Mark Spencer, the national executive officer of Christian Schools Australia, says parents in marginal seats told his organisation they were concerned about the protection of religious freedom.

These people want to choose a school that reflects their values, he says.

"We know that parents in key marginal seats across Australia were saying to us how important the protection of values, beliefs and freedom of religion are to them.

"With religious freedom featuring in the campaign like never before, it is impossible to imagine that values were not front of mind for voters."

Religious freedom became a talking point last month after Wallaby Israel Folau's social media post saying homosexuals, fornicators and adulterers were destined for hell unless they repented.

Folau was subsequently sacked by Rugby Australia.

Christian schools also campaigned on the issue of religious freedom ahead of the election.

The Christian leaders wrote to Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten before the election asking them to protect religious beliefs.

The letter said Mr Shorten had sponsored legislation "that would effectively censor what could be taught by religious bodies".

Shorten did not respond to the letter.

Morrison said last week he believes "there is no more fundamental right than the right to decide what you believe or do not believe".

"That means Australians of faith should be free to hold and practise that faith without fear of discrimination against them.

"And that is why my government is committed to providing Australians of religious belief with protections equivalent to those guaranteed in relation to other protected attributes under Commonwealth anti-discrimination law.

"Nobody should suffer discrimination on the basis of their identity, including their religious identity."

John Wilson, the moderator-general for the Presbyterian Church of Australia, said he thinks religious freedom is a sleeper issue.

"You can talk franking credits, climate action, surpluses and deficits all you want, but you won't explain what happened yesterday if you stop there. The sleeper in the discussion is that Labor threatened freedom of religious expression."

"I think that many ordinary Australians pushed-back and voted for safe space - for a country where it's OK to disagree and express that disagreement, to hold opposing views and not be marginalised for it. Mr Morrison's reply to the church gave promise of safe space."

Thanking his supporters, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he had "always believed in miracles" as partial results showed the Liberal-National Coalition close to a majority.

"This was exposed time and again with respect to Christian schools being free to teach and live by their faith convictions.

"Also by challenging the right to free speech in public spaces when it comes to giving air to the traditional and conservative views on sexuality, gender and marriage.

Source

• The Sydney Morning Herald
• BBC
• Stuff
• Image: Stuff

Bill Shorten, who is the party's federal parliamentary leader, has promised the Catholic Bishops' Conference chairman, Bishop Denis Hart, to "arbitrarily" give Catholic schools the $250m in the first two years of government.

Shorten also pledged billions more to come over the next decade.

He made the promise to Hart in the week before a by-election for the Batman seat in the House of representatives.

He reminded Hart of what the party planned to spend on Catholic schools should it win government at the next federal poll.

The measures Shorten outlined are in line with what Labor has promised for nearly a year.

It has been pledging to restore the level of funding schools were originally promised under the Gillard government in 2012.

Labor outlined the difference between what the Turnbull government is giving schools in 2018 and 2019 and its plan.

It says the difference is $1.88 billion for public schools, $250 million for Catholic schools and $53.5 million for the independent sector.

Citing these figures, Mr Shorten wrote: "Catholic schools would be more than $250 million better off in our first two years of government alone."

Shorten's promise has been met with opposition by a public school lobby group.

The group says it is "an arbitrary and partisan move".

The president of the Australian Council of State School Organisations, Phillip Spratt, says Labor has made an "irrational and illogical policy in the scrabble for votes".

On Monday the education minister, Simon Birmingham, told Sky News "there's always somebody who can be bought by a few pieces of silver", suggesting Labor had bought Catholic Education Melbourne's support.

The Catholic education office in Melbourne is said to have intervened in the Batman by-election.

It has been reported as making 30,000 robocalls in favour of Labor's Ged Kearney.

On Tuesday the Labor frontbench MP Brendan O'Connor labelled the comments - apparently comparing the sector to Judas - "disgraceful" and called on Birmingham to apologise.

Source

• The Guardian
• Sydney Morning Herald
• SBS News
• Image: TenPlay

Labor will set aside A$33million for the creation of a scheme.

This is aimed at offering counselling services and compensation for survivors of institutional child sex abuse.

The agency would report to the federal attorney general.

There would be three broad goals for the national scheme:

• The chance for survivors to receive a direct personal response from their abuser or the institution that housed their abuser
• Monetary compensation for the abuse suffered
• Counselling and psychological support that is accessible through the course of their lives.

The redress scheme Labor is proposing is essentially that recommended by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

As many as 60,000 people could be eligible for between A$10,000 and A$200,000 in compensation, a report by the royal commission found.

The average compensation payment will be A$65,000.

The cost of redress should be met by the perpetrators of abuse, the commission stated. A figure of $A4billion overall was suggested.

The Commonwealth and state and territory governments should only step in to pay as a last resort.

Australian Opposition leader Bill Shorten said "Labor established the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse to give the thousands of people affected by these evil crimes an opportunity to finally be heard. "

"But we always knew this would only be the start of the process of healing," his statement said.

The Australian federal government has yet to respond to the royal commission's final recommendation on redress handed down three months ago.

Chief executive officer of the Catholic Church's Truth Justice and Healing Council, Francis Sullivan, said Labor's announcement was the first concrete commitment from a political party, state or federal, to the royal commission's redress proposals.

"Unfortunately it is our current elected representatives that need to be making commitments to a redress scheme," Mr Sullivan said.

Sources

• Guardian Australia
• Perth Now
• Sydney Morning Herald
• Image: Herald Sun