your correspondence about the recruitment of National Student Wellbeing Program (NSWP) workers in the ACT and providing your Religious discrimination in the recruitment of National Student Wellbeing Program workers in Australian public schools report.

Education in ACT public schools is required to be non-sectarian, secular education. This is not only consistent with the Education Act 2004 (The Act) but also with prevailing expectations of the ACT community. The incorporation of religious chaplains in ACT government schools is inconsistent with the Act. There has been an expansion of the NSWP to include funding for professionally qualified student wellbeing/welfare officers, which ACT public schools can apply for. Consequently, ACT Public schools do not have Chaplains as part of the NSWP.

Catholic and independent schools in the ACT may use a third-party provider to recruit into the Wellbeing Officer or Chaplain role appropriate for their school. ACT public schools are the funding recipients of the NSWP and directly employ student wellbeing officers. The ACT Government recruits Wellbeing Officers rather than Chaplains via Jobs ACT according to the required merit-based process; religious beliefs are not a consideration. Recruiting directly also ensures that Wellbeing Officers are not subject to any religious conditions included as part of employment with an agency, including religious belief and faith affiliation.

I’d like to reassure you that there is not discrimination in the recruitment practices for NSWP workers in ACT public schools. If you require further information about this matter, please contact the Student Engagement team in the directorate at EDUSEOffice@act.gov.au.

Yours sincerely

Angela Spence

Executive Group Manager, Services Design and Delivery

ACT Education Directorate