The most consistent finding of the 2011 Australian Human Rights Commission Report into Freedom of religion and belief in 21st century Australia, was the ‘need for, and benefits of, education about religion… for all schools to develop awareness, familiarity, and respect for difference, from the first year to the final year of a child’s education’ (58).  As a ‘critical need’, the report highlighted ‘education about the religions, spiritualities and worldviews present in and affecting Australia… (as a way to) increase understanding and knowledge and, in so doing, reduce discrimination and prejudice’ (80). Other Australian research in the last few decades similarly points to interreligious education as part of the remedy for countering ethnic and religious prejudice. Despite consistent calls for more inclusive religions education, Australian public schooling favours segregated, dogmatic instruction, using untrained volunteers, in a mechanism lacking accountability and open to abuse.

quoted from Cathy Byrne, here: http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/mig/multiculturalism/subs/sub79.pdf