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punkinmuffin's review
5.0
Late to the party on this one. Published in September 2017, Benjamin Law performs a thorough post-mortem on Australia's National Safe Schools program. In the process, he not only debunks the outrageous claims of social conservatives who campaigned against the program, he calmly documents the origins of Safe Schools, its creators and champions, its resources and the howlers used against it. Most importantly, Law brings everything back to the people who have the most at stake: LGBTIQ children. LGBTIQ people "have the highest rates of suicidality of any demographic in the country." That any child would want to kill themselves is desperately sad. The fact that bullied children can and do succeed in ending their lives is horrific.
As Law writes towards the end of his essay, "People have become so frightened of phantom hypotheticals lately that we're asking the strangest questions, with little bearing on reality. That has paralysed us and distracted us from asking the simplest and most important questions of children: What do you need of us? And how can we help?"
As Law writes towards the end of his essay, "People have become so frightened of phantom hypotheticals lately that we're asking the strangest questions, with little bearing on reality. That has paralysed us and distracted us from asking the simplest and most important questions of children: What do you need of us? And how can we help?"
_rusalka's review against another edition
5.0
I think this is one of the most important reads for anyone living in Australia at the moment.
It is a detailed and comprehensive look at the Safe Schools program, it's aims, history, and it's actual syllabus. And then going beyond the program all us "grown ups" are fighting about, to looking at the actual experiences of LGBTIQ kids in Australia in 2017. While most of the mainstream commentary on this program has been Mrs Lovejoy-esq without actually thinking of the children, Ben Law does, having been a kid this program would have benefited, and does so with a huge amount of research and his trademark wit and irreverence.
The Quarterly Essay, for those unfamiliar with the publication, is an essay published four times a year on a current, relevant topic to Australia, usually political in some shape or form. But that could be on the history of a country and our foreign policy towards them, race relations, energy policy, a biography of the new PM, analysis of a rise of a political movement, etc. Pretty broad scope, and a decent analysis of the issue in 25 000 words, instead of the 200 sensational, emotive words usually in the daily papers.
This essay breaks down what Safe Schools aims to do, how they train teachers, what it (and State Governments) asks schools do, and looks at *those* resources that are available. Law then addresses a huge amount of the claims made in News Corp's papers (a good 90 000 words written in the Australian on Safe Schools by the time Law published. News Corp may have inadvertently found the key to perpetual energy, even though they are aren't sold on climate change, and not keen on renewable power), talks to doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, teachers, and *gasp*, queer teenagers.
It is these stories and characters Law portrays so purely and beautifully. The kids whose lives these programs would literally change. The ones who may not have a safe space at all at the moment. That if we made school accepting, open, and safe, this would actually save kids lives. Either now, or in the future.
While we are spending $122 million on a non-binding survey asking people to judge the validity or people's relationships and whether we should extend people different to the norm equality, we are squabbling about a program that would cost $8 million over 3 years. And all it aims to do is to tell kids they are okay, they are accepted, they are safe.
It is a detailed and comprehensive look at the Safe Schools program, it's aims, history, and it's actual syllabus. And then going beyond the program all us "grown ups" are fighting about, to looking at the actual experiences of LGBTIQ kids in Australia in 2017. While most of the mainstream commentary on this program has been Mrs Lovejoy-esq without actually thinking of the children, Ben Law does, having been a kid this program would have benefited, and does so with a huge amount of research and his trademark wit and irreverence.
The Quarterly Essay, for those unfamiliar with the publication, is an essay published four times a year on a current, relevant topic to Australia, usually political in some shape or form. But that could be on the history of a country and our foreign policy towards them, race relations, energy policy, a biography of the new PM, analysis of a rise of a political movement, etc. Pretty broad scope, and a decent analysis of the issue in 25 000 words, instead of the 200 sensational, emotive words usually in the daily papers.
