Women Speak Tasmania

Tag: schools

  • Drag Queen Storytime and The Safeguarding Question

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    While researching lawfare in Australia, I came across the long-running legal battle involving Lyle Shelton. In 2020, Shelton publicly criticised a Drag Queen Storytime event at a Brisbane City Council library. He described the performers — Johnny Valkyrie (known as “Queeny”) and Dwayne Hill (who performs as Diamond Good-Rim in adult shows) — as “dangerous…

  • The Northern Hub, Parliament Hypocrisy, and the Real Cost of “Inclusion”

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    At Women Speak Tasmania, we have spent years fighting to protect women’s hard-won single-sex spaces. The evidence is clear, the data is consistent, and the lived reality for girls and women is being ignored in the rush toward “inclusion.” The Performative Hypocrisy of Politicians On 30 November 2025, Labor MP Ella Haddad proudly posted about…

  • Who Decides the Books in Your Child’s Classroom? The Role of Working It Out

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    A recent Right to Information request (RTI 076–2025/26) has provided new insight into how the Tasmanian Department for Education, Children and Young People (DECYP) selects and recommends books for use in schools under the Supporting Sexuality, Sex and Gender Diversity in Schools, which sits within the Health and Physical Education (HPE) curriculum. The RTI shows…

  • Why Parents are Kept in the Dark About Tasmania School Programs

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    What we learnt from RTI Request 076–2025/26 Working It Out and Growing Up Program Parents have a right to know what their children are being taught at school—especially when lessons touch on sensitive topics such as sexuality, gender identity, and personal development. A recent Right to Information (RTI) request has raised serious questions about whether…

  • The Perils of Prioritising Inclusivity Over Safeguarding in Respectful Relationships Education

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    Respectful Relationships Education (RRE) has the potential to play an important role in helping young people understand consent, boundaries, empathy, and mutual respect. When delivered responsibly, it can contribute to reducing bullying, harassment, and violence, and support healthier relationships throughout life. However, recent events demonstrate that when “inclusivity” is prioritised without proper safeguarding, supervision, or…

  • The Growing Conflict Over Children, Gender Policy, and Government Authority

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    Across Australia, a quiet but profound shift is occurring in education policy. It is not primarily about pronouns, flags, or even gender identity. At its core, the emerging conflict concerns something far more fundamental: who has responsibility for children — parents or the state? Over the past two years, policies introduced in several Australian states…

  • Dr Russell from Equality Tasmania Is Pushing Harmful Myths

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    It is not a “harmful myth,” Dr Russell, that Tasmanian children are being taught that boys can have a vagina, girls can have a penis, and that a person can “feel like a boy inside” even if they were assigned female at birth. This wording is taken directly from Tasmanian Government policy and from materials…

  • Analysis of “Fix the System not Me!” Evaluating the Impact of Working It Out’s Programs in Tasmanian Schools

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    On the Working It Out website, we found a report titled “Fix the System, Not Me!” – Evaluating the Impact of Working It Out’s Programs in Tasmanian Schools, developed in collaboration with the University of Tasmania. Curious about its contents, we undertook a detailed review. At first reading, the document appears highly one-sided, presenting the…

  • Working It Out: What is Happening in Tasmanian Schools? 

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    Recent information from multiple sources — including Working It Out Inc.’s own public statements — confirms that the organisation is actively involved in Tasmanian schools, providing “affirmation planning” for trans and gender-diverse students, assisting schools to develop “inclusive curriculum content,” and delivering professional learning to teachers on “sexuality, sex, and gender diversity.” These activities, described…

  • Parents are the First Line of Defence in Safeguarding Children

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    Parents are not bystanders in child protection — they are the first line of defence against harm. The National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, endorsed by all Australian governments, make this clear: families hold the primary responsibility for their children’s safety, wellbeing, and moral development. A genuine child-safe culture requires more than policies on paper.…