OPINION: Why gut a life saver?

'There has been some savage irony in the gutting of the Safe Schools program by the ideological right wing of the Coalition'

THERE has been some savage irony in the gutting of the Safe Schools program by the ideological right wing of the Liberal National Party.

The Safe Schools program began in Victoria six years ago. It was not pushed onto schools as some kind of "gay agenda".

It's a series of resources designed to give teachers practical ideas to help students with a specific set of challenges, and it was introduced in Victoria six years ago under the Brumby Labor government because schools actually asked for it.

The program continued to receive bipartisan funding and support - at least until Malcolm Turnbull initiated a review a few weeks ago at the behest of right-wing bully boys like George Christensen and Cory Bernardi within his ranks.

Now its future looks unclear.

Watching the current Victorian premier Daniel Andrews defend the program on television last night, it's good to know it has some defenders in powerful positions.

While Christensen might like to crow the program has been "gutted" and that he doesn't like young people learning about sex, it's hard to see what the changes proposed will do to help the program.

None of the criticisms seem to reflect the content of the program and a lot of them and worries that parents have concerns about elements of the program also don't seemed backed by evidence.

Originally published as OPINION: Why gut a life saver?