Public lectures in Balwyn Library, monthly 4th Thu., 8 pm; members’ discussions in Tresise Centre, Hawthorn East, monthly 2nd Sun., 11 am.

Humanism is an optimistic world-view relying on human capabilities only –
guided by reason – informed by evidence – driven by compassion.

SNS

President, H S V

Church exemptions are anti-democratic

News Items, Secularism and Religion No Responses »
Jan 172013

The Australian government is bowing to the Christian lobby by giving the churches special exemptions from the law. This is evident in new legislation which has not been tested, notably the Australian Charities & Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012 and the Human Rights & Anti-discrimination Bill 2012, which is scheduled to come before the Senate on 18 February 2013.
Citizens should be wary of any move entrenching privilege for vested interests, as it is clearly anti-democratic. The nation’s problems cry to be managed with more democracy, not less.
The Humanist Society of Victoria joins with the Rationalist Society of Australia and other freethinking groups in announcing today a Manifesto for a secular Australia, which advances ten points of secularism.

Stephen Stuart

Posted by SNS at 6:30 pm

Reforming religious education in State primary schools

Events, Media Releases, Religion in schools No Responses »
Nov 072012

MEDIA RELEASE
7 November 2012
Reforming religious education in State primary schools

On Sunday 4 November, a public forum convened in Melbourne to examine religious education in State primary schools. Parents, school councillors and principals, educators and lawyers came together with those who had personal experience of delivering Christian religious instruction. There was definite dissatisfaction with the conduct of special religious instruction (SRI) and concern that students should acquire an impartial understanding of diverse religions and beliefs. Discussion was led by Lyn Allison, former Senator and an Australian Humanist of the Year.
The key points expressed were as follows.
1. The recent VCAT decision, in the case of Aitken and others v. Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD), is disappointingly conservative and inadequate to the challenge of public education today.
2. SRI programs focus on induction into a particular faith tradition, instead of being education about diverse community beliefs.
3. The admitted mission of ACCESS ministries, to ‘make disciples’ of State school students, is misguided and misplaced.
4. The present system of SRI is unaccountable, and parents cannot be sure of making a properly informed choice.
5. Public awareness should be raised to demand an independent review of SRI.
6. General religious education (GRE), inclusive of non-theistic world-views and taught by professional teachers, would be greatly preferable to SRI, and would not require the amendment of existing legislation.
The panel of five invited speakers gave different perspectives on the current system of SRI prevailing in Victorian State primary schools.
Barrister Anna Forsyth gave an overview of the VCAT case, in which parents complained that the administration of SRI constituted discrimination for the purposes of Victorian equal opportunity legislation. The tribunal dismissed the claim. But the case has raised public awareness of the issue, and there may be grounds for an appeal against the decision.
Georgia Morrissey and Lisel Thomas summarized experience of the parents’ group, Fairness in Religions in School (FIRIS). FIRIS believes that schools are entitled to control their SRI. The goal of FIRIS is to move SRI out of school time.
Rev. Dr Paul Tonson, a minister in the Uniting Church and member of the interfaith organization, Jews, Christians and Muslims Australia, talked about the role that progressive religious individuals and groups could play, collaborating with secular organizations, towards introducing a broad-based GRE which would celebrate culturally diverse religions, philosophies and ethical systems.
Dr Anna Halafoff, a research fellow of Deakin University and co-ordinator of Religions and Ethics Education Network Australia (REENA), raised questions about the inequitable funding of SRI in Victoria, the lack of funding for GRE and the need for an independent review of SRI taking diverse views into account. She cited a wealth of academic research establishing the benefits of religions and ethics education, and was optimistic about the development of the new National Curriculum which will include a variety of diverse, inter-cultural studies.
After the audience had offered insights and suggestions, a number of actions were recommended.
1. DEECD should be challenged on its continued policy which instructs school principals to accommodate every accredited SRI provider that presents itself. In particular, evangelical activity in State schools needs to be withdrawn.
2. A meeting of school principals should be convened to discuss possible joint action over their unreasonable difficulties in managing SRI. Such issues should also be referred directly to school councils.
3. Teachers should be made aware that existing rules governing ‘supervision’ of SRI are limited to behaviour and safety. In this way, teachers could be brought on-side and encouraged to raise awareness of the problems imposed on them by SRI.
4. Educational authorities should compile teaching resources for GRE, and teachers should be allowed and urged to qualify for GRE, with support from the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship (OMAC) as well as DEECD.

