The Victorian Minister for Education Martin Dixon has made an announcement today backing away from controversial changes to education policy in Victoria around religious activities outside Special Religious Instruction (SRI). The policy had purported to ban lunchtime meetings like Bible studies and prayer groups and restrict the sharing of religious materials in state schools.

Confusion reigned last week after the changes to the education policy guidelines—made by the Department of Education—appeared to go far beyond Ministerial Directive 141 given by the Minister in mid-July. That directive sought to clarify how SRI is delivered in Victoria’s state schools and remains in place.

In a statement to Coalition MPs, the Minister said:

It was never the government’s intention to ban lunchtime student prayer groups or religious clubs at school.  The Minister for Education, the Hon. Martin Dixon MP, has directed his department to amend its policy guidance to be consistent with the government’s intent.

The Victorian Government continues to support the principle that freedoms of religion, association and expression must not be impeded.

While the Australian Christian Lobby is claiming the Minister’s statement as a win for their campaigning efforts, they said they are still hoping to see changes to the Ministerial Directive itself, specifically Clause 9 which states that Principals must not allow the display or distribution of religious material.

To read our previous coverage on this issue, see below and here.

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From Friday 1 August 2014

Guidelines restricting prayer groups, Bible studies and other religious activities in Victorian State Schools have been taken down from the State’s Department of Education website.

However a spokesperson for the Education Department has told Eternity that a new, revised version of the guidelines will go up next week.

Eternity reported on the restrictions on “staff or parents/visitors/volunteers” organising religious activities earlier this week, with many in the Victorian Christianity community questioning the breadth of the guideline wording. In particular, there were concerns that students would not be allowed to run lunchtime groups of their own accord, or share the Bible with a classmate.

The Education Department then released a statement saying, “Students may also form lunchtime religious clubs with other students with the permission of their schools”. But any external organisations not involved in Special Religious Instruction (SRI) were not to be welcome at schools. Those teaching SRI wouldn’t be able to be involved in the school at all apart from their 30 minute teaching slot each week.

Christian organisations including Saltshakers, Australian Christian Lobby and Family Voice Australia still have many questions about the wording of the policy guidelines, and have been advocating for the paragraphs in question to be removed entirely.

Victorians, and other readers, are invited to pray that the new guidelines will be fair and generous.