2021-09-06
The Education Committee of the NSW Parliament will table a report at 10am today into Mark Latham's "Parental Rights" Bill - a bill which attacks teachers, students, and families in the name of a warped right-wing ideology. Report is here.
The report fails to properly reflect the evidence heard by the committee and ignores the best available data. The Committee didn't bother hearing from the P&C despite the fact the bill is supposedly about parental rights.
Religious organisations who opposed the bill likewise did not receive an invitation to appear. There was only a single trans witness invited to give evidence, and the first draft of the report didn't even refer to his powerful evidence.
Greens MP David Shoebridge was a member of the committee who strongly opposed the report and issued a dissenting report that can be accessed here.
Greens MP and Education Spokesperson David Shoebridge said: "To the young transgender people who have had the misfortune to be exposed to this bill and the inquiry around it, I want to assure you that you are not alone. The Greens NSW join with all of those who will fight against this bill.
"This report is a sham and an embarrassment to the NSW Parliament, it ignores the great majority of the evidence before the committee that staunchly opposed the Bill.
"It's a low point in NSW politics to see the Coalition and some in the Labor Party continue to give support to these hateful views.
"Trans people are not an ideology, they are in our families, schools and community and deserve our care and protection, and of course access to education.
"The right wing like to talk about parental rights but completely ignore parental responsibilities to support young people and protect them, to create schools where difference is respected and valued.
"The bill breaches international and national legal obligations and sets up a scheme that is completely unworkable: for example it requires teaching to be both non-ideological and also not inconsistent with the values of the parents, it's unclear how such a thing is possible.
"This bill would lead to absurd outcomes like school sports being more restrictive than the Olympics.
"This bill and report is an attack on the teaching profession and on thousands of young people and their families working so hard to make schools safer, better places. It must be rejected" Mr Shoebridge said.