The South Australian government has admitted it breached its duty of care after a class of students at Renmark High School were allegedly exposed to claims that LGBTIQA+ communities embrace incest and bestiality.
The state will defend a $250,000 lawsuit brought by a parent of one of the children in the class.
In 2024 a group of female students at Renmark High School reported that teachers asked them to leave their regular classes and attend a special presentation in a separate classroom. They said teachers then left them to be supervised by two staff members from the mental‑health organisation Headspace, who in turn introduced a “third‑party” presenter delivering a session on relationships.
The teenage students said they were alarmed by the frank discussion, which allegedly included the presenter speaking about their own sexual preferences. They claimed the presentation included a PowerPoint slide explaining the “plus” in the LGBTIQA+ acronym, listing bestiality and incest as examples.
The students said the presenter then went on to explain what bestiality was and claimed it was accepted within LGBTIQA+ communities. South Australia’s then‑Education Minister Blair Boyer publicly apologised, saying it was “not acceptable” that the presentation had occurred. Headspace also apologised and attributed responsibility to FocusOne, the local Headspace licensee.
Nicki Gaylard, who withdrew her daughter from the school immediately after the incident, is suing the South Australian government and the school principal, alleging negligence, breach of the duty to prevent child abuse, and misfeasance in public office.
Gaylard, a mother of six, is being supported by the religious‑based Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). The group has been listed as a hate group by the US‑based Southern Poverty Law Center, a label the ADF rejects.
In an interview with News.com, Gaylard said the incident had been traumatic for her entire family and they fear it could have lifelong effects.
“There’s a lot of trauma for my entire family after this occurred,” she said. “And it’s obvious that it still affects us, even today. Some might feel like it’s so long ago, but it still lurks. You can’t erase what you hear and what you see. It’s not that easy. These things sit with you, and possibly for the rest of our lives.”
The government has asked for the case to be dismissed, arguing that no lasting harm has occurred. It also disputes many of the claims made about what was included in the presentation delivered by FocusOne.