Stephen Stuart, president
[HSV mr071112]

Posted by SNS at 12:00 pm

Evangelists Continue in State Schools – Public Forum held Sunday 4 Nov

Ethical Education, Events, Religion in schools No Responses »
Nov 022012

Public Forum

REFORMING
RELIGIOUS AND ETHICS EDUCATION
IN STATE PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Sunday 4 November
2 pm – 5 pm
free entry
Village Roadshow Theatrette, State Library Entry 3, La Trobe Street, Melbourne

Over past years there have been increasing concerns expressed by parents, educators, community organizations and the general public, about the way in which Christian religious instruction is currently presented and administered in the majority of Victorian Government Primary Schools. These weekly sessions are officially known as SRI (Special Religious Instruction), but are often referred to as CRE, RE or RI.

Parents took the Education Department to court, claiming their children who do not attend these sessions suffer discrimination. Their cause was publicized by the parents’ group, Fairness in Religions in School (FIRIS), which claims that SRI divides children and recommends that the current ‘Sunday School’ lessons be replaced by ‘culturally diverse and unbiased’ classes. The case of ‘AITKEN AND OTHERS VS DEECD’ was heard during 1–9 March 2012, by the Victorian Civil & Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

JUDGE GINNANE finally handed down his judgment in the case on 18 October and found, “THE COMPLAINANTS HAVE NOT ESTABLISHED THAT THE STATE OF VICTORIA HAS ENGAGED IN ANY DISCRIMINATION AGAINST THE EIGHT CHILDREN, ON WHOSE BEHALF THESE PROCEEDINGS WERE BROUGHT.”

It is the view of the Humanist Society of Victoria, that the judgment is out of touch with current changes in religious and ethics educational teaching and with the current increasing diversity of Victoria’s multicultural population in regard to their religious and other beliefs.

PUBLIC FORUM CHAIR:
Lyn Allison Former Australian Senator; 2008 Australian Humanist of the Year.

PANEL MEMBERS:
1) Anna Forsyth One of the two barristers who represented the three VCAT parents.
2) Georgia Morrissey (Parent & Solicitor) & Lisel Thomas (Parent & School Council, President). Both are key members of the parent organisation: Fairness in Religions in School (FIRIS).
3) Rev Dr Paul Tonson Uniting Church Minister involved in networking with faith & free-thought groups. Advocates introduction of GRE (General Religious Education); member of JCMA (Jews, Christians & Muslims Australia)
4) Dr Anna Halafoff Research Fellow, Centre for Citizen & Globalisation, Deakin University; Co-coordinator, Religions and Ethics Education Network Australia (REENA).

Organised by the Humanist Society of Victoria in response to the recent VCAT case. The above eminent panel will provide information and canvass future options.

For further information and inquiries contact

John Russell: Telephone: 0478 365 956 or Email: jr38@optusnet.com.au.

Posted by SNS at 4:05 pm

Human rights and philosophy for children

Ethical Education, News Items No Responses »
Aug 132012

IMAGE ERIN MCGUIRE: HTTP://WWW.FLICKR.COM/PHOTOS/ERINMCGUIRE/

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a foundational statement for the Humanist Society. It is distressing that many children grow up without knowing that they have human rights and therefore are vulnerable to abuse. We support getting human rights into schools. The Society is also a friend of Victorian Association for Philosophy in Schools. This is an excellent way of educating young people. The way into human rights is explained in an article by Michelle Sowey: ‘Philosophy for Children: A reflective approach to human rights education‘.

Stephen Stuart

Posted by SNS at 11:27 am

Parents object to religious instruction

News Items, Secularism and Religion No Responses »
Aug 042012

At its annual conference yesterday, 3 August 2012, Parents Victoria adopted the policy of the Australian Education Union, Victoria branch, with regard to special religious instruction (SRI) in Victorian government schools, and directed its executive to lobby for SRI to be removed from compulsory school hours. The executive had consulted the members in May 2012 and  argued that there was no way of providing SRI for all the different religions in the community, and that schools should not divide children by religion but should treat them all as Australians.

The Victoria branch of the Australian Education Union, which represented 46,000 teachers, had on 13 May 2011 called for SRI in government schools to be disallowed during school hours; it resolved that public education must remain ‘free and secular’.

The latest development of Parents Victoria is welcome news for secularists such as Humanists, as well as for liberal-minded believers. It means that an awareness of the problematic status of SRI is spreading from groups of activists into the wider community. It is the Humanist view that State neutrality with respect to religion is the best guarantee of religious freedom, and dividing schoolchildren by religion is bad education.

If you too object to SRI, you might like to post your comment below.

Stephen Stuart

Posted by SNS at 3:08 pm

Disquiet about religion in schools extends to NZ

News Items, Religion in schools, Secular No Responses »
Jul 242012

Debate has been stirred in New Zealand. The Anglican leader Clay Nelson of Auckland has pointed out that bible study in school violates freedom of religion. To read more, open here, http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/anglican-leader-calls-end-bible-study-in-schools-4973030.

