After yesterday’s heart-wrenching announcement the Safe Schools program would be amended and restricted due to complaints from several conservative members of parliament, Australia’s queer youth could probably use some good news.
Well, good news has come – if you’re in Victoria, at least. The state’s Education Minister James Merlino basically said the changes – which include mandatory parental consent, a restriction to high-school students, and an amalgamation of the gay, lesbian and transgender resources with more general anti-bullying content – wouldn’t fly in the Garden State. Not at all.
According to ABC, Merlino said since the materials had already been approved by curriculum experts, there was no reason at all to amend them further. He went on to claim “absolutely [Victoria] can go it alone and we will if we need to,” before saying the Federal Government’s decision acts to “completely undermine” the whole point of the bloody material.
No changes to Vic safe schools program in wake of Turnbull Govt recommendations – total cave-in to bigots. We know #safeschools saves lives.
— James Merlino (@JamesMerlinoMP) March 18, 2016
Amid speculation funding for the program will be nixed wholesale, Turnbull said Victoria had the power to fund any education program it wishes. Merlino’s response was to double-down on the state’s funding commitment, before implying Victoria could go back to installing the program in every state high school, ’cause fuck it, why the hell not at this point.
Source: ABC.
Photo: Borja Sanchez Trillo / Getty.
