AN Anglican Education Commission submission that describes "mandatory reporting" of suspected offences against children as "a distraction from mainstream teaching" has been criticised by Greens MLC David Shoebridge.
Mr Shoebridge is on an upper house committee chaired by One Nation's Mark Latham inquiring into a review of the NSW school curriculum.
Mr Latham wants schools to stick to "core values" rather than "teach the dangerous ideology of gender fluidity to children".
The committee sat in Parliament House in Sydney yesterday with Anglican Education Commission chief executive Stephen Kinsella, the author of the submission, one of those to give evidence.
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The Anglican submission said the curriculum was "crowded" and that "understanding the crowding of the broader curriculum" required an understanding of "the changes in contemporary Australian society" since the 1950s.
"Social cohesion and stability in Australia was traditionally provided by the family unit and the church, underpinned by the rule of law," the submission says.
"Family structures are now less stable and the security and certainty provided by the institutional church has waned. Families and broader society have increasingly turned to schools to fill the void."
On pages three and four, the Anglican paper says "limited" school resources are being "diverted to address . . . a long list [of] . . . broader social issues" including mandatory reporting.
The full list, in order, was: "Breakfast for students, morning exercise, student well-being, multi-cultural and other perspectives, gender identity, counselling (for students and parents), mandatory reporting, financial literacy, learn to drive and community service".
"The list is long," the submission says.
Mr Shoebridge said "something remains deeply wrong" for the submission to label mandatory reporting as a distraction.
He said it was as if the Royal Commission and Anglican case study 42 "didn't happen".
"Case study 42 should be essential reading for every senior bureaucrat in the Anglican Education Commission, because it's clear from this submission that the core lessons have not been learned," Mr Shoebridge said.
Newcastle Anglican Bishop Peter Stuart said he was disappointed by the submission and hoped the Diocese of Sydney would withdraw it from the inquiry.
"It is poorly stated at best, and misconceived," Bishop Stuart said.
"One of the most significant relationships a child can form is with their teacher. Teachers are privileged to learn the joy and sadness in a child's life.
"It is no surprise that teachers are among the first to learn that a child has been exposed to danger or is presently in danger. In this regard mandatory reporting is not a distraction but at the heart of the profound relationships formed between teachers and students.
"There is a substantial body of literature that shows that students who are psychologically and physically safe will be able to draw the best from their school experience and achieve educational excellence.
"The Anglican Education Commission does highlight the need for schools to be properly resourced but the comments do not reflect our commitment to student well being and development."
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