Stephen Stuart

Posted by SNS at 4:20 pm

High Court canes national school chaplaincy

News Items, Religion in schools No Responses »
Jun 202012

The High Court bench today delivered its judgment in the school chaplaincy case, which was heard last year. The Government copped a surprising rap over the knuckles.

In Williams versus Commonwealth of Australia (HCA 2012/23) Ronald Williams, Australian Humanist of the Year, challenged the constitutional status of the National School Chaplaincy Program. The merits or otherwise of the Program itself were not at issue. The bench ruled, six to one, as follows.

The making by the Commonwealth of the relevant payments to Scripture Union Queensland was not prohibited by section 116 of the Constitution, but neither was it supported by the executive power of the Commonwealth under section 61 (as the Commonwealth contended).

The Justice disposing of the action should grant the plaintiff (that’s Ronnie) such ‘declaratory relief’ as appears appropriate, and the Commonwealth should pay the costs of this special case.

You can read the individual judgments online, all 598 paragraphs and 742 references.

Section 61 of the Constitution declares that the executive power of the Commonwealth ‘extends to the execution and maintenance of this Constitution, and of the laws of the Commonwealth’. The subject of chaplaincy doesn’t appear in the Constitution, and the Chaplaincy Program doesn’t depend on specific legislation, so it lies outside section 61. While the result does not appear particularly to advance the cause of secularism, it could set a precedent constraining other non-statutory activities of government.

Stephen Stuart

Posted by SNS at 6:00 pm

HSV & current Senate inquiries

News Items No Responses »
Jun 052012

Some of our submissions to parliamentary inquiries are made available on line, subject only to parliamentary privilege. Recently we contributed to two current inquiries of the Senate Standing Committee on Legal & Constitutional Affairs. You can read them by clicking the following links to pdf files.
On the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2010, submission no. 59 (86 KB).
On the Australian Human Rights Commission Amendment (National Children’s Commissioner) Bill 2012, submission no. 9 (160 KB).

Stephen Stuart

Posted by SNS at 12:28 pm

Australian Humanist of the Year (AHOY) 2012

Events, News Items No Responses »
May 232012

General invitation

The annual CAHS award for 2012 was presented to Mr. Ron Williams
on Thursday 31 May,
at Embiggen Books, 197–203 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne,
by the former Senator and leader of the Australian Democrats and AHOY 2008, Ms. Lyn Allison,
and the ethicist, social campaigner and AHOY 2011, Dr. Leslie Cannold.

Ron Williams is the person who challenged the Australian Government at the High Court, on the constitutionality of the national school chaplaincy program. The Court’s decision is pending, but – win or lose – that case must be the beginning, not the end, of national collective action to secularize the public education system.

Time: 6.30 p.m. for 7.00. Dress: neat casual. Space being strictly limited, booking is essential.

RSVP by 26 May to HSQ treasurer, <treasurer@hsq.org.au>, OR CAHS president, ph. (03) 9857 9717.

(Photo above from Herald Sun)

– SNS

Posted by SNS at 6:44 pm

The Road Less Travelled – Public Forum

Audio, Events, Secular Viewpoints No Responses »
May 192012

Chris Stedman

P.Z. Myers

Leslie Cannold

Meredith Doig

On 16 April 2012 the University of Melbourne saw Chris Stedman, PZ Myers and Leslie Cannold discuss the question, Can believers and atheists work together for the common good? The forum was sponsored by Rationalist Society of Australia, Humanist Society of Victoria, InterAction, Embiggen Books and Global Atheist Convention.

Chris Stedman is the first Interfaith and Community Service Fellow for the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard University. He writes for The Huffington Post, Washington Post and his own blog, “NonProphet Status”. His book, Faitheist: how an atheist found common ground with the religious, will be published later in 2012.
PZ Myers is professor of biology at the University of Minnesota, specialising in evolutionary biology. His blog “Pharyngula” has been listed by the journal Nature as the top-ranked blog written by a scientist. He is often cited as the ‘cranky curmudgeon’ of the freethought community.
Leslie Cannold is an award-winning ethicist based at the University of Melbourne and noted as one of Australia’s most influential public intellectuals. A native New Yorker, she has made Australia home for the past 23 years. In addition to her prolific writing on a wide variety of ethical issues, her distinctive voice is heard across public and commercial radio. In 2011 Leslie was named Australian Humanist of the Year.
The forum was moderated by Meredith Doig, president of the Rationalist Society.

Click here to listen to the audio recording (86 minutes) of the conversation and questions from the audience.

Stephen Stuart

Posted by SNS at 12:02 pm
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