Remember, you are writing to your local federal MP to make them aware of the recommendations of the ALRC report regarding the inquiry into Religious Educational Institutions and Anti-Discrimination Laws.

In your communications, it is essential that the following general principles are strictly adhered to and are included:

1. Thanking the MP for representing your community and acknowledging the hard work and sacrifice of being a Federal MP.

2. There must be no mention of ‘praying for them’.The overwhelming majority of MP’s I speak to do NOT want this. They interpret this as an attempt to pray them into ‘conversion’ or that the MP will be converted to your way of thinking.

3. Why the recommendations of the ALRC report should not be implemented (See below paragraphs for assistance on this point).

4. Asking them that no changes be made to the Sexual Discrimination Act.

5. Thanking the MP for taking the time to read your communication.

Your communication MUST be gracious, kind, respectful and thoughtful.

The communication must NOT be:

• Aggressive

• Threatening if the MP does not adhere to your position as outlined in your communication

• Too lengthy

In relation to point 3 above, in essence you have to summarise the following two paragraphs in ONE paragraph.

Traditionally a religious school is set up and funded (with the assistance of funding by State and Federal Governments), by members of a particular religion to provide education for children in accordance with their beliefs, whether it be a Christian school, a Muslim school, a Jewish school, or one from another religious tradition. As a consequence, a religious community takes very seriously the content and quality of the teaching of their faith by the school. Those teachings are, without exception, well documented and not secret in any way. The consequence is very clear to anyone who enrols a child in the school and any person who seeks to become a teacher at that school.

Religious beliefs are to be taught and lived out in everyday life. There must be a consistency between what is taught in the classroom and what is ‘lived’ by example. A member of staff who displays inconsistency undermines the ethos and mission of the school; after all, nothing undermines the credibility of teaching more than a person who does not attempt to ‘practice as they preach’. A student club that advocates during school hours or on school property against the views of the religious tradition would similarly undermine the ethos and mission of the school. Religious belief is wholistic in the sense that words and actions of an individual must be uniformly consistent. There cannot be exceptions to this principle.

*Please note, the above two paragraphs form part of a larger strategy document and therefore some context may be missing. However, they should be used to guide you in writing your communication and help you to articulate your position clearly.