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January 10, 2012

Australia Revises Controversial Program Paying for Chaplains in Schools

By Morgan Feddes

In December 2010, CT explored the interesting news that Australia’s atheist prime minister was defending a controversial federal program that paid for Christian chaplains to work in public schools. Now the Australian government is allowing schools to hire secular welfare workers instead of chaplains with program funds if they so chose.

In 2007, the government began offering schools up to $20,000 annually to provide chaplaincy services to students; secular workers could only be hired if the school could prove no chaplains were available. But a program review last year indicated “strong feedback” to open up the program to qualified secular workers. Today 208 of the 2,512 schools that reapplied for the program plan to hire a secular worker; 68 schools remain undecided, and the vast majority will continue hiring chaplains.

CT reported that newly-elected Prime Minister Julia Gillard, an atheist, promised to extend the program through 2014, calling the program a success. The program is voluntary; chaplains offer "comfort and support to students and staff" as well as "general religious and personal advice,” though they cannot tell students what they themselves believe unless they are asked.

However, the Australian Psychological Society expressed concerns that chaplains without proper psychological training could be counseling troubled students. Additionally, a Queensland parent challenged the program in Australia’s High Court in 2010, arguing that it violates the nation's constitutional ban on state-established religion. The High Court has yet to make a decision.

posted by Jeremy Weber | Comments (3)

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This story is only half correct.

A story in the Tasmanian newspaper is somewhat more honest than the governments's own department, DEEWR, and certainly the Scripture Union spkesperson is refreshingly honest:

"The job description of the welfare worker and the chaplain is identical, down to providing spiritual support," chief executive officer Ruth Pinkerton said.

In fact, DEEWR do not even use the term 'secular' to describe the new welfare workers, and why would they when the same organisations that provide chaplains can provide the welfare workers too?

All that Gillard has done is to allow for two titles for the exact same job.

Posted By: Janet Wallace | January 10, 2012 7:23 PM

This really shouldn't be a too big of a surprise. Though Australia is an almost post-Christian country, much like Europe, the relationship of church and state is quite close.

For instance, Christian schools receive large amounts of government funding.

Posted By: David Pulliam | January 11, 2012 5:55 AM

The chaplain v secular worker on 20,000 like the funding for Christian schools v other private schools/ public schools is the same scenario: Christians are pretty much the only ones doing this. Who else works for so low a wage? This simply explains how funding from an atheist prime minister cannot help but fall in Christians hands. There are ideas to run philosophy instead of religion but who will teach it? Good idea but in the end the mobilization of gospel powered work wins out.

Posted By: Jon | January 13, 2012 9:59 AM