Australia

The GALE Right to Education Monitor has been done in Australia.
Interested to become a reporter? Contact info @ lgbt-education.info.

Country page on ILGA website

Score on the GALE Checklist

Item	Forbidden	Discouraged	No policy	Encouraged	Supported	No data	Comment
1. Full access to schools?	�	�	�	�	x	�	no comments
2. Freedom of self expression?	�	�	�	�	x	�	no comments
3. Protection against bullying?	�	�	�	�	x	�	Please see my article on the different contexts in Australia. It is not straightforward, the contexts vary across different states and territories and in government versus independent education systems. For example, in Victorian government education (one of 8 states) there is lots of supportive policy available. All states and territories have anti-discrimination legislation that cover sexual orientation and gender identity to varying degrees, and we are currently refining our national anti-discrimination and human rights bill, but in all independent systems there are exemptions (which may or may not be closed down by the national law, depending if they take our advice).
4. No drop-out?	�	�	�	�	x	�	In Victorian government education this is the case through organisations such as the Safe Schools Coalition and a host of particular policies which I could list for you if needed developed since 2008 (including particular sections of the reference guide which deal with transgender and intersex students, the Supporting Sexual Diversity in Schools policy, the bullying policy in some specific sections and other measures). In NSW this is increasingly the case with the new Proud Schools project, some policy (including the Homophobia in Schools policy and other measures from the Student Wellbeing Department, and a range of measures I could list for you if needed). However, in Victorian Catholic schools for example the teachers have to work within policies directly against their support for sexual diversity. It's very complex and difficult to outline quickly in a survey like this (the responses are too limiting for me to use accurately, apologies, I need an option link!)
5. Equal performance?	�	�	�	�	x	�	I'm not sure if the above response accurately reflects what I am trying to express, again it is more complex than allowed for in the survey (but yes compared to world contexts). In some contexts, there is policy and project evidence to support this. But across the board we face issues such as students not attending classes, and 1/10th of GLB students dropping out, and 1/5th of trans-spectrum students dropping out. I have lots of data on other educational problems an comparisons if needed that can be provided, contact tiffany.jones@une.edu.au if needed.
6. Is there public information?	�	�	�	�	x	�	Our new Anti-discrimination and Human Rights Bill 2012 (currently in draft stage and being commented on by GLBTIQ experts and others) will have protection for this more directly than our previous laws allowed. But socially GLBTIQ information is quite freely disseminated and our country is probably quite 8. Is there supportive and relevant attention for DESPOGI students in general school resources? for example about personality development, relationships, safer sex, expression you identity and opinions?
7. Attention in school resources?	�	�	�	�	x	�	Some schools, absolutely: particularly in some Victorian government schools. Others (for example in Victorian Catholic schools) actually ban dissemination of safe sex information and have recently pulled their HIV education policy ...so it is actually getting WORSE in parts of Australia. I've been in talks with some Catholic ed reps though who may look to movement on this issue in the future, but it is quite a fraught area at the moment for Catholic education in some states in Australia (e.g, in Victoria, but not in NSW - this is very different to the issues in government schools).
8. Resources for LGBT students?	�	�	�	�	x	�	In some parts of Victorian and NSW education systems, recently there was dissemination of some tools in WA by the Equal Opportunity Commission based on research and some tools in SA based on research. Progress in some states is leading to significant progress other the last two years in other states through advocacy and research dissemination, and the work of rights champions.
9. Support services open to LGBT?	�	�	�	�	x	�	In some cases it is great, in some poor. More official data can be provided if needed tiffany.jones@une.edu.au.
10. Peer-learning opportunities?	�	�	�	x	�	�	Unlike in the USA, Australia has not incorporated GSAs into its policy or legal framing, but in some states support groups are forming.
11. Is staff supportive?	�	�	�	�	x	�	The research on this is conflicting. Some Australian research (surveying teachers) shows they are very supportive, other data (national survey of students I was involved with) shows some are supportive but that far more than realised are very homophobic. It was really interesting to see the different perspectives on this.
12. Is staff competent to teach?	�	�	x	�	�	�	It's difficult to answer this using the options provided... I want to say no, but it varies. Some staff members have training from NGOs or the SSCV in Victoria, or from training initiatives in NSW, and sessions held by the equal opportunity commission in WA for example. But there is no standard as such in the professional standards in any state requiring this.
13. Is staff competent to support?	�	�	x	�	�	�	I want to say generally no, but that this is starting to change.
14. Supportive school environment?	�	�	�	�	x	�	Varies, some are very supportive, some are reported by the kids as very homophobic, the majority were
15. Employment protection for staff?	�	�	�	�	x	�	Yes, but not in the independent schools. All states have exemptions to their protections around a teacher/ staff member's sexual orientation and gender identity when it comes to religious private schools. We are currently pressuring the senate committee to change the exemptions at the national level, but at the moment the draft national legislation also includes problematic exemptions.

The score is 0% forbidden (denying), 13% discouraged or no policy (ambiguous), 87% encouraged or supportive (supportive). We score this country therefore as supportive.
This report is based on one respondent, who based the results on the Australia report on education 2012.

Relevant Conventions

Convention against Discrimination in Education	not signed	signed	ratified	succession
Convention on Technical and Vocational Education	not signed	signed	ratified	succession
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights	not signed	signed	ratified	succession
Convention on the Rights of the Child	not signed	signed	ratified	succession
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women	not signed	signed	ratified	succession

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This page was last updated on 8 March 2013.