A poll conducted by Fairfax-Ipsos has shown a massive amount of support for changing the laws to ensure that LGBT students cannot be expelled by religious based schools, and the employment of LGBT teachers and staff is protected.
The poll found that 74 per cent of Australian supported the laws being changed. Across the political spectrum voters supported the laws being changed. Leaked recommendations from the Ruddock Review into religious freedom suggest the laws should remain but schools should be more up-front about their policies, but voters disagree and want the discrimination removed.
Support for changing the laws was highest among Greens voters where 92 per cent voiced support, 81 per cent of Labor voters support change, and 62 per cent of coalition voters also support protecting students and teachers. People who vote for One Nation were also in favour of changing the laws with 51 per cent showing support.
Alongside the overwhelming support for protecting gay students and teachers the poll also showed there is little support for maintaining the status quo. Only 30 per cent of coalition voters are in favour of keeping the laws, 15 per cent of Labor voters support the current laws, and just 7 per cent of Greens voters. Support for the current laws is highest among One Nation voters where 45 per cent believe the laws should be kept.
Both Labor and the Coalition have voiced their support for removing the exemptions that allow school students be expelled from school because they are gay, lesbian or transgender, but both parties say further discussion is needed when it comes to changing the laws as they related to teachers.
Former Education Minister Simon Birmingham questioned the reliability of the poll saying the questions asked could have influenced its outcomes.
Appearing on the ABC’s National Wrap program on Sunday night Birmingham said the issue needed be approached with careful consideration.
“I’d want to look very carefully at the detail of such a poll.” Birmingham said when asked if the government was out of step with public sentiment.
“I do think it depends how you frame such questions, if you ask a question of ‘Do you think people should be able to discriminate on the grounds of sexuality?’, not unsurprisingly you will usually get an answer that that’s unacceptable.” Birmingham said.
“If you ask a question of ‘Do you think that faith based schools should be able to to positively work with people of their faith and who live by that faith, I expect you’d get a very different answer.”
Senator Birmingham said he was not entirely comfortable with the proposition of teachers being sacked for their sexuality but he did think it was unreasonable for schools to expect to be able to hire staff who lived up to the beliefs of their particular faith.
OIP Staff
