9 February 2018

The Hon Philip Ruddock
Chair
Religious Freedom Review Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet

AHISA’s submission was uploaded to https://pmc.gov.au/domestic-policy/religious-freedom-review/submission.
A PDF version of the full submission is available to download .

Dear Mr Ruddock

Religious Freedom Review

The Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA) welcomes the opportunity to submit to the Religious Freedom Review.

AHISA believes that a high quality schooling system in Australia depends on:
1. Parents having the freedom to exercise their rights and responsibilities in regard to the education of their children
2. Students and their families having the freedom to choose among diverse schooling options
3. Schools having the autonomy to exercise educational leadership as they respond to the emerging needs of their communities in a rapidly changing society.

These three principles inform our submission to the Review.

We do not advocate for a specific form of legislation or bill of rights to protect religious freedoms. Instead, our aim has been to highlight issues in the operation of schools with a religious affiliation where conflicting rights may need to be taken into account in the framing of any legislated protections.

We would welcome any inquiries you may have about our submission. These may be addressed to AHISA’s Chief Executive Officer, Ms Beth Blackwood, telephone (02) 6247 7300, email [email protected].

Yours faithfully,
Dr Mark Merry
AHISA National Chair
Principal of Yarra Valley Grammar, Victoria