NT government has scrapped plans to ban use of gender specific terms at schools

The NT government has ditched its plans to stop teachers from using gender specific terms in classrooms. Have your say.

The NT government has ditched a recommendation for teachers to avoid calling students “boys and girls” in the classroom.

In April, Sky News revealed the NT Education Department had released an 18-page document for internal consultation on how schools should deal with students struggling with their gender identity.

The document, produced in July 2021, included a recommendation that teachers should avoid “using gendered language such as ‘girls and boys’ or ‘ladies and gentlemen’” because it “confirms gender stereotyping and roles and can be alienating for gender questioning and gender diverse children”.

“Avoid this by using vocabulary such as ‘students’, ‘class’, ‘crew’, ‘everyone’, ‘people’, or ‘year X’ that are more inclusive,” the document said.

Under the now-scrapped guidelines, schools would also have been encouraged to organise “non-gendered” sporting teams, physical education activities and sports days.

And children attending school camps would have been allowed to use the toilets, showers and sleeping quarters of their “affirmed gender”.

There was a furious reaction after it was revealed the document’s existence in April.

Within hours, the government issued a statement saying it had no plans to ban teachers from calling students “boys and girls”.

Then education minister Lauren Moss, who spoke in support of the document when first asked about it on April 19, went on Mix 104.9 radio the next day saying the document being quoted from was an old draft that was no longer in circulation.

The government promised to provide Sky News a copy of the new document by April 27 but it never arrived.

Education Minister by Eva Lawler, who replaced Ms Moss in the portfolio in May, said she accepted the recommendation for teachers to avoid calling students boys and girls was a bridge too far.

“I think so, absolutely,” Ms Lawler said.

“We heard the feedback around people’s views around that.

“(The) education (department) went back to do the work again. They made this statement of commitment which is a much broader statement that’s available for people to have (their) say.”

Ms Lawler said she understood there were some community concerns around gender terms but the government needed to make sure it worked with schools to ensure all children felt safe.

“I think the last guidelines we saw got caught up in terminology when it shouldn’t have. That became the focus rather than what the focus needed to be (which) is about making sure that all students feel safe, feel welcomed in our schools and that’s what we want to see.”

The NT government has ditched its plans to stop teachers from using gender specific terms in classrooms.

Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro said the issue showed the government was out of touch.

“This government is far more fixated on telling Territorians how to live their lives, what to say, what not to say and when to say it rather than dealing with the fundamental issues of a government that is fixing our crime crisis and tackling our ever-rising cost-of-living pressures,” Ms Finocchiaro said.

“Territorians are out there trying to put food on the table, fuel in the car and of course are ever-worried about crime, and this government’s more worried about telling teachers what to say in the classroom and parents how to raise their own children.

“The fact they’ve taken eight months to backflip today shows exactly how out of touch they are.”

Now, almost eight months later the Education Department will release an updated document for public consultation.

The new document has removed all references to “boys and girls”, non-gendered sporting teams and school camps.

It has also removed another section from the earlier draft that suggested a school could help a child as young as 14 transition their gender without the support of their parents.

Education Minister Eva Lawler says the Education Department is committed to ensuring children and young people learn in a safe, supportive, equitable and inclusive environment. Picture: (A) manda Parkinson

The new document is just 10 pages and breaks down the department’s priorities into four focus areas; empowering children and young people, inclusive teaching and learning, safety and continuous improvement.

“The Department of Education is committed to ensuring that all children and young people learn in a safe, supportive, equitable and inclusive environment, free from bullying, harassment, discrimination and violence on the basis of their sexuality, gender identity or gender expression,” the new document says.

It will be published on the department’s website.

Public feedback will then help determine further policy direction.

*Matt Cunningham is the Sky News correspondant for the Northern Territory