Hands Off Homeschooling

victory

George Robert Christensen started this petition to Hon. Dianne Farmer MP, Queensland Education Minister - 2024/03/05

UPDATE: We've won... for now!

The same day that CitizenGO presented this petition to the office of the Queensland Education Minister, the Minister announced that the planned homeschooling changes would be stripped from the Education (General Provisions) and Other Legislation Bill 2024. This means it is no longer an Anti-Homeschooling bill!

However, the Queensland Government is talking about having more consultation on the matter, which likely means they still want to impose new rules on homeschooling families. We need to remain vigilant!

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It's happening: State Governments are coming for homeschooling families.

This is an urgent call to action!

We've seen a massive 100% rise in homeschooling across Australia since the pandemic but in Queensland, perhaps Australia's most conservative State, the rise has been nearly 200%.

This is why the Queensland Government is making the first move against homeschoolers... but other States will be looking on.

There are almost 50,000 families homeschooling their children across Australia and Queensland accounts for over 10,000 of those families.

This has terrified governments as, unlike in private and Catholic schools which are still subject to a woke national curriculum, the government cannot control what homeschooled children are taught.

In a world where the iron grip of government threatens to squeeze the very essence of freedom from our lives, the sanctity of homeschooling stands as the last bastion of liberty to safeguard our children's future.

But now, this final frontier of parental rights and individualised learning faces an unprecedented assault with what will undoubtedly become a nationwide push to clamp down and regulate homeschooling.

As mentioned, the Queensland Government is making this first move to heavily regulate and restrict homeschooling as part of a review of the Education Act. We must head this move off at the pass or other State Governments will follow suit.

Here’s a just few reasons as to why allowing the dark tide of government interference in homeschooling is a bad thing:

The Assault on Parental Sovereignty: Imagine a regime where the state usurps your sacred right to guide your child’s future. This isn’t just an overreach; it’s a full-blown invasion into the family unit, dictating what your children must learn, think, and believe. We’re teetering on the brink of a dystopian nightmare where parents are rendered mere spectators in their children’s education.

The Homogenization Machine: Government regulators, with their one-size-fits-all mandates, threaten to obliterate the rich tapestry of individualised learning. Homeschooling’s vibrant ecosystem, tailored to each child’s unique pace and passion, is at risk of being steamrolled by faceless bureaucrats pushing uniformity over uniqueness.

The Proof is in the Freedom: Against the drumbeat of regulation, homeschooled students shine as beacons of success—academically, socially, and emotionally—without the stranglehold of government oversight. This triumph of liberty over regulation is a testament to the power of parental intuition and freedom in education.

Big Brother’s Ideological Conquest: Under the guise of “standards,” there lurks a more insidious agenda: the indoctrination of our youth with government-sanctioned ideologies of gender fluidity, extreme anti-human environmentalism, and anti-Christian postmodernism. This isn’t just about education; it’s a battle for the heart and soul of our future generations.

The Bureaucratic Leviathan: Enforcing these draconian regulations would unleash a behemoth of administrative chaos, squandering resources and stifling the innovative spirit of homeschooling families under a mountain of paperwork and red tape.

The Failing Standard Bearer: Why should we entrust our children's future to the architects of a floundering public education system? It’s ludicrous to accept standards from those who preside over state schools that are riddled with failures and inequalities.

The Death of Innovation: Stripping away the freedom of homeschooling is akin to extinguishing the flame of educational innovation. In its place, we risk a barren landscape where creativity and exploration are relics of a bygone era.

The Erasure of Heritage: In its relentless march towards homogenisation, government regulation threatens to erase the rich mosaic of cultural and religious identity that homeschooling nurtures. This is not just an attack on education; it’s an assault on our very heritage and diversity.

More than 10,000 families homeschool their children in Queensland and, with an election year approaching and the Queensland Labor Government low in the polls, they may listen if there is enough of a negative reaction from people for fear of being voted out of office.

A backlash and a backdown on restricting homeschooling by the Queensland Government is likely to scare off other State Governments from trying to do something similar.

But if we lose this campaign, Queensland parents will be forced to comply with onerous regulations to homeschool their children, which could undermine the style or content of the education that their children are receiving. Some families could even be restricted from homeschooling.

This would then likely spark a nationwide push to clamp down on and regulate homeschooling.

There is hope. But only if we make a big effort now.

Sign our petition telling the Queensland Government to get its hands off homeschooling. We need as many signatures as possible to make an impression.