The Religious Discrimination bill must not be a sword that enables discrimination – it should be a shield from discrimination
Latest News
SMH: ‘Don’t ignore us’: Faith leaders demand quick action on religious freedoms
By Matthew Knott and Lisa Visentin, Sydney Morning Herald Faith leaders have urged the new Labor government to move quickly to introduce legislation...
SMH: Labor commits to religious freedom and LGBTQ protections but no timeline
By Lisa Visentin, Sydney Morning Herald Labor will seek to legislate a religious discrimination act and scrap the ability of schools to expel gay...
ABC: Morrison says schools not expelling gay students, doubles down on religious discrimination bill
By Jess Davis, ABC Prime Minister Scott Morrison says gay students are not being expelled from religious schools, doubling down on re-introducing...
SMH: Liberal MPs will cross the floor again to protect LGBT students if religious bill is revived
By Lisa Visentin, Sydney Morning Herald Key moderate Liberal MPs have signalled they would again cross the floor to vote to abolish the right of...
The Age: Aussies back religious protections, but not if it discriminates
By James Massola, The Age Two-thirds of Australians support new laws to protect people from religious discrimination or vilification, but a similar...
The Age: Labor would ‘deal with’ religious discrimination in government, says Albanese
By Lisa Visentin, The Age Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said Labor would “deal with” the issue of religious discrimination in government, but...
SMH: Coalition pushing for inquiry instead of pushing through religious laws
By David Crowe, SMH The federal government will push for a Senate inquiry into key parts of its religious discrimination bills in a decision that...
ABC: Government shelves religious freedom bill indefinitely
By Jake Evans, ABC The government has indefinitely shelved its bid to overhaul religious freedom laws, leaving one of the Coalition's central 2019...
Brisbane Times: Attorney-General Michaelia Cash says protecting trans students poses risk to religious schools’ ethos
By Lisa Visentin, Brisbane Times Attorney-General Michaelia Cash says a move to immediately strip church schools of the ability to discriminate...
The Guardian: Religious Discrimination Bill will not protect trans students from expulsion, Simon Birmingham confirms
By Paul Karp, The Guardian The Morrison government will seek to protect gay students from expulsion without protecting trans students at the same...
Brisbane Times: Liberals backlash likely to widen split over religious freedom laws
By David Crowe, Brisbane Times A Liberal backlash is likely to widen a federal government split over a draft law to enshrine religious freedom, with...
The Guardian: Labor offers conditional backing to Coalition’s Religious Discrimination Bill
By Paul Karp, The Guardian The Morrison government’s hopes of passing its contentious religious discrimination legislation before the election have...
The Guardian: Amanda Stoker walks back on Morrison pledge to protect LGBTQ+ students
By Paul Karp, The Guardian The assistant attorney general, Amanda Stoker, has muddied the waters about whether LGBTQ+ students will be protected at...
The Guardian: Christian lobby groups attack Morrison for vowing students won’t be expelled
By Paul Karp, The Guardian Christian groups have accused Scott Morrison of “betraying” the intent of the Coalition’s religious discrimination bill...
Brisbane Times: Moderate Liberals to push protections for gay students after Queensland case
By Lisa Visentin and Cloe Read, Brisbane Times Federal moderate Liberal MPs will renew their push for fast-tracked protections for LGBTQ school...
The Guardian: Teachers sacked for being gay warn bill will empower similar dismissals
By Paul Karp, The Guardian Two gay educators have spoken out about being sacked for their sexuality, warning an inquiry the religious discrimination...
Lawyers Weekly: ‘Deeply unbalanced’ – HRLC opposes Religious Discrimination Bill
By Naomi Neilson, Lawyers Weekly In submissions shared to two parliamentary inquiries, human rights lawyers have debated that the current form of...
AAP/SBS: Aspects of proposed bill ‘do not meet international human rights obligations’, say Law Council
By AAP/SBS The religious discrimination bill is different from similar existing laws despite advocates of the bill claiming otherwise, Australian...
Canberra Times: ACT government warns laws would ‘erode’ local protections
By Jasper Lindell, Canberra Times The ACT government has strongly criticised proposed federal religious discrimination laws, which it says would set...
AAP/The New Daily: Rights juggle in religious freedom bill
By Maeve Bannister, AAP/The New Daily Diversity advocates say a contentious clause protecting religious statements of belief would override people’s...
