Susan: you raise some very important questions.

If this draft legislation is intended to “provide for a diversity of educational options rather than create a prescriptive ‘right way’ to educate children”, why is the Statutory Authority being given such unlimited power to recommend any level of regulation for home education?

The proposed composition of the Statutory Authority is also indicative of the Government’s mindset. Why is there no requirement that this Statutory Authority will have members from the homeschooling community, or educators who are knowledgeable about the goals and processes of the many different forms of home education?

The Government is never open, honest and transparent about what they are doing and exactly how it is going to affect individual parents and children. They dont have to consider the individual so they can ignore individual homeschoolers and even students .

There might be something good to come out of compulsury registration etc. Homeschoolers would then become a respected and accepted recogised educational group and maybe they might have more say and power and be able to bring out to the open the reasons why mass schooling is failing and the reasons why so many children are having to be taken out of school for protection. It could work to help change the system and bring awareness to some serious problems that are affecting our youth.

I think homeschoolers can relax about what will be expected of them as for sure it will have to be kept in line with what schools provide. The expected standards in Education are so low that the majority students can pretty much do nothing and still pass national benchmarks.

Steve
The white paper to which you refer gave away very little about what actually ended up in the exposure draft. So how has anyone in any educational community had enough time to disseminate and absorb the new legislation? Due to the timing of the release, many are actually unaware of the content of the Bill.

Whilst your political proclivities are blatantly obvious, perhaps you could see beyond your prejudice and realise that home education is a viable successful educational option.

The Government’s new legislation will only harm the movement. They have written this exposure draft with very little knowledge of home education, the fact they keep referring to it as ‘homeschool’ proves this. Like you, they are reacting out of fear and ignorance, and need to learn more before passing judgement.

Homer schoolers almost as bad as god bothers uh wait that's right they are god bothers. The number of post we get from this small but loud group is a good demo of their motives and it's not for the good of their children. No matter what they believe, just have a look at a few of their websites will show any sane person. The rewriting of history to "justify" their beliefs in home schooling is scary. Yep their are up there with flat earther, creationist, ufo's and other new agers.

For the home schoolers who scathed me:

I believe you realy care for your kids, i am not going to write a few thousand words so you understand my reasonings, but from the most neutral angle, i still cannot comprehend how it is the best option. Yes it may produce winners as evidenced in the forum, but so do the worst schools in the country.

Studies show home schoolers have higher marks, socially interact better due to being with a spectrum of people each day etc etc i refute. Show me the evidence? Dont be blinded and rob your child of a childhood. They are not little adults.

Also, for those who are saying Home Schooling has been around for ages etc, you kow my point was it is becomming the vogue now and combined with easier avenues to recieve information and access to curriculums etc. It is a worrying trend, and i am sure this 'trend' has what has been the driving force of new legislation. Common sense, not railroading others should prevail here.

What annoys me, is that home schoolers out there think they know better than those who have committed their life to educating. I am sorry, but how many of you home schoolers out there have the facilities of a school? Have the liaison with employers and universities like schools do? Can provide a spectrum of ideals and career paths for their children, rather than just the beliefs of the parents? How many provide sporting facilities and new innovations in technology to the children?

Kids are not extensions of yourselves, they are individual entities. let them develop, integrate and understand society for themselves, not just be in a bubble.

And the comment regarding bullying saying 'rape, murder etc is part of life also'this just shows your overprotectiveness. Love sometimes gets in the way, it realy does. Self development comes from experiences, dont rob them of it.

To Realist and others who may not comprehend why homeschooling may be regarded as the best option by some. No doubting that it is never a decision that is taken lightly, my husband and I made a choice to take the most active role in our children’s welfare and education, before they were born, to take time to listen to our children first hand. We choose not to rely on crèches, school reports or parent teacher interviews, or keep them in a bubble (classroom) with the other 20+ children of the same age. We made a choice to utilize the whole community and resources at our disposal. Our children have the freedom to follow their individual interests and not be an extension of ourselves or a curriculum laid down to facilitate mass education. They can be children for as long as they like, keep company with who they choose and participate in the real world as it unfolds for them. There is no comparison between those who have committed their life to educating the masses and those who have committed their life to encouraging life long learning for their children. Minority that we are, there is a very diverse range of families who choose homeschooling. You are right in saying “we do really care for our kids”, what I am saying is I want to retain the right to choose the education most suited to my child.