This is how you lose an election

When a Liberal politician backs away from telling the truth about Safe Schools’ radical gender ideology, conservative voters will respond in no uncertain terms, writes Miranda Devine.

Matthew Guy’s poor showing in the Victorian election can be encapsulated in a single exchange with Premier Daniel Andrews in the Sky News leaders’ debate last week.

The Opposition Leader’s cowardice in answering a question about Safe Schools is a salutary lesson for conservative leaders, state and federal, about what not to do on social issues.

The question came from a middle-aged woman in the audience, which was drawn from the marginal suburban Melbourne seat of Frankston.

“In your [Andrews’] campaign ads you project a wholesome, traditional lifestyle, wanting the best for all children, yet you also want to force controversial ideals far removed from that lifestyle on all children through Safe Schools … Will you please make it a non-compulsory opt-in opt, out program and let parents choose what they consider best for their children?”

Andrews resorted to dishonest denial. First, he claimed “a lot of misinformation [is] being put around”. Then he created his own misinformation.

“Safe Schools is not taught to any student in any school in this state. It’s a resource for teachers to make sure that if a child is bullied for wearing a turban or a child or young person is bullied because of their sexuality, or a person is bullied because of the faith they practice, or a person is bullied because of their gender, then they have a safe environment.”

Matthew Guy and Daniel Andrews at the Sky News leaders’ debate with an audience of 100 undecided voters in Victoria’s second most marginal seat, Frankston. Picture: Jason Edwards

But he knows Safe Schools is only about changing children’s perceptions of sexuality and gender identity. It does not address any other reason for bullying. Not turbans, faith or anything else.

Safe Schools is a resource for teachers, including classroom exercises to teach children that gender and sexuality are fluid, can be changed at will, according to fashion and feelings, without regard for biology.

“Gender identity does not necessarily relate to the sex a person is assigned at birth”, asserts the Victorian Education Department’s Safe Schools material.

Because it is implemented deliberately across multiple subjects, it is impossible for a child to opt out.

Safe Schools architect, former LaTrobe academic Roz Ward has been recorded boasting about teaching the Safe Schools exercise “Transgender Experi­ences” to a primary school class. It asks students to explain to genderless aliens what it means to be male or female, as a way of casting doubt on the concept of binary gender.

Exercises for Year 7 and 8 students include role-playing gay teenagers and learning terms such as pansexual, gender queer, agender and non-binary.

The architect of Safe Schools, Roz Ward, has previously boasted of teaching an exercise called “Transgender Experiences” to a primary school class. Picture: David Geraghty

Parents are alarmed, which is why conservative political candidate Kirralie Smith has launched a grassroots campaign, Binary, to stop children being taught gender ideology. Her first project is to demand the removal from libraries across Australia of a picture book for children aged three, Who are you: The kids guide to gender identity.

Back in the debate, Andrews had just told a whopper. Now was Guy’s chance.

Instead he wimped out.

He had a decent policy to spruik — a broadbased anti-bullying program developed by the Alannah & Madeline Foundation.

But he would not explain, despite pressure from compere David Speers, why Safe Schools should be scrapped.

He just said: “It is a completely different program run by a completely different body”.

“What would it not include?” Speers asked.

Visibly uncomfortable, Guy shut his eyes and squibbed the question a total of 14 times.

Speers: “Gender identity would not be covered in your program?”

Guy looked panicked: “No, no, no the Alannah & Madeline Foundation helps student who have those issues and they should be helped if they have those issues, absolutely.

By this stage Andrews could smell blood. “If it’s so bad you’re getting rid of it tell us why.”

Guy was too gutless to say that the state should not impose gender ideology on our children behind our backs.

The room was seething. The original questioner tried again: “The part about Safe Schools which you know, and don’t beat around the bush with it, is the whole gender fluid section of the program that the children are being encouraged now they can be a boy one day or a girl the next”.

Andrews shook his head: “With the greatest of respect, that’s simply not accurate … That is not being taught in primary schools.”

Instead of leaping at the chance to explain why he would scrap Safe Schools, Matthew Guy wimped out. Picture: Jason Edwards

She had never mentioned primary schools but, in any case, primary school students in Victoria are taught that gender is fluid.

Then Andrews cynically pulled out the suicide card: “Same-sex attracted adolescents … six times the rate of suicide …. If making sure teachers know how to combat homophobia in schools is unpopular, well, that’s my position”.

What a hero. Half the room applauded.

Guy tried another diversion: “The greatest level of bullying kids face nowadays is cyber bullying.”

Under his breath, Andrews needled him: “Talk to some more gay kids, Matthew”.

Guy shut his eyes: “No, no, if there’s children who have issues around sexuality or gender we will protect them 100 per cent”.

Andrews went in for the kill: “If the program is so bad it needs to be got rid of but he can’t tell us why.”

Guy wimped out for the 14th time: “The Alannah and Madeline Foundation have different ways of dealing with it”.

“Safe is safe,” said Andrews, looking like the cat who swallowed the canary.

Guy showed that a) he’s a wimp, b) he was unprepared for an obvious question he should have blitzed, and c) he doesn’t deserve to be trusted with government.

In the end, the audience scored Andrews the winner, 49 to 33.

Safe Schools doesn’t explain the Victorian Liberals’ failure to hold a cynical government to account, but it illustrates a profound problem for the conservative side of politics. If you don’t engage with the culture wars, you are complicit, and the electorate will view that as a betrayal.

@mirandadevine

Originally published as This is how you lose an election