❓ Hon Wilson Tucker questions the Minister for Education regarding the requirement for school chaplains to be 'of faith', highlighting inconsistencies between government policy and the policies of approved chaplain providers. The question also references concerns raised by the Rationalist Society of Australia.
AnsweredQoN 245Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
(1) I refer to an article published in The Sunday Times on the 15 August 2021, titled ‘Should we still keep the faith?’. The article quotes the Minister as saying ‘there is no State Government requirement for school chaplains to be of faith’. However, I note that each of the three approved providers of chaplains for public schools states explicitly on their websites that chaplains must be ‘of faith’, therefore I ask: (a) does the Minister agree that these requirements create a de facto policy of public school chaplains being ‘of faith’; and (b) what steps will the Minister take to correct this inconsistency between
Government policy and the policy of the providers the Department
engages? (2) I refer to correspondence from the Rationalist Society of Australia (RSA) to the Department of Education, dated 20 March 2021 and 6 April 2021, in which the RSA raises their concerns over the prima facie religious conviction discrimination of the Department in the current policy of approved chaplain providers, and I ask, has the Department received this correspondence, and when can the RSA expect a response? (3) Will the Government review it's policy, and the policy of approved chaplain providers, to allow people 'of no faith' to apply for chaplain roles in public schools: (a) if no to (3), why not?
Government policy and the policy of the providers the Department
engages? (2) I refer to correspondence from the Rationalist Society of Australia (RSA) to the Department of Education, dated 20 March 2021 and 6 April 2021, in which the RSA raises their concerns over the prima facie religious conviction discrimination of the Department in the current policy of approved chaplain providers, and I ask, has the Department received this correspondence, and when can the RSA expect a response? (3) Will the Government review it's policy, and the policy of approved chaplain providers, to allow people 'of no faith' to apply for chaplain roles in public schools: (a) if no to (3), why not?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
14 September 2021
Responded by
Minister for Education and Training
Response time
9 days
(1)-(3)
There is no State Government requirement that school chaplains be of faith.
Schools in Western Australia have the option to purchase chaplaincy services from an alternative provider and undertake an independent procurement where the buyer’s guide does not apply.
There is no State Government requirement that school chaplains be of faith.
Schools in Western Australia have the option to purchase chaplaincy services from an alternative provider and undertake an independent procurement where the buyer’s guide does not apply.
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