School chaplains

It's true that the separation of faith and state benefits both. It's also true that policy formulated in reaction to "political correctness" is poor policy. "Political correctness" is irrelevant, it's a bogey used to keep all those old Marxists in line on the right wing; they may have changed their plumage but they still need a bit of dialectic to let them know what colours they're fighting under these days. The chaplaincy program is designed for them, not anyone else.

When a teenager goes to their school chaplain and says that he/she is pregnant/gay, and receives not support and advice but a blast of hellfire-and-brimstone, this whole program will dissolve in a storm of recriminations. Hopefully it will collapse well before then. It's not clear why I should have to pay the Anglican church to appoint an Anglican chaplain to an Anglican school. Any school that had appointed Sheik El-Hilaly would be in a tricky position right now. Invoking the recent deaths of those teenagers from Lismore is really plumbing new depths, and shows just how shallow and badly-thought-out this policy is.

Given that public policy isn't this government's strong point, I'll have the tax break thanks Peter.