we are excited to announce that we have secured a commitment from the Government: that the recommendations in the Productivity Commission final report to remove DGR status from faith-based school building funds and Special Religious/Ethics Education will BOTH be opposed. This is incredible news!
We would also appreciate your help in expressing our thanks to your local Federal MP, with the details on how to do this below.
I want to thank the over 11,500 volunteer Religious Education teachers who volunteer their time weekly – Australia’s largest weekly group of volunteers – to invest in our young people and our nation’s future. Thank you also to all the parents, who continually invest in the education of others through donations to school building funds. Together, we are building a brighter future for our young people.
Up until Friday, we had only received a commitment that the building funds would retain their status – however, through meetings with both the Opposition and the Minister on Friday, we have been able to secure the following commitment:
“We’ve been clear that we understand the important role our schools play in supporting communities, families and students – that includes religious schools of all denominations. While we consider the Productivity Commission’s recommendations, we will not be considering changing the tax arrangements around schools, including donations for religious education.” – The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury; Assistant Minister for Employment.
We are grateful to the Opposition for their strong and swift support on the important issue of Religious Education (see Friday morning media release here), and to the Government Ministers for their clarity and commitment on Friday afternoon, that – despite recommendations from the Productivity Commission – DGR status will not be removed from either School Building Funds or Religious/Ethics Education in Public Schools. Better Balanced Futures is grateful for both this landmark commitment to parent choice and Religious Education and for what it communicates about the value of Religious Education in Australia.
In the conversation with Minister Leigh’s office, this positive result and commitment came from sustained advocacy from the faith communities, the Opposition’s strong and swift response (which we helped inform), and our united collaborative approach to working with all faith communities – and the voting power they represent. This is a real validation for the approach and structures we have been developing under Better Balanced Futures over many years.
