‘Show of faith’ in NSW bid to tackle religious bullying

In an increasingly rare but significant show of unity, religious leaders, including from the Muslim and Jewish communities, joined the state government to laud its commitment to faith education and its new bullying hotline.

Education Minister Prue Car said the state’s education system was committed to protecting and promoting its diverse faith communities. Picture: Jeremy Piper

In an increasingly rare but significant show of unity, religious leaders, including from the Muslim and Jewish communities, joined the state government to laud its commitment to faith education and its new bullying hotline.

In the NSW parliament on Tuesday, accompanied by members of the government’s Faith Affairs Council and denomination leaders, Education Minister Prue Car told a special religious education symposium that schools were a “microcosm and epicentre” of Australia’s communities.

Ms Car’s address comes after the government recently rolled out its religious intolerance helpline to report faith-based bullying, particularly given rising anti-Semitism and Islamophobia since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war.

“We live in difficult times with global conflicts impacting communities across the world,” Deputy Premier Ms Car said.

“But we are deeply committed to nurturing our multi-faith community, and tackling bullying and intolerance.”

The hotline is not just for students, but also educators who, Ms Car said, were “managing challenging situations”.

“(NSW’s) strong multicultural society didn’t happen by accident, (we) all play a role in respecting each other’s faith and culture,” she said, reaffirming the government’s commitment to religious education as an “integral” component of the public school system.

The government’s commitment to faith education and clampdown on religious intolerance was welcomed by Muslim and Jewish leaders.

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Michele Goldman said the helpline had “never been more needed than in the challenging times we find ourselves in”.

Australian National Imams Council president sheik Shadi Alsuleiman said “now more than ever” misinformation and intolerance needed to be stamped out.

“While there is a lot more work to do, it is clear we have the right people working together to combat hate and discrimination while enhancing education and protecting and empowering our children,” he said.

Faith NSW, a coalition of the state’s religions, was a vocal proponent of the helpline, and applauded the government for “leading the way” in combating intolerance amid fraying social cohesion. Chief executive Murray Norman said the helpline and the commitment to religious education showed NSW was a “leader in the field”.

“That is modern multicultural Australia on display, and we thank everyone involved in taking the world’s best practice in religious education and injecting it into Australian education,” he said.

Faith NSW co-chair Darren Bark said religious bullying was a “significant challenge” that required a tailored approach, while backing the federal government’s proposed under-16 social media ban.

“Although our society is made up of a tapestry of multiculturalism, our schools don’t always represent this, and now is the time to empower our students, develop their critical thinking and better ‘multiculturalise’ our schools,” he said.

Faith NSW recently supported research by University of Sydney professor Emerita Suzanne Rutland and Bar-Ilan University, in Tel Aviv, education dean Zehavit Gross, which outlined the importance of Australian education in enhancing domestic social harmony and cohesion, and the challenge to combat religious bullying.