Sydney Atheists

Secular Activism Conference

Sydney Atheists, in conjunction with the Secular Coalition of Australia conducted the first Secular Activism conference of its kind on Saturday 22nd of February. We had 65 attendees from as far afield as Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Newcastle. The speakers: Professor Marion Maddox from Macquarie University, Cathy Byrne, Lara Wood from Fairness in Religion in Schools, Joe Kelly - the Principal for Cranbourne South Primary School in Victoria- and former senator Lyn Allyson presented a magnificent array of talks that were very engaging and relevant to the quasi religious state that we find ourselves in.

The print, audio and visual media, particularly in Victoria has run very hard on the issue of religious incursion into the State School system, one of the most important topics discussed on the day:

www.theage.com.au/victoria/primary-school-principals-shut-down-religious-education-classes-20140216-32ty8.html

http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/primary-school-principals-shut-down-religious-education-classes-20140216-32ty8.html

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/uproar-at-biblezine-sex-tips-for-kids-20140222-338zn.html

http://www.theage.com.au/national/education/access-ministries-asserts-its-right-to-teach-religion-in-schools-20140221-337r1.html

http://www.theage.com.au/comment/the-age-editorial/children-do-not-deserve-this-kind-of-religious-instruction-20140222-3391k.html

On behalf of Sydney Atheists and the Secular Coalition of Australia, I would like to give our most heartfelt thanks to attendees and the speakers who made the event the great success that it was.

Steve Marton