Concerned parents have complained that their children are being subjected to Yes campaigning for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament at school.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday officially announced October 14 as the date for the referendum to change the constitution, kicking off a six-week campaign.
But one Sydney mother told 2GB host Ben Fordham on Thursday that the Catholic high school attended by her two teenage daughters had been “banging on about Yes for a few weeks now” and “parents are not happy”.
Julie told the host her younger daughter’s class was told about voting Yes during a retreat day a few weeks ago.
“They had a bit of a spiel about voting Yes,” she said, adding her daughter felt “uncomfortable”. “She expressed her own views [in an email survey], saying that she didn’t like having political agendas put upon her.”
She said her elder daughter’s year then had their retreat day on Monday this week.
“This then included two of the prominent staff coming in to speak to the children about the Voice,” she said.
“It was only about a 10, 15-minute sort of thing but it was just the force that came from that, I really wasn’t happy … I know it has to have come from the top down. They were talking about the misinformation on social media, about the No campaign, and, ‘It’s really important that we say Yes, go home and influence your parents and older siblings who can vote to vote Yes.’”
Julie said it was “insulting to families and to parents”.
“We don’t need to be told how to think,” she said.
Another mum, Marie, said her daughter’s Catholic school was holding a Yes campaign information night on Thursday but there was “no one coming to talk about why you should vote No”.
“There’s no balance there, even though they’re saying it should be carefully considered,” she said.
“They are pushing the Yes vote, in was in the newsletter a few weeks ago about why we should vote Yes. They’re saying ex-students, senior students, staff, to come along and attend to hear why they should vote Yes.”
A third mother who phoned into 2GB claimed her son’s Catholic high school on Wednesday read out a reflection prayer over the PA system promoting the Yes campaign.
She claimed her son was told the letter was written by Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher.
But a spokesman for the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney told news.com.au that claim was “completely inaccurate” and there was no such letter.
The Archbishop has been attending World Youth Day and in Europe and only returned on Monday.
The spokesman pointed to a homily delivered by the Archbishop in July prior to his departure, in which he “clearly” stated it was not up to the clergy to tell people how to vote.
“There are strong feelings and divergent views amongst Aboriginal Australians, and amongst Catholics, like everyone else,” he said at the time.
“Many people do not take kindly to being told how to vote by prelates and we bishops have no special magisterium on how best to secure the good of First Nations peoples in such complex areas.”
Last week, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference issued a statement backing the Voice.
“This could be a significant step towards a more just and equitable Australia,” the statement said.
“We want to encourage all Australians to educate themselves as well as possible concerning the proposal to establish the Voice. This is an important moment in the history of the nation, and it can help us to move towards a deep and just reconciliation. It also offers a mechanism to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.”
A spokesman for the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference told news.com.au that statement “doesn’t tell people how to vote”, and pointed to another recent statement which “is explicit” in this regard.
“The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference will not tell Catholics or their fellow Australians how to vote in the referendum,” it says. “Instead, we ask all Australians to seek out information on the referendum proposal, especially from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”
Speaking on 2GB, Fordham said schools should stay out of the debate.
“You can’t have school leaders telling children, ‘Go home and influence your parents.’ No way in the world people are going to cop that,” he told listeners.
He added, “Are they going to be doing this at the next state election, the next federal election? Telling everyone how to vote?”
Announcing the referendum date at an event in Adelaide on Wednesday, the Prime Minister said it was a “once in a generation chance to bring our country together and to change it for the better”.
“Our government, along with every single state and territory government, has committed to it,” Mr Albanese said.
“Legal experts have endorsed it. People on all sides of the parliament have backed it. Faith groups and sporting codes and local councils and businesses and unions have embraced it. Now, my fellow Australians, you can vote for it … on October 14, there’s nothing for us to lose. And there’s so much for Australia to gain. There is no downside here. Only upside.”
frank.chung@news.com.au