buzzanddidj wrote on Mar 3
rd, 2011 at 3:36pm:
Message from the Premier
Posted on March 3, 2011 | ChillOut news |
The Premier of Victoria, the Hon. Ted Baillieu MP, has sent the following message to ChillOut:
MESSAGE FROM THE PREMIER
http://chilloutfestival.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/baillieu.jpgIt is with great pleasure that I extend my best wishes to the organisers, supporters and participants of the ChillOut Festival 2011: Slowest Lunch.
As Australia’s largest regional gay and lesbian festival, ChillOut provides enormous benefit to many Victorians and to the local Hepburn Shire economy and community.
I congratulate ChillOut for the significant contribution it has made through fundraising efforts over the past twelve years, particularly for their efforts in 2010 to raise over $40,000 for local Country Fire Authority brigades. This year’s lunch will undoubtedly make a significant contribution to the Alannah and Madeline Foundation’s initiative on cybersafety for young people, an extremely worthy cause.
I wish everyone involved in the ChillOut Festival 2011: Slowest Lunch all the best and I trust you will all enjoy what promises to be a most entertaining event.
http://chilloutfestival.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/baillieu-sig.gifTed Baillieu MP
Premier
Somewhat HYPOCRITICAL ...
Given he has just reinstated the power of private schools to EXPEL or REFUSE TO ENROL kids based on their sexual orientation
Schools that ALSO have recieved a $200 million boost in tax-payer funding from his government
You mean this windback????
Private schools 'expel gay students'
Posted Tue May 18, 2004 11:15am AEST
Updated Tue May 18, 2004 12:23pm AEST
A report has found private New South Wales and Victorian schools are legally allowed to expel students if they are homosexual or pregnant.
The Australia Institute report found non-government schools in those states are exempt from anti-discrimination laws.
The report claims pregnant students are encouraged to leave, while gay students encounter homophobia.
Australia Institute spokesman Richard Deniss says the research found a small number of examples where private schools have taken advantage of the anti-discrimination exemption and expelled students.
"The problem is, of course, that their values seem to be in such stark conflict with the broader community values and certainly the values that are promoted in public schools," he said.
Mr Deniss says the schools are out of step with community values and the anti-discrimination exemption should be removed.
"If the private schools' defence is, 'we don't actually take advantage of our right to discriminate', then surely they wouldn't object to having it removed," he said.
"According to polling we did, 90 per cent of Australian parents believe that private schools should not be allowed to discriminate on the basis of homosexuality."
The Australian Education Union agrees state governments should remove the discrimination exemptions.
"It should not be acceptable for private schools, whilst in receipt of signicant amounts of government money, to be able to claim exemption," union president Pat Byrne said.
The ABC has been unable to contact the peak body representing non-government schools for comment.