Last night, Yarra Council unanimously passed a motion calling on the Federal Government to cease its attacks on the Safe Schools Program and for its expansion into as many schools as possible.

The motion also states that Council supports the public rally tomorrow (Thursday) at the State Library to lobby the Federal government on this matter.  

The Safer Schools Program is run in almost 500 secondary schools by Safe Schools Coalition Australia, and has been funded since 2010 by the Federal Government and, in Victoria, by the State Government.

Mayor Roberto Colanzi said the motion noted that Yarra schools and the local LGBTIQ community have benefited from the program.

“The program provides students and teachers with a suite of free resources and activities that say it’s ok to be lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, intersex or queer.

“It also encourages other students who feel they don’t fit into these categories to put themselves in the shoes of those who do and to think about what it might be like to be treated differently.

“We all have the right to an education that is socially inclusive, non-discriminatory, and adaptable to the needs of diverse communities.”

On its website, Youth Affairs Council Victoria reports that a 2010 survey of more than 3000 same-sex attracted or sex/gender diverse young Australians indicated that more than one-third reported being physically attacked, and nearly two-thirds being verbally abused, with 80 per cent of the abuse occurring at school.

 
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