Responding to reporters’ questions at a press conference on Monday,Perrottet – who attended PARED’s Redfield College,where he was captain in 2000 – said Australia was a tolerant country that respected those who practiced religious faith.
“It’s not a crime to be Catholic,” the premier said. “I am a strong believer in parental choice when it comes to education.
“What I believe as a Liberal premier of this state is ... the separation of church and state.”
The head of Catholic Schools NSW,Dallas McInerney – a possible candidate for a Liberal Party Senate vacancy and a factional ally of Perrottet’s – said the NSW Education Act enshrined the right of parents to make choices about their children’s education.
“It also enshrines the right of schools to hold different educational or religious philosophies,” he said. “There is a wide range of religious and non-religious schools in NSW,ranging from Anglican to Islamic. Even Catholic schools can have different approaches to teaching the faith.
“When parents are making the important decision about their child’s schooling,they should learn about the school’s values to ensure they align with their own. In all cases,schools are accountable to NESA.”
Denis Fitzgerald,a former NESA board member and NSW Teachers Federation president,refused to comment on the schools mentioned byFour Corners but said the latitude given to religious schools had limits. “You are not able to teach things that are scientifically untrue,” he said.
Last week,the PARED Foundation sent a letter to parents saying the episode “seems to be an attack on the Catholic faith” and an “attempt at damaging the political career” of Perrottet ahead of the March 25 state election. NSW Finance Minister Damien Tudehope also has links to the schools.
Four Corners quotes alumni saying they were taught that masturbation and homosexuality were disordered,and watching pornography caused holes in the brain.
PARED said its schools taught all elements of the curriculum,including consent and sex education,and said it stopped sending letters to parents about the HPV vaccination in 2020. It said it followed the Pope’s teachings that LGBTQI+ students should be welcomed and respected.
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In a statement on Monday,it described theFour Corners allegations as serious and asked the ABC to provide specifics to the schools and to the police. “Any allegations should be fully investigated,” it said.
Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said on Monday that NESA had not received any formal complaints about the Pared Schools until last week. She also said the school ran the HPV cervical cancer vaccination program last year.
TheFour Cornersjournalist reporting on the schools,Louise Milligan,told the ABC that the story raised questions about the oversight of independent schools,and how authorities responded when freedom of religious expression strayed into misinformation.
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