A Tasmanian parliamentary inquiry has found LGBTQ+ students are disproportionately affected by bullying and discrimination, with transgender and gender-diverse students often receiving inconsistent support.
The Inquiry Into Discrimination And Bullying In Tasmanian Schools, tabled on 19 August, found that policies covering LGBTQ+ students and staff vary significantly between schools and sectors.
Committee chair Brian Mitchell said the inquiry was ultimately about the harm experienced by young people at a time when they should be focused on learning, friendships and growing up.
Trans Students Often Lack Consistent Support
The inquiry found transgender and gender-diverse students were not always properly supported when changing names, accessing bathrooms or changing facilities, or reporting discrimination and bullying.
It also found that staff training on LGBTQ+ inclusion and responding to discrimination was inadequate and inconsistent.
The committee recommended that schools introduce policies supporting transgender students’ preferred names and work towards providing individual-stall unisex bathrooms where possible.
Catholic Education Tasmania Criticised
One of the inquiry’s strongest findings concerned Catholic Education Tasmania.
The committee found that Catholic Education Tasmania had discriminated against staff on the basis of sexual orientation and marital status.
It noted that this appears to conflict with protections under Tasmania’s Anti-Discrimination Act, while Catholic Education Tasmania maintains that its employment practices comply with Commonwealth law. The legal conflict between those laws has not yet been settled in court.
Evidence heard by the inquiry included accounts of LGBTQ+ staff being excluded from senior positions because of their relationships or sexuality.
Concerns Raised About Conversion Practices
The inquiry also heard evidence from a transgender former student who said she had been referred to a psychologist who publicly supported conversion practices and opposed transgender identities.
The student said neither she nor her mother had been aware of the psychologist’s views before the referral.
The inquiry did not conclude that conversion practices were systematically occurring across Catholic schools, but the evidence added to broader concerns about how some gender-diverse students were supported.
Equality Tasmania Calls For Change
Equality Tasmania spokesperson Rodney Croome said the report showed that LGBTQ+ students and staff needed stronger protections across the state’s education system.
He argued that Tasmania’s anti-discrimination laws had operated alongside religious education for decades and said schools should not be allowed to discriminate against LGBTQ+ staff or students.
The inquiry recommended more LGBTQ+ inclusion training, greater mental health support, stronger anti-bullying procedures and more consistent policies across government and non-government schools.
A Clear Message For Tasmanian Schools
The report makes clear that while many students and staff are well supported, LGBTQ+ people remain more likely to experience discrimination and bullying.
For queer young people, schools should be places where they can learn without having to fight for basic recognition, safety or dignity.
The inquiry’s recommendations now put pressure on the Tasmanian Government and education providers to make that support more consistent across the state.
