Chaplaincy Challenge

First, my apologies to my subscribers for the lack of content on this blog over the last couple of months. I’ve been unwell but I’m back now and firing on all cylinders.

Ron Williams’ High Court Challenge against federal funding for the National School Chaplaincy Program will be heard in Canberra next week.

I’ll be travelling to Canberra with Maria Proctor, President of the Humanist Society of Queensland. The Queensland Humanists are the major financial backers of the Challenge, having contributed nearly $25,000 towards Ron’s legal costs.

There has been a great deal of misinformation about the issues that will actually be discussed at the High Court. To bring myself ‘up to speed’ I spent a week ploughing through all the legal documents (available on the High Court’s website). My pre-hearing summary was published this week on ABC’s The Drum – and I hope to submit a follow-up article immediately after the hearing.

For those interested in following the case, I’ll be posting a daily update here, and tweeting from @Chrys_Stevenson. You can also catch updates on my Facebook page. I’ll be using the twitter hashtag #HighCourtNSCP. You may also wish to follow Ron’s official twitter account at @HighCourtNSCP.

If you’re able to join us in Canberra, we’d love to see you – the more support the better. We’re already looking forward to spending time with Hugh Wilson from the Australian Secular Lobby, Max Wallace (The Purple Economy), Meg Wallace, Andrew Rawlings from the Melbourne Atheists and the indomitable Elida Radig from Victoria’s Progressive Atheists.

The cost of mounting this challenge is enormous and Ron still urgently needs assistance to help cover his legal costs. Please consider making a donation at the High Court Challenge website.