Candidates Respond to Parental Concerns
Family First candidates in the upcoming Victorian and New South Wales elections have pledged to eliminate LGBTQA+ ideological programmes from schools if elected. Lyle Shelton, Family First National Director and NSW Legislative Council candidate, made this announcement.
Parental Concerns Over School Programmes
Parents are increasingly worried about schools engaging in social engineering and exposing students to disputed gender and sexuality ideologies without their consent, according to Shelton. He emphasised that educational institutions should focus on fundamental skills like reading and writing.
These remarks followed protests against IDAHOBIT celebrations at Reynella East College in South Australia. Parents expressed unease about the exposure of young children to gender identity and sexuality topics.
Family First supports parents who oppose activist messages in schools. Shelton stated, “Parents send their children to school to learn reading, writing, maths and critical thinking, not to be immersed in radical gender ideology.”
Shelton endorsed the views of protest organiser Luke Poulton. Poulton argued that children in kindergarten and junior primary should not be exposed to gender and sexuality discussions. He said, “I don’t think at that age it is appropriate at all to even be witnessing a single thing about it.”
Family First candidates plan to advocate for the removal of these programmes. They aim to restore parental rights in guiding their children’s moral development. The upcoming elections will determine the extent of support for this stance in Victoria and NSW.
Shelton expressed that many Australian parents share similar concerns but feel intimidated to speak out publicly. He remarked, “Luke Poulton is articulating what countless Australian parents feel but are often too intimidated to say publicly.”
He further stated, “It is entirely reasonable for parents to object to activist sexuality and gender messaging being normalised for children.” Shelton emphasised that while children should never be bullied or mistreated, respect for others does not require schools to promote contested ideological worldviews about sex and gender.
Last updated: 29 June 2026, 12:08 pm
