In New South Wales, parents who choose to homeschool their children are faced with a troubling reality: their children's homeschooling registration certificates publicly display residential addresses. This is a privacy concern that mainstream school students do not face. No mainstream school student identification system requires or displays children’s residential addresses, thus ensuring their privacy and safeguarding their personal information.

Homeschooled children deserve the same level of privacy and protection. The registration certificate is the only document they have to verify they are a student. By displaying residential information on certificates meant for external presentation, the safety and privacy of homeschool families are unnecessarily compromised. There are several serious risks associated with this practice, including stalking, harassment, targeted intimidation, and location tracking. Imagine the risk of misuse when personal information is so readily accessible.

Moreover, there are heightened risks for families fleeing domestic violence. In these situations, protecting the location of the family is crucial for their safety. This certificate is in the child's name, legally accessible to either parent, with the primary parents address required to be kept up to date by law. Any breach in privacy can increase their vulnerability, potentially putting the wellbeing of both the children and the parents at risk.

We must hold the New South Wales Education Department accountable for the safety of all children, regardless of their educational path. The new system of including residential addresses on homeschooling registration certificates is inconsiderate of the potential dangers it poses. We have raised this with the Department of Education Homeschooling Directorate, they have dismissed our concerns.

We propose a simple yet effective solution: remove residential addresses from these certificates. This change will ensure that homeschool students receive equivalent privacy and safeguarding protections as their peers in mainstream schools.

Please join us in urging the New South Wales Education Department to protect the privacy and security of homeschooling families. Sign this petition to insist on a change that prioritizes the well-being and safety of all children in NSW.