By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
CASEY Council will call on the State Government to reverse their decision to scrap special religious instruction from the Victorian school curriculum.
This month, council resolved to write to Education Minister James Merlino and Multicultural Affairs Minister Robin Scott to urge them t6o reverse the decision, with Councillor Stapledon presenting a joint letter signed by six local residents in support of SRI.
Earlier this year, the Andrews Government ordered that the weekly 30-minute program move to lunchtime and before and after school in 2016, to make way for new content on world histories, cultures, faiths and ethics.
Cr Stapledon urged the City of Casey to add its voice to a 9154- signature petition signed by Victorians presented to Shadow Education Minister Nick Wakeling on 12 November, calling on SRI to stay in the curriculum.
The Mayfield Ward councillor said the “religious identity of all students” needed to be “respected”.
“I think something as important as faith is something intrinsic to who we are,” Cr Stapledon said.
“It’s important to be in a place where it can be managed well and gives our wonderful diverse multicultural community an option to learn about their faith.”
Cr Kaplon was the only councillor to oppose the motion, but has since changed his mind, citing a “misunderstanding”.
He told Star News he originally opposed it on the belief that SRI would need to be funded by the government, but Cr Kaplon said he was later told this was not the case.
It’s understood funding for SRI would come from organisations like ACCESS Ministries, which provides SRI and Chaplaincy and Wellbeing services in Victorian schools, in partnership with Christian churches.
ACCESS Ministries spokesman Rob Ward, also a Casey resident, was in the council chamber when Cr Stapledon raised her motion.
