Xavier Catholic College in Ballina has sent out a newsletter to parents which includes a recommendation not to vote for the Greens at this Saturday’s election for the marginal seat of Richmond, and not to vote for Teals in seats where Teals are standing.
‘This Saturday’s Federal Election could have lasting implications for the future of Catholic education,’ states the letter to parents.
It then recommends that parents read a media release on the Greens and Teals being a threat to Catholic education and supplying a ‘2025 Federal Election Score Card’ that marks a big red cross next to The Greens for a range of ‘national priorities’ for Catholic education.
‘Marist-Sion College in Victoria was in the news only days ago for the exact same behaviour, and the fact that this was not a one-off event but a pattern of behaviour consistent even across state lines is something the public deserves to know,’ said the member of the Xavier school community who alerted The Echo to the newsletter.
The press release provided to the parents reads, in part:
‘Dallas McInerney, CEO of Catholic Schools NSW (CSNSW), has cautioned Catholic school families against voting for the Greens or ‘Teal independents’ in the upcoming federal election.
‘Analysis by the National Catholic Education Commission reveals only the major parties, Labor, Liberal, and The Nationals, are committed to supporting parental school choice and the future of Catholic education in Australia.
‘”The Greens have a long hostility toward non-government education, and their education policies threaten the affordability and existence of Catholic schools, potentially leading to significant increases in school fees,” Mr McInerney warned.’
Greens respond
Responding to the accusations a spokesperson for Greens candidate for Richmond, Mandy Nolan, said ‘the Greens support full funding for all schools – public and private. Given 98 per cent of public schools currently don’t even have a bare minimum of funding, the Greens plan is to push hard to fully fund public schools and abolish out-of-pocket costs for public school students.’
Another member of the Xavier school community told The Echo that, ‘it is concerning that schools are seeking to influence how parents are voting in the federal election. However, parents were only encouraged to read documents, not persuaded on how to vote.’
♦ Xavier Catholic College declined to comment on the newsletter and referred The Echo to the Catholic schools office. They had not responded at the time of publication.
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