Program exposes students to predators

4 AUGUST 2015: I HAVE asked the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, to immediately close down a school program potentially exposing students to sexual predators. The Safe Schools program was introduced under the guise of bullying prevention in schools and has been adopted by several schools in Queensland and at least one school in Mackay.The program is supposed to be about dealing with bullying but encourages students to go to what amounts to a gay dating website used not only by under 18s but also by men in their 30s. How on Earth does that deal with bullying? The program recommends students use a website called Minus18, which is a site connecting gay and lesbian youths under the age of 18. The site is not adequately policed, and even though it is supposed to be for young teens there are widespread examples of men in their 30s trying to connect with young boys.The Safe Schools Coalition Australia (SSCA) material promotes the Minus18 website and Minus18 provides most of the SSCA resources. Minus18 also tells primary and secondary school students what to do if their schools block the site.I have also written to Education Minister, Christopher Pyne, calling for the immediate cessation of funding and the closure of the program. If any individual or group in the general community delivered such a program to school children they would be facing some serious consequences.I question how many of the program’s messages could have anything to do with bullying, including:

• “You have two virginities – one for the first time with a boy and one for the first time with a girl.”*
• “Allow students to access a unisex toilet or the toilet of their choice.”**
• “Penis-in-vagina sex is not the only sex and certainly not the ultimate sex.”***

Some of the information promoted includes instructions on how girls should bind their chest, which is not only dangerous but suggests that children should be ashamed of their bodies.There are a number of causes for school children to be bullied and most are to do with physical appearance but this program focuses only on a very narrow range of bullying and instead of addressing the bullying appears to promote and encourage alternative sexual lifestyles. If the issue of bullying is to be taken seriously, a program must address a wider range of issues and offer some means of reducing bullying in schools.* OMG I’m Queer booklet** Gender is Not a Uniform document*** OMG I’m Queer booket