Christian Schools welcomed the launch of the Parliamentary Friends of Religious Schools and Faith Communities in Canberra on Monday, providing an opportunity for Parliamentarians across all political parties to gather and discuss issues of importance to the fastest growing segment of the education sector.
ALP Senator Deborah O'Neill and Liberal MP Mr Julian Leeser are co-chairs of the group which welcomed leaders of Anglican, Catholic, Christian, Islamic, Lutheran and Jewish schooling sectors, as well as representatives from a range of faith communities.
Speakers at the launch spoke of the long history of faith communities involved in the provision of education in Australia, as far back as 1793 when the first Christian school was founded soon after colonisation https://celebratechristianschools.au/. The long commitment of the Catholic church establishing and maintaining parish schools around the country, and the rapid growth in recent decades of Christian schools and, more recently, Islamic schools was recognised.