SMH: Teachers can be sacked over sexuality under bill, A-G’s department confirms
By Dana Daniel, Sydney Morning Herald The Attorney-General’s department has confirmed religious schools’ right to sack teachers for their views on...
The Guardian: Liberal state governments voice concern over federal bill
By Paul Karp, The Guardian The New South Wales and Tasmanian state Liberal governments have expressed concern the federal religious discrimination...
The Guardian: Coalition’s bill will erode rights of people with disability, advocates say
By Sarah Martin, The Guardian Disability groups say the Morrison government’s proposed religious discrimination bill will erode the rights of people...
The Guardian: Coalition’s religious discrimination bill sends ‘dangerous signal’, Muslim groups say
By Daniel Hurst, The Guardian The government’s religious discrimination law could place “a heavy burden” on already marginalised Muslim communities...
The Age: Religious Discrimination Bill and protection for gay students are ‘separate issues’, says A-G
By Lisa Visentin, The Age Attorney-General Michaelia Cash has cast doubt on any deals with moderate Liberals to fast-track protections for gay...
The Guardian: Coalition shelves bills
By Paul Karp, The Guardian Parliament has adjourned for the year, with a whimper and not a bang, after the Morrison government shelved its...
The Guardian: Moderate Liberals strike deal to protect gay students
By Sarah Martin, The Guardian The Morrison government has struck a deal with some moderate Liberal MPs to support its contentious religious...
The Australian: Labor, Greens and crossbench move to delay bill
By Geoff Chambers, The Australian Labor, the Greens and crossbenchers have teamed-up in an attempt to delay Scott Morrison’s religious...
ABC: Disability advocates worried bill will lead to more discrimination in Australia, not less
By Emma Myers, ABC People with disability often experience ridicule, offensive assumptions, bias and intimidation. It does not matter whether this...
The Australian: Scott Morrison vows to fast-track gay pupil protections
By Geoff Chambers, The Australian Scott Morrison has promised moderate Liberals he will fast-track separate protections for gay students ahead of...
The Australian: Labor raises serious concerns over religious freedom bill inquiry timing
By Courtney Gould, The Australian The timing of an inquiry into the government’s contentious religious freedom bill has been called into question...
The Guardian: Inquiry into bill should not consider other exemptions, chair says
By Paul Karp, The Guardian The religious discrimination bill inquiry should not consider exemptions that allow schools to discriminate against...
WA Today: Religious schools must have written policy to discriminate in hiring under proposed laws
By Lisa Visentin, WA Today Faith-based schools that want to reserve the right to discriminate against potential teaching hires will have to set out...
The Guardian: Labor says religious discrimination bill should not come at a cost to others
By Sarah Martin, The Guardian Labor’s leader in the Senate, Penny Wong, has said the party’s “principal position” on the religious discrimination...
The Guardian: Scott Morrison promises Senate inquiry to calm fears over religious discrimination bill
By Paul Karp, The Guardian The prime minister, Scott Morrison, will introduce a revised religious discrimination bill to parliament this week,...
The Guardian: Faith leaders put pressure on Labor to support religious discrimination bill
By Paul Karp, The Guardian Religious leaders have said a pared-back version of the Coalition’s religious discrimination legislation would “deserve...
The Australian: Scott Morrison returns to religious freedom fight
By Geoff Chambers, The Australian Australians expressing reasonable and genuinely held faith-based views that might offend others will be shielded...
The Big Smoke: Morrison has lost control of his Religious Discrimination Bill
By Meredith Doig, president, Rationalist Society of Australia If the Religious Discrimination Bill were a submarine, it might now be taking on water...
RSA: Senator prefers no bill if government fails to meet religious leaders’ expectations
By Si Gladman, Rationalist Society of Australia A conservative government senator has stepped up pressure on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to...
The Guardian: Religious groups warn Australia government to retain clause allowing discrimination in proposed bill
By Paul Karp and Sarah Martin, The Guardian Religious groups have warned the Morrison government to retain a clause allowing discrimination against...
The Guardian: Coalition split over religious discrimination bill with MPs having ‘serious concerns’ over Folau claus
By Sarah Martin, The Guardian Coalition MPs are split over the government’s revised religious discrimination bill, with the attorney general,...
RSA: Government’s exclusion of non-religious voices appears to be religious-based discrimination
By Si Gladman, Rationalist Society of Australia The Morrison government appears to be discriminating against non-religious Australians by excluding...