This essay breaks down what Safe Schools aims to do, how they train teachers, what it (and State Governments) asks schools do, and looks at *those* resources that are available. Law then addresses a huge amount of the claims made in News Corp's papers (a good 90 000 words written in the Australian on Safe Schools by the time Law published. News Corp may have inadvertently found the key to perpetual energy, even though they are aren't sold on climate change, and not keen on renewable power), talks to doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, teachers, and *gasp*, queer teenagers.
It is these stories and characters Law portrays so purely and beautifully. The kids whose lives these programs would literally change. The ones who may not have a safe space at all at the moment. That if we made school accepting, open, and safe, this would actually save kids lives. Either now, or in the future.
While we are spending $122 million on a non-binding survey asking people to judge the validity or people's relationships and whether we should extend people different to the norm equality, we are squabbling about a program that would cost $8 million over 3 years. And all it aims to do is to tell kids they are okay, they are accepted, they are safe.
desterman's review
5.0
Law's excellent Quarterly Essay carefully examines the Safe Schools Scandal providing one crucial thing lacking in the debate thus far - the facts. Law looks at how a program that was designed by experts in their field, to help support the most at risk group of children in our schools, became high-jacked by politicians, lobby groups and the media on both sides of the debate. What Law so astutely highlights is that in an age where we literally have so much information at our fingers tips we have never been so lacking in critical literacy and thought.
reachant's review against another edition
5.0
A brilliant essay, but alas I feel he's preaching to the converted. Why would you NOT want safe schools?
rodhunt's review
4.0
An excellent read. Ben Law is a well researched, skilful author who reveals the truth about the Safe Schools program and by doing so the absurdity, meanness, harmfulness and deceitfulness of the campaign against it! Thanks to Rosie for lending me this and suggesting I read it!
sean67's review
5.0
Well researched and beautifully written defence of the safe schools policy - a real attack on The Australian newspaper and the Murdoch press in general, which is justified.
This deserves to be read by many people, it is a shame the quarterly essay is so expensive, thankfully my library had a copy.
This would be well worth putting in the HSC course as required reading.
The Australian would go berserk, but they are not a real newspaper anyway.
This deserves to be read by many people, it is a shame the quarterly essay is so expensive, thankfully my library had a copy.
This would be well worth putting in the HSC course as required reading.
The Australian would go berserk, but they are not a real newspaper anyway.
eliselawrence19's review
5.0
A refreshingly objective examination of the debate over Safe Schools in a media climate of reactionaries and mud slinging. I can't imagine the hundreds of words of hateful garbage that Benjamin Law must have waded through to write this, and it speaks to his integrity as a journalist that he presents both sides of the argument - not to throw mud at the anti-Safe-Schoolers as they have done to him since QE came out but to prove that the misinformation they continue to spread is factually inaccurate by interviewing people who were instrumental in designing and implementing the program. He also interviewed LGBTQI kids about their experiences - some whose schools were signed up to Safe Schools, some not - which is something that the outlets decrying the program did not do, despite focusing their criticisms on the effect Safe Schools might have on kids.
In his closing of the essay, Law says something that really sticks with me: "People have become so frightened of phantom hypotheticals lately that we're asking the strangest questions, with little bearing on reality. That has paralysed and distracted us from asking the simplest and most important questions of children: what do you need of us? And how can we help?"
In his closing of the essay, Law says something that really sticks with me: "People have become so frightened of phantom hypotheticals lately that we're asking the strangest questions, with little bearing on reality. That has paralysed and distracted us from asking the simplest and most important questions of children: what do you need of us? And how can we help?"
e11en's review
5.0
These 25,000 words are equal parts brilliant, well-researched, necessary, frustrating and heart-breaking. A must read. I could not put it down.
morganallycesmith's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Only Benjamin Law could write an extremely informative, engaging essay with the perfect amount of necessary humour to digest a downright ridiculous period of Australian politics. This was incredible, I read it in one sitting and four years on, still an incredibly relevant and important discussion