One of the purposes of CSPV is to promote Catholic education as a first choice for families across Victoria. 

This choice has come under threat over the past few years and more recently with the Equal Opportunity (Religious Exceptions) Amendment Bill 2021(Vic) introduced into the Legislative Assembly on October 27 with the second reading moved on October 28 2021.

In response to the draft Bill, CSPV raised concerns about how the Bill will limit the freedom of religious bodies and individual Victorian citizens who as parents have the right to choose a genuine and authentic Catholic education in the state of Victoria for their children. As an organisation we are united in support of the human rights of any Victorian to have the freedom of choice in the faith they choose follow and how they wish to raise and educate their children. The Bill in question seeks to legislate ideological constructs around whom organisations, such as Catholic schools and Catholic organisations can employ.

CSPV drafted a statement sent to all Victorian MPs to highlight the impact of constraints being posed on religious organisations when employing staff to teach children in Catholic schools. 

As Executive Director of the National Catholic eEducation Commission stated in an article (The Age, 29th November 2021), It seems it’s acceptable for some beliefs and attributes to be protected in this country, as long as they’re not religious. Across Australia we have protections in anti-discrimination law for race, age, disability, freedom of association, sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex status, marital status, pregnancy and breastfeeding, among other rights. 

In the Catholic education sector, we understand the concerns of some in the LGBTQIA+ community who see this legislation as a way to discriminate against staff and students. This is not what this legislation is about. It doesn’t give schools the right to discriminate against people based on their personal attributes, and Catholic schools are not seeking to do this.

In our experience as parents working outside of religious organisations, it is a general requirement of employment that employees adhere to the values and expectations of such an organisation. This Bill seeks to single out religious based organisations for such a requirement and yet it is normal practice across all small to large businesses who regularly seek to hire individuals who have the same or similar beliefs and values that form their brand identity. Organisations like political parties will not have the same restrictions placed on them. In other words, the Government will impose on the staffing of faith organisations but not on the staffing of political organisations.