P.p.t.a. Denies Bias On Homosexual Bill (Press, 4 April 1985)

The Post-Primary Teachers’ Association (P.P.T.A.) publicly refuted allegations made by Graeme Lee, the Member of Parliament for Hauraki, regarding its stance on the petition against the Homosexual Law Reform Bill. Lee, who is one of the organisers of the petition, accused the P.P.T.A. of having a "forked tongue" and a biased viewpoint towards the initiative. He argued that the association's claims concerning the circulation of the petition in high schools being contrary to new sex education legislation were inaccurate. According to Lee, the provisions of the new sex education legislation were applicable only to primary and intermediate schools. Lee further noted that the P.P.T.A. had previously indicated support for reforming homosexual laws, specifically endorsing an age of consent of 16 years, suggesting that this reflected a duality in its attitude. In response to these claims, P.P.T.A. president Tony Steele clarified that current sex education legislation indeed applied to both primary and intermediate as well as secondary schools. He contested Lee’s assertion regarding the association’s support for the reform, stating that the P.P.T.A. had not agreed to support the age of consent being set at 16. Steele emphasized that it was inappropriate for external parties to distribute political petitions within secondary school environments, highlighting a significant discrepancy between the behaviour of those circulating the petition and the proposed stringent regulations governing sex education and parental consultation in secondary educational settings.

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