‘Churches will fight for SRE in the March election’

Posted on November 23, 2010 
Filed under News

Press release from the NSW Council of Churches –

The decision by the government today on Ethics classes is a cynical attempt by a mortally wounded government to try to revive itself before the March election. While some members like Minister Verity Firth will gain a few local votes in inner Sydney by this decision, the widespread Church backlash will cost many more votes across the state.

President of the NSW Council of Churches, Rev Richard Quadrio is calling people of all religious persuasions to see this for what it really is – “an attack on people of faith.”

“The so called Ethics Trial taught valueless ethics described by one principal as leaving students without a moral compass.”  

The churches have also called the government’s plan speculative and unworkable.

“How is the St James Ethics Centre going to recruit the hundreds, if not thousands of volunteers, needed to teach these classes if they are to begin in 2011,” said Richard Quadrio. “Is the government going to fund the St James Ethics Centre who admitted that their resources were stretched by teaching only two grades in ten schools during the trial?”

“What a sad way for this government to end, pandering to the inner city ‘latte set’ instead of governing for the good of all the students of NSW,” Rev Quadrio said.

The churches are now calling on Barry O’Farrell and the opposition to declare its policy regarding the roll out of Ethics classes.

“Mr O’Farrell has made some very positive statements regarding this issue but they do not have a policy. It’s time the Liberal and National parties got off the fence and gave the people of NSW an alternative to a Government, driven by the Left’s agenda, to ultimately remove the teaching of scripture from government schools,” said Rev Richard Quadrio.

(Corrected text issued at 17:47.)

Related:

Ethics classes approved for next year – from The Sydney Morning Herald.

What’s wrong with ethics classes in NSW schools? – by Rod Benson (PDF)

(Photo by Ramon Williams.)