Voice to Parliament: Sydney schoolteacher accused of preaching ‘Yes’ vote to Year 9 students

A high school lesson about the Voice to Parliament which compared Australia’s colonisation to an alien invasion has been blasted as “political propaganda”.

An Anglican school in Sydney’s northwest is facing backlash from a parent who says his son’s junior high school class was “brainwashed” into supporting the Yes side of the Voice referendum debate.

A parent at William Clarke College in Kellyville, speaking out anonymously over fears his son would be targeted, claims students were taught about the Voice exclusively using materials from supporters, like co-designer Marcia Langton.

According to the parent, the teacher told her class to listen to a podcast in which Ms Langton details her model for the Voice, and then undertake a five-part online course produced by the referendum campaign aimed at teaching others how to “have conversations with your family and friends about why this issue is important to you”.

The concerned father was shown the lesson presentation by his son, who confirmed that no dissenting viewpoints were heard during the class.

“His words in relation to the teacher were ‘she’s good, but gosh she’s left wing’,” the dad said.

William Clarke College in Kellyville is a coeducational independent Anglican school.

“It does worry me that there’s a fair bit of brainwashing going on.

“It’s pretty clear what (the teacher’s) message is in relation to the Voice. If you work through the links … you’ll come up with one answer and that is ‘we must pass the voice, otherwise we’re a bunch of racists’.”

Slide from a presentation shown to Year 9 English students at William Clarke College, teaching in favour of the Voice to Parliament. Students were directed to a Marcia Langton podcast interview and the ‘Yes’ campaign website.

Head of College Alex Koch said he has not received any complaints about the class, and said the course material “is not presented in its broader context”.

The school does not hold or promote any side of the debate but said it is “natural” that classes would discuss the issue while covering the Indigenous texts required by the NSW Education Standards Authority, Mr Koch said.

“The College considers it important to address Indigenous literature in a respectful manner,” he said.

“Teachers should refrain from promoting a firm view on any open political question, such as the proposed Indigenous Voice referendum. Students are encouraged to express their views, provided this is done so respectfully.

“This particular unit is designed to explore a wide variety of ‘voices’ in the Australian literary context, not to push students into a position on the side of the ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote.”

The English teacher instructed students to imagine a scenario where aliens invaded Earth and made humans their slaves, as an allegory for colonisation.

In the presentation seen by The Daily Telegraph, pupils were also asked to imagine a scenario in which aliens invade Earth and enslave humans. The teacher then posed the question “would it be just for the aliens to allow humans to have a say in the creation of the laws that will govern their lives?”.

NSW upper house MP Mark Latham described the presentation as “political propaganda” distracting students from learning the basics of reading and writing.

NSW MP Mark Latham said the lesson’s contents were “propaganda” and political debates should not be allowed in the classroom. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“Comparing (the Voice) to an alien invasion of Earth just makes the whole lesson ludicrous, laughable, and an embarrassment to the school and the teacher who’s done this,” he said.

“If you want to stay as a teacher, start teaching the things that are actually in the syllabus, rather than using kids as guinea pigs for your own … political frustrations.

Warren Mundine is an Indigenous activist and leader of the ‘No’ campaign.

Mr Mundine said it was offensive to suggest all Aboriginal people share the same opinion of a Voice – like the hivemind alien Borg characters in sci-fi series Star Trek.

Indigenous leader and outspoken opponent of the Voice Warren Mundine said education authorities need to crack down on teachers who are using their influence to sway kids’ beliefs.

“There is no place to be pushing politics in the classroom, it’s indoctrination,” he said.

“To push one side and pretend that … all Aboriginal people are like the Borg on Star Trek and that we all think and live the same is nonsense and a bigoted approach.”