Eternity: Religious Discrimination Bill will soon be here
By John Sandeman, Eternity News The long-delayed Religious Discrimination Bill will be here soon, if the briefing meetings the Attorney-General...
Out in Perth: Concern government will push Religious Discrimination bill through
By Out in Perth National LGBTIQ+ advocacy organisation, Just.Equal Australia, has written to leading members of both major parties urging them to...
SMH: Christian Lobby boasts religious freedom laws will include ‘Folau clause’
By James Massola of the Sydney Morning Herald Australian Christian Lobby boss Martyn Iles has boasted the Morrison government will include a...
RSA: Non-religious and pro-secular Australians not “irrelevant” in debate over new bill, says RSA
By Si Gladman, Rationalist Society of Australia The Morrison government appears to be ignoring the fastest-growing section of society – the...
RSA: Government senator warns of electoral backlash if bill fails to meet expectations of faith leaders
By Si Gladman, Rationalist Society of Australia A conservative government senator who wants to see positive religious rights enacted into law is...
RSA: Prime Minister’s letter may signal effort to dampen religious lobbyists’ expectations for Religious Discrimination Bill
By Si Gladman, Rationalist Society of Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison has informed the Rationalist Society of Australia (RSA) that his...
The Australian: Christian conservatives demand ‘Folau clause’ in religious discrimination bill
By Richard Ferguson, The Australian The power of employers to punish people who make potentially offensive religious statements outside work hours...
The Australian: Michaelia Cash rules out broad, ‘constitutionally barred’ religious freedoms law
By Richard Ferguson, The Australian Attorney-General Michaelia Cash is signalling new laws to fight discrimination against people of faith will not...
SMH: Liberal MPs want ‘Folau’s law’ removed from Religious Discrimination Bill
By Michael Koziol, Sydney Morning Herald A group of Liberal MPs has warned Attorney-General Michaelia Cash that several parts of the draft Religious...
Liberal MP Warren Entsch blasts Religious Discrimination Bill
By Jordan Hirst for Q News Queensland Liberal MP Warren Entsch has warned he’ll vote against his government’s controversial Religious Discrimination...
Religious freedom advocacy groups must come clean, Michael Kirby says
By Naomi Neilson in Lawyers Weekly In response to a Christian group’s “lobbying blitz” and in criticising organised religion for failing to “lift...
The Australian: Liberal MPs warn Michaelia Cash against compromising on gay rights in religious freedom push
By Richard Ferguson, The Australian Liberal MPs are warning Attorney-General Michaelia Cash that any new draft of the religious discrimination...
‘Australians are very skeptical’: Michael Kirby warns against ‘excessive protection’ of religious freedoms
By Paul Karp at The Guardian Former justice says religious rights can’t come at expense of minorities or the 70% of Australians who say religion is...
‘Right-wing backlash’: Church group to make religious freedom an election issue
By Michael Koziol in the Sydney Morning Herald The Morrison government has placed religious freedom back on the political agenda, as...
No law yet to ban religious schools from expelling LGBT students
By Jessi Lewis - The Star Observer Three years after Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his government would enact a law to ban religious schools...
The Religious Discrimination Bill is ready to go
In a confidential webinar this month, Liberal MP Kevin Andrews revealed that the Morrison government’s Religious Discrimination Bill has been...
Human rights legislation a better option than Australia’s proposed religious freedom reforms, say lawyers
By Christopher Gilbert for Sight Magazine Australians would be better served through new human rights legislation with proven mechanisms to...
Scott Morrison urged to prioritise religious freedoms
By Richard Ferguson in The Australian Australia’s faith leaders are urging Scott Morrison to put the implementation of a Religious Discrimination...
Religious discrimination bill will create an unholy mess
Opinion - by Alistair Lawrie in The Sydney Morning Herald One Nation’s Anti-Discrimination Amendment (Religious Freedoms and Equality) Bill 2020...
‘Christians are not victims’: church leader slams religious freedom bill
By Angus Thompson in the The Sydney Morning Herald The leader of a major church group says it is disingenuous to portray Australian Christians as...
Sydney Anglicans, religious schools declare support for Latham discrimination bill
By Michael Koziol in the Sydney Morning Herald A number of powerful interest groups including the Sydney Anglican Diocese, the Association of...
