are unfortunately holding the balance of power in NSW. So Fred Nile of the Christian democrats is threatening to veto coalition policy unless ethics classes are scrapped as an alternatuve to religious education. Looks as though Mr Nile could do with some ethics.
Nile ties his vote to change in ethics class timetable
Sean Nicholls July 20, 2011
Not one for competition ... Christian Democratic Party MP Fred Niles wants ethics classes in schools rescheduled so that they don't compete with special religious education classes. Photo: Jon Reid
ETHICS classes in schools would be rescheduled so they did not compete with special religious education classes under a deal the Christian Democratic Party MP, Fred Nile, says he is confident of striking with the Premier.
But supporters of the classes have branded any such change a ''sleight of hand'' that would undermine the reason for their creation.
Mr Nile, whose party shares the balance of power in the upper house, has threatened to use his vote to ''torpedo'' key parts of the O'Farrell government's legislative agenda, including its overhaul of public sector wages, if it does not consider removing the classes from schools.
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The classes were introduced into primary schools this year as an alternative to special religious education, or scripture, but are opposed by some church groups, who claim they disadvantage scripture students as they are held simultaneously.
Under the former education department policy, students who did not attend special religious education classes were left to read or watch videos.
Mr Nile told the Herald that he discussed the issue with ''senior government representatives'' yesterday and was ''offered'' a meeting with Barry O'Farrell after he returns from China at the end of this week.
He said he would ask the Premier for a commitment that the classes would not continue next year but failing that would be ''happy for them to be held at any time except in competition with scripture''.
Mr Nile said he emerged from the discussions ''confident'' of reaching an agreement. ''There are some signals I have received today,'' he said, but would not elaborate.
Dr Simon Longstaff, the executive director of the St James Ethics Centre, which provides course material for the classes, criticised the proposal as ''a sleight of hand'' that would undermine the reason they were created.
''The reason why classes were introduced in the first place was to give [students] who weren't attending special religious education classes something meaningful,'' he said.
''Trying to retain ethics classes but at a different time would simply leave those children back in the difficult position that existed before the change.''
The Greens MP John Kaye said if Mr O'Farrell agreed to the change he would be breaking his election promise not to repeal legislation because the act specifies ethics classes must be offered as an ''alternative'' to scripture.
The acting Premier, Andrew Stoner, had earlier ruled out removing ethics classes but signalled the government's willingness to negotiate. ''If [Mr Nile] wants to see some improvements to ethics classes we're happy to talk to him about that.'' A spokesman for Mr Stoner said last night that the government would ''not be making any policy changes on the run''. Any changes would need to be considered by cabinet.
The acting opposition education spokesman, Nathan Rees, said Mr O'Farrell needed to make it clear to the crossbench that ''classrooms of NSW are not a social laboratory for fringe political groups''.
http://m.smh.com.au/national/nile-ties-his-vote-to-change-in-ethics-class-timetable-20110719-1hnbu.html
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