Workers delivering the Safe Schools Coalition anti-bullying program are receiving abusive emails, a union representing them has said.

The reports of frontline workers “copping abuse and hate mail for their roles in delivering the support program” were revealed by Australian Services Union South Australia and Northern Territory branch secretary Joseph Scales.

“We now have abusive behaviour perpetuated beyond the schoolyard and extended to the professionals and workers who are trying to combat just that,” he said.

The union represents workers in organisations such as Sexual Health Information Networking and Education in South Australia and the Foundation for Young Australians, which delivers the Safe Schools Coalition program nationally.

Scales told Guardian Australia the abusive material included Bible verses, threats of eternal damnation to those delivering the program and links to “vile” political speeches including George Christensen’s comments likening material linked to the anti-bullying program to predatory sexual grooming.



Scales said “there has been a significant increase in the last few months”. In that time the Safe Schools Coalition’s LGBTI support program has shot to national attention and been put under review by the federal government.

“When you look at it, it’s a concerted effort by those ideologically opposed to the program, rather than parents out in a school somewhere [where the program is taught] or any kind of community uprising against it,” he said.

“The current review being undertaken by the Turnbull government is a distressing criticism of a program which provides crucial support for an at risk community ... [The increase of abuse] is the very real consequence of the government’s narrative which constantly seeks to marginalise and isolate minority communities.”

Guardian Australia has previously reported that researchers behind the development of the Safe Schools program have also received abusive emails.

About 495 schools take part in the program, which is voluntary and entered into by schools after consultation with parents. Only one school has pulled out of the program as a result of parental pressure.

On Wednesday the federal education minister, Simon Birmingham, said “the objectives around Safe School are reasonable objectives to ensure the safety of children, to end bullying, to provide support to children who are struggling with issues”.

“But equally, there’s a fair question to be asked about the content of some of the resources produced and in some of the programs and we need to make sure that content is age appropriate, educationally sound and in line with the national curriculum and that’s exactly what the review I’ve commissioned will do,” he said.

On Thursday night the Greens LGBTI and marriage equality spokesman, Robert Simms, will table a petition with 35,000 signatures in favour of the Safe Schools program in the Senate. The petition by Cory Bernardi which created pressure to review the program had 9,500 signatures.

In a statement on Thursday the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) said a number of Catholic school authorities had deemed the Safe Schools Coalition’s material inappropriate for their schools.

A Catholic Education Commission NSW spokesman told Guardian Australia that was because the material “focuses very narrowly on sexuality” and was “incompatible with Catholic teaching which emphasises love, mutual respect and personal dignity”.

The executive director of NCEC, Ross Fox, said “Catholic schools are committed to eliminating bullying where it is occurring for whatever reason and in whatever form”.

Fox welcomed the review to consider the question of “whether government-funded material goes beyond the original purpose of the program, which was to support teachers and school communities to address bullying”.

“I believe the reservations expressed about the program material are widely shared by parents, teachers and school leaders,” he said.

A Catholic school in Sydney cancelled a visit by young adult fiction author Will Kostakis after he came out as gay.

According to a post on Kostakis’ blog the school told him it would be inappropriate to promote his new book The Sidekicks because the school was Catholic and “parents might not be happy”. Kostakis had spoken at the school about an earlier novel which featured a gay character coming to terms with his sexual identity and engaging in casual sex.

Kostakis came out as gay in a post in February after an ex-boyfriend was diagnosed with cancer.

In a reply to the school, Kostakis asked why the school had previously allowed him to promote a novel which dealt with queerness but now told him the new novel was inappropriate after his blog post “saying I like men”.

Kostakis explained that the ability to read texts championing diversity when he was a student had made him feel less of an outsider and safe, despite not being out.

“Some people were uncomfortable reading about two boys kissing, but it prompted discussion and working through prejudice,” he said.