Creationism in Australian Schools

A few months ago I was barracking for my old mate John Kaye on this episode of Insight. (It's one of the few Australian current affairs shows I can watch regularly; Q&A is the other.)

I wasn't paying too much attention to the crazy creationist science teacher but luckily Chris Bonnor was. He's called for an inquiry into whether they're actually teaching evolution between their hapless teacher's attempts to order the various flavours of creationism.

Well the results are in. Aunty reported it matter of factly. But the SMH is quoting a few people:

The NSW Greens MP John Kaye said the board's ruling set a dangerous precedent that had "opened the floodgates to a religious invasion of the curriculum". The board had failed in its duty to protect the integrity of the science curriculum, he said.

"Every fundamentalist private school in NSW will be emboldened by this decision."...

Mr O'Doherty said Mr Bonnor had misquoted the Pacific Hills science teacher, and Dr Kaye's comments amounted to vilification.

I can't imagine a pogrom against Christians in Australia anytime soon. Short of actual discrimination, a little vilification never hurt anyone.

More telling is this:

The board spokeswoman said: "Parents are entitled to choose schools for their children that support their own beliefs. However, it has been repeatedly made clear to faith-based and other schools that creationism is not part of the mandatory science curriculum, cannot take the place of any part of the mandatory science curriculum, and will not be assessed in the mandatory School Certificate science test."

(My emphasis.)
This epitomises the problem here. The assumption is that, because children are their chattels, parents have the right, nay the duty, to have them indoctrinate. No one - not Christian, Jew nor Muslim - questions this assumption.