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Meeting the Challenges Facing Religious Schools: An Australian Perspective

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The Palgrave Handbook of Education Law for Schools

Abstract

Religious schools face enormous challenges. They need to balance the needs of their religious/faith communities on the one hand with, on the other, the imperatives created by government regulation in terms of educational principles and goals, and also in terms of anti-discrimination, safety and other protective measures. This chapter considers the parameters placed on religious schools by various forms of regulation, and how these challenges play out in reality as reflected in case law. The focus is on Australian schools, but the chapter also considers some cases and legislation in other jurisdictions: the United Kingdom, Europe, Canada and the United States.

I have presented versions of the material contained in this chapter at a number of education law conferences over the past few years. I would like to thank Bridget Nunn and David Chen, both of Thomson Geer, for their invaluable assistance at different times in preparing those papers and this chapter.

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Change history

  • 09 February 2019

    Chapter 12: Towards inclusive schools: The impact of the DDA and the DSE on inclusion participation and exclusion in Australia

Notes

  1. 1.

    See Krygger v Williams (1912) 15 CLR 366; SDW v Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (2008) 222 FLR 84 at 94–95, Adelaide Co of Jehovah’s Witnesses Inc. v Commonwealth (1943) 67 CLR 116 and Church of the New Faith v Commissioner of Payroll Tax (1983) 154 CLR 120.

  2. 2.

    See Discrimination Act 1991 (ACT) s 11 (in employment); Anti-Discrimination Act 1992 (NT) s 19(m); Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (Qld) s7(i); Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic) s 6(n); Equal Opportunity Act 1984 (WA) Part IV; Anti-Discrimination Act 1998 (Tas) ss 16(o) and (p).

  3. 3.

    See Sutherland Shire Council v Folkes [2015] FCA 1288; Islamic Council of Victoria v Catch the Fire Ministries Inc. [2004] VCAT 2510 – discussed in more detail below.

  4. 4.

    See similar provisions in Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) ss 37(a)–(c); Discrimination Act 1991 (ACT) ss 32(a)–(c); Anti-Discrimination Act 1992 (NT) s 51(a)–(c); Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW) s 56(a)–(c); Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (Qld) ss 109(1)(a)–(c); Equal Opportunity Act 1984 (SA) ss 50(1)(a)–(ba); Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic) s 82; Equal Opportunity Act 1984 (WA) s 72(a)–(c); Anti-Discrimination Act 1998 (Tas) s 52.

  5. 5.

    For a detailed comparison of the exemptions across Australian jurisdictions see Walsh, G, ‘The right to equality and the employment decisions of religious schools’, (2014) 16 The University of Notre Dame Australia Law Review, 107–144.

  6. 6.

    See most recently submissions to Conifer (2017); the Inquiry into the Status of the Human Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (2017); Inquiry into the Commonwealth Government’s exposure draft of the Marriage Amendment (Same-Sex Marriage) Bill (2017); and in years gone by proposals for reform advocated by the Greens, eg in 2016.

  7. 7.

    See Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (ACT) s 19; Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) s 19; Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld) s 19; Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) s 19; Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (SA) s 19; Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (Tas) s 19; Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 (WA) ss 19 and 21(2); Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic) ss 21 and 23.

  8. 8.

    See for example Education Act 1990 (NSW) ss 8 and 10; Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic) s 4.3.1(6)(b)(i) and Education and Training Reform Regulations 2007 (Vic) sch2 item 6.

  9. 9.

    See for example Education and Training Reform Regulations 2007 (Vic) r 52.

  10. 10.

    See for example, Education Act 1990 (NSW) ss 8(3) and 10(3).

  11. 11.

    See Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) s 38(3); Anti-Discrimination Act 1992 (NT) s 30(2); Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (Qld) s 41; Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic) ss 82 and 83; Equal Opportunity Act 1984 (WA) s 73(3); Anti-Discrimination Act 1998 (Tas) s 51A; Discrimination Act 1991 (ACT) s 46.

  12. 12.

    See Pothecary Witham Weld (A Firm) and Another v Bullimore [2010] UKEAT 0158_09_2903; HM Land Registry v Grant EAT [2010] UKEAT 0232_09_1504; Johns and Another, Regina (on The Application of) v Derby City Council and Another [2011] EWHC 375 (Admin); Bull and Another v Hall and Another [2013] UKSC 73; HM Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills v The Interim Executive Board of Al-Hijrah School [2017] EWCA Civ 1426.

  13. 13.

    See similar provisions in Anti-Discrimination Act 1992 pari (NT) s 37A; Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (Qld) ss 25(2) and 25(3); Anti-Discrimination Act 1998 (Tas) s 51(2); Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic) ss 82 and 83; Equal Opportunity Act 1984 (WA) ss 73(1) and 73(2); Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 (Cth) s 3. There are no equivalent provisions in the other jurisdictions.

  14. 14.

    s 4(1) Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW).

  15. 15.

    Discrimination Act 1991 (ACT) s 33(1) and (2); Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic) s 83(2); Equal Opportunity Act 1984 (WA) s 73(1) and (3).

  16. 16.

    Anti-Discrimination Act 1992 (NT) s 37A; Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (Qld) ss 25(2) and 25(3); Equal Opportunity Act 1984 (SA) s 34.

  17. 17.

    Just one recent example of the significant press that the issue has received can be found in Haydar, N. (2017, April 16). Safe Schools program ditched in NSW, to be replaced by wider anti-bullying plan. ABC News. Retrieved from www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-16/safe-schools-program-ditched-in-nsw/8446680, and the many links at the bottom of that article.

  18. 18.

    See Hurley, L. (2017, March 7). U.S. top court throws out ruling favouring transgender student. Reuters. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-transgender/u-s-top-court-throws-out-ruling-favoring-transgender-student-idUSKBN16D1OD and Turner, A. (2017, March 6). BREAKING: U.S. Supreme Court Remands and vacates Gavin Grimm Case. Human Rights Campaign. Retrieved from https://www.hrc.org/blog/breaking-united-states-supreme-court-remands-and-vacates-gavin-grimm-case

  19. 19.

    See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Trojan_Horse, which includes links to the relevant government report into the allegations, and to a very large number of media articles tracing the controversy and its aftermath.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Thomson Geer Lawyers, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Jacquie Seemann

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  1. Jacquie Seemann
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Correspondence to Jacquie Seemann .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Business, Law, Education & Arts, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia

    Karen Trimmer

  2. School of Education, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia

    Roselyn Dixon

  3. Faculty of Business, Law, Education & Arts, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia

    Yvonne S. Findlay

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Seemann, J. (2018). Meeting the Challenges Facing Religious Schools: An Australian Perspective. In: Trimmer, K., Dixon, R., S. Findlay, Y. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Education Law for Schools. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77751-1_10

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