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Hands Off Homeschooling, Qld Labor MPs!

Hands Off Homeschooling, Qld Labor MPs!
petition author imageGeorge Robert Christensen started this petition to Various Queensland Labor Members of Parliament - 2024/04/14

They're trying to control what we teach our children at home! Yes, you read right. The freedom to homeschool the way you see fit is at stake.


The number of families opting for homeschooling in Australia, especially in Queensland, has exploded since the pandemic. Now, we're almost 50,000 strong throughout the nation and over 10,000 in Queensland alone.


But the Queensland State Government is not having it. They're trying to force homeschooling families into teaching only the national curriculum, clamping down on the freedom that many parents have held dear so far.


Sign our petition to protect the rights of homeschooling families in Queensland.


Their agenda was exposed in the original Education (General Provisions) and Other Legislation Bill 2024, which has since been changed. However, the original bill sought to undermine homeschooling and homeschooling families by:


1. increasing paperwork and reporting requirements to ridiculous levels for homeschooling families;


2. forcing homeschooling families to teach to the national curriculum; and


3. having undefined and suspicious provisions that require homeschooling to be done in the "best interests" of the child with "safety" and "wellbeing" in mind.


While these elements have been stripped from the bill, the Queensland Government says it will continue to consult on the matter, which indicates that they still want to impose new rules on homeschooling families.


We fear that the ultimate aim of this agenda is to dissuade families from homeschooling and force the ones who will still homeschool to conform to the type of teaching that most homeschooling parents don't want for their children.


If they think they can remove our right to tailor our children's education to our own family values, then they better think again... because we aren't going down without a fight!


The petition we have launched is targeting marginal backbench Labor politicians who only won their seats at the last election by a handful of votes. Let me tell you, these politicians are extremely nervous right now given they are facing an election in about six months time. They certainly don’t want issues like this one harming their chances of being re-elected!


Your efforts ensured that the Education (General Provisions) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill is no longer a threat to homeschooling families. But that doesn't mean we should do nothing... While they are in retreat mode on this issue, we need to double down! To kill these changes off completely we need you to act now!


Sign our petition calling on marginal Queensland Labor politicians to reject any future attacks on homeschooling.


Now, let me make this crystal clear. The original proposed changes were an assault on the very core of parental rights. The government imposing the national curriculum on homeschoolers is basically the government dictating what our children must learn!


Parents who opt to homeschool want more than the national curriculum can offer. Some even want to escape the kind of things the national curriculum does offer!


We were (and still are) at risk of having the vibrant ecosystem of homeschooling – classical, Christian, Montessori, Charlotte Mason, and many other styles – all steamrolled into uniformity.


And, truth be told, parents know their children best, so it’s understandable why so many homeschooled students have been proving their success academically, socially, and emotionally.


We're left wondering, how the government even dared to ask us to accept standards from a public education system that has its own failures and inequalities? And why?


Keep homeschooling free from over-the-top government control. Sign the petition now!


This fight is not impossible. As I mentioned earlier, the Queensland State election is scheduled for October, and the current polls show that backbench Labor politicians have their sails caught in a rough wind. They need smooth sailing to get re-elected and can't risk negative pressure.


So, if we let them know their stance on homeschooling will determine our vote at the next election, then there’s a good chance they’ll listen and push their government to completely abandon these wreckless changes.


We can preserve our right to provide an education that resonates with our family's values and beliefs. However, to turn the tide, we desperately need as many voices as we can get - and that includes yours.


We must act swiftly to ensure our rights to homeschool are not bulldozed! We must project our voices loud and clear. Help us do that by signing the petition.


Please don't wait. This is about the freedom to decide the best for our children.


Every voice, every signature counts. Will you help us fight?

11,222 have signed.

Let's get to 20,000

Protect Homeschooling Freedom: Reject Queensland's Education Amendment Bill

Dear Member of Parliament,


We were alarmed by the changes proposed in the Education (General Provisions) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024. This bill, as it was originally drafted, undermined parents' rights to choose homeschooling for their children.


We are pleased that the Queensland Education Minister has seen fit to remove proposed changes relating to homeschooling from the bill. However, we note that the Minister has also stated that consultation on homeschooling will continue, which indicates that there is still a desire to impose new rules on homeschooling families.


We ask you to listen to your voters and advocate against forcing the national curriculum on Queensland's homeschoolers and any new unnecessary reporting and compliance on homeschooling families.


The original changes certainly made it look like the government was scared of homeschooling families, or thought that we were doing something wrong.


We should celebrate the 50,000-strong group of Australian homeschooling families. In Queensland alone, more than 10,000 families cherish this educational choice. Now, the Queensland Government endangers this right.


Even though the Minister has stripped homeschooling changes from the Education (General Provisions) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill, the threat of forcing uniformity on the homeschooling community in the future still remain. Forcing the national curriculum on individualised learning violates parental rights. We demand respect for our educational paths, including classical education, Christian-based learning, Montessori education, Charlotte Mason education, and much more. Christian homeschoolers, in particular, fear an insidious agenda. They worry the government will impose rules on them that will erase the religious nature of their homeschooling.


We ask you to take action to preserve the rich mosaic that homeschooling nurtures. You can do so by speaking out and saying that you do not think the planned changes in the original bill should come back.


We also ask that you speak out against any future attempts to bury homeschooling families under mountains of paperwork. Innovation needs freedom, not red tape. Homeschooled students excel in all areas of life. They thrive in freedom, away from government interference.


With an election just six months away, we will be watching to see who in the Queensland Government is actively fighting for the rights of homeschoolers.


Kind regards,