OPPOSITION leader Matthew Guy has called on the Education Minister to step in and make sure the decision by Cranbourne Carlisle Primary School to allow Muslim students to leave an assembly while the national anthem was sung does not set a precedent for other schools.
Mr Guy said most Australians would find students being excused from singing the national anthem as offensive.
“The Minister needs to step in and reverse this precedent and do it straight away,” Mr Guy said.
“Just two months ago, this government intervened to remove religious education, claiming that our schools should be secular. Well if our schools should be secular, why is this government allowing the Education Department to bring religion straight back into schools and somehow link that to finding our national anthem offensive? To me it is a terrible precedent. It is a terrible thing to be teaching our children.”
Education Minister James Merlino maintained his support for the school.
“Many students from different faiths are excused from singing the anthem for different reasons. We live in a multicultural society and that means we are tolerant of all religious beliefs and practices.”
Star News Group broke the story last week after receiving a complaint from grandmother Lorraine McCurdy. It has since caused a furor on social media and talk-back radio.
