Bundaberg Christian’s petition against Queensland Human Rights Commission

A Queensland dad and Christian school staffer’s controversial call for religious schools to be allowed to hire workers based on their lifestyle and beliefs has amassed 10,000 signatures. DETAILS.

Andy Iles believes Christian schools should be allowed to hire staff with the same values.

A Bundaberg dad and Christian school employee is taking on the Queensland Human Rights Commission, calling for schools to be able to choose staff based off lifestyle and beliefs.

Andrew Iles has worked in the administrative department of Bundaberg Christian College for seven years and says he’s deeply concerned about recent policy recommendations that would bar religious schools from choosing only religious staff.

Under BCC’s guidelines, which are listed on its website, employees must regularly attend a Christian church and must only be in relationships which are both monogamous and heterosexual.

Bundaberg school formal photos 2022

While religious schools are currently exempt from discrimination laws when it comes to hiring staff with Christian views, the recent Queensland Human Rights Commission’s recent report on the Anti-Discrimination Act would mean that changed.

Recommendation 39 of the report would see religious schools lose the power to choose staff based off lifestyle or beliefs.

Mr Iles said he was moved to start the petition because his late dad, who passed away from cancer in 2020, had been a Christian teacher and had been passionate about religious values.

“My late father was a Christian teacher of more than 26 years, who strongly advocated for the value of Christian education and its positive impact on societies of all generations,” he said.

“He taught at Christian schools and served as a Head of Primary. It’s largely because of his legacy that I joined the team at a Christian school in administration.”

Mr Iles said he felled compelled by God to start the enormously popular petition which had almost 10,000 signatures as at Sunday afternoon.

“As a parent, who is also a Christian, it is my firm belief that what makes a Christian school so unique and positively influential, is the authentic personal faith of the staff,” he said.

“It is the daily living and tangible evidence of a person’s relationship with Jesus, that influences and ultimately nurtures and supports the development of our children.

“I believe that these young ones have been lovingly and wonderfully made, in God’s own image.

“That’s part of the significance, I actually believe I am called by God to nurture, develop and equip these young people. It’s so much more than a job, or even a school.”

The e-petition closes in February, before it is tabled for Queensland parliament.

“I believe every Christian school plays a unique function in raising the next generation, to equip them to become influential,” Mr Iles said.

In May 2021, the Attorney-General asked the Queensland Human Rights Commission to undertake a review of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991.

This review was the first holistic consideration of the Act since its introduction 30 years ago, and provided an opportunity to progress laws across the state.

Recommendation would affect how faith-based schools hire staff

Bundaberg Christian College senior school principal Paul Thompson says the school is not affiliated with the petition, but that report recommendations from the Queensland Human Rights Commission would have a significant impact on Christian schools.

Bundaberg Christian College Principal Paul Thompson said Mr Iles had started the petition as a private citizen, however, the recommendation would have an impact on religious education.

“The recent review by the Queensland Human Rights Commission of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 includes many important recommendations,” he said.

“Recommendation 39 in particular would affect how Christian and faith-based schools employ their staff and maintain their faith-based education, values and beliefs.”

A Bundaberg mum says she’s be mortified if her school rejected teachers based on their sexuality.

‘Rule is archaic’: Bundaberg mum

A Bundaberg mother of school-aged children has labelled the current law that allows religious schools to reject teachers and staff based on their sexuality as “archaic”.

Jess Marsellos sends her children to a Christian school, but says if she ever found out good teachers were being turned away based purely off their sexuality she would be “absolutely mortified”.

Mrs Marsellos said she was shocked that some schools, such as Bundaberg Christian College, were still doing this.

“I wouldn’t ever send my children to that school based on that,” she said.

Mrs Marsellos said her family had been raised with a strong belief that love was love, and questioned how schools could discriminate when other industries didn’t.

“Never once when choosing a school for my children did I ever think about the teachers’ sexuality,” she said.

“There's a lot of Christians who are actually super progressive and don’t believe in this stuff,” she said.

Mrs Marsellos said many parents in the Bundaberg region had diverse views and that she wanted her children to be in environments that included diversity.

What should matter when hiring a teacher, according to the Bundaberg mum? The right qualifications to lead a class.