Why freedom of religion won’t likely trump public health interests with a future COVID-19 vaccine
Photograph: Catholic Archbishop Anthony Fischer By Bianca di Marchi - AAP Religious objections to vaccinations have been around almost as long as...
Australia: Religious Discrimination Bill – Hard cases make bad law
By Emily Wittig and Geoff Baldwin in Mondaq In 2019, the Attorney-General, Christian Porter, released a draft Religious Discrimination Bill aimed at...
How access to contraception works in Australia, and why we need to protect it
By Ella Bazzani-Hockley - Fashion Journal Why is a woman’s right to access contraception even up for debate? In 1961, the release of the oral...
Australia’s first trans-led legal service hit with wave of concern over religious discrimination bill
Photograph: Sam Elkin, lawyer with the Roberta Perkins Law Project, Australia’s first trans-led legal service for trans and gender diverse people....
Australia: Will religious organisations continue to receive exemptions to discriminate under the Religious Discrimination Act?
By Jacob Reddie - Mondaq Following the Coalition's surprise election victory, religious discrimination laws appear to be one of the first issues to...
Coronavirus: Policy brakes applied on religious freedom and anti-corruption body
By Greg Brown - The Australian Scott Morrison has flagged delays in key elements of his pre-coronavirus agenda, saying cabinet has shelved...
COMMENT || Discrimination in the name of religion the aim of proposed law
By Anthony Haneveer - The Advocate An unexpected letter arrived in my letterbox last week that I found myself oddly happy to have received....
Inner West Council votes ‘no’ to Religious Discrimination Bill
By Mike Hitch - Star Observer The Inner West Council (IWC) has officially taken a stand against the coalition government’s proposed religious...
New ‘Folau style case’ brews as Christians vow to support disgraced doctor
By Andrew Koubaridis - The Herald Sun The Australian Christian Lobby has vowed to support and bankroll a disgraced Melbourne doctor who targeted...
Politicians urged to stand against state anti-bias law
By Rodney Croome - Opinion - The Examiner In the mid 1990s, Tasmania's Liberals screamed "state rights" when Canberra moved to override our...
‘A right to be nasty’: Older Australians at risk under religious discrimination bill
By Andrew Taylor - The Age Legal experts have warned that LGBTQ people in aged care facilities will be at risk of ridicule, humiliation and...
Do we really need religious freedom legislation?
Few issues have so divided Australians in the past couple of years as the federal government’s promise to enact religious freedom legislation, not least because the farther edges of its advocates and opponents distrust each other so vehemently.
Proposed bill will enshrine religion’s right to discriminate
Born out of the contentious debate over same-sex marriage, the religious discrimination bill was always going to attract its fair share of...
Sporting bodies lash government’s proposed religious freedom bill
Australia’s biggest sporting bodies – including the AFL, NRL, FFA and Cricket Australia – have written a scathing response to the federal government’s proposed religious freedom bill.
Exceptions for religious organisations in proposed Bill are too wide
The religious discrimination bill has had plenty of attention in the past few months. It was first released for public comment in August 2019, and a redrafted version was released in December.
Michael Kirby Op-ed
Over the summer, the federal government released an amended draft of its proposed Religious Discrimination Bill, designed to satisfy the bill’s many...
Unions and employers join forces to oppose religious freedom bill
Unions and employers have joined forces to fight the Morrison government’s controversial religious freedom bill, warning it will damage workplace harmony and pit employees from different backgrounds against each other at work.
Faith-based groups reject latest religious discrimination bill
Community service providers, including Jewish and Christian groups, have united to reject draft religious discrimination legislation over fears it could be harmful and favour religious expression over other rights.
Religious discrimination bill backfires on Christians
Conservative Christians are some of the biggest supporters of Scott Morrison’s religious discrimination bill. But they should be careful what they wish for. It won’t just be gay people, women and people with disabilities who lose out under the proposed law. Christians will be among the biggest losers.
Religious discrimination bill could put business in ‘perilous’ and ‘very expensive’ position: ACCI
Proposed religious discrimination laws could put businesses in a “perilous” and “very expensive” position as they try to balance the rights of religious and non-religious employees.
About the Campaign
We believe in genuine secularism – separation between church and state. Public policy should be based on evidence and reason.
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Everyone will be affected by the government’s proposed Religious Discrimination Bill. But you can help. Every dollar you contribute will be put toward the campaign to stop the Morrison government’s attempts to divide Australia.
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