Why do we accept Christian Chaplains as Student Wellbeing Officers?

WA Public Education: Why do we accept Christian Chaplains as Student Wellbeing Officers? In this engaging 1.5-hour talk, a current case study will be used to investigate how robust our public education system is as a secular space and the influence of Christian Churches to insist on access to children in public schools in Australia. We test the premise that public sector positions are free of discrimination and whether or not children deserve the best person for the job for all positions. Representatives from the WA Public School Alliance will detail their campaign in WA since 2021, to undo John Howard's funding policy placing Christian Contractors in student wellbeing positions in public schools. We will discuss the strident opposition from Education Minister Sue Ellery to replacing Christian Chaplain Contractors with secular professional student wellbeing funding in WA public schools. We will provide evidence collected over the last few years that Christian voices have more influence in WA politics than those calling for best practice in service provision to children, Equal Opportunity employment laws or the views of public-school parents.