Equality Australia says the LGBTIQ+ community has been “neglected” after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed last week he would not seek to revive the Religious Discrimination Bill.
The bill seeks to prohibit discrimination in public places such as workplaces, schools, clubs and health care settings based on religious belief or activity, including if a person has no no religious beliefs.
In 2017, while the majority of Australians Religious leaders, politicians and activists have expressed concerns that the new law conflicts with their religious beliefs. They feared that as public institutions adapted to the new reality, their freedom to practice and express their religion would be threatened.
The bill did not gain enough support in the previous parliamentary session. Albanese criticized the opposition for not submitting amendments, while the opposition argued that religious groups had not reviewed the draft.
He said the government had submitted a bill to the opposition “months ago” but would not proceed without their agreement for fear of stoking tensions in Australia.
“One of the things I’ve spoken about is the need for greater social cohesion. And the last thing Australia needs is a divisive debate about people’s religion and faith “, the Prime Minister told reporters on Friday.
“I respect people’s faith and I think they should be able to engage without discrimination…The time, I said, had to be when we would introduce a bill during the budget session if an agreement could be reached.
“The deal was not reached because there were no suggestions for amendments to the legislation from the Coalition. I therefore do not intend to engage in any partisan debate when it comes to religious discrimination, and I think that’s unfortunate.”
Equality Australia, which works to protect the rights of LGBTIQ+ people, said the government had broken an election promise and put teaching staff and students at risk.
“The needs of our community have once again been neglected and gross injustices ignored,” said Anna Brown, chief executive of Equality Australia.
“This news is devastating for all Australians who are waiting for better protections, including gay and trans teachers, pregnant women, people who are divorced or in a de facto relationship, and people of faith.
“More and more children will be deprived of leadership roles or denied enrollment, teachers will continue to lose their jobs or be denied promotions, while many more will live in constant fear that someone finally finds out who they are.”
Religious lobby groups have campaigned for the bill to safeguard “religious freedoms”, which they say are necessary to ensure Australians can live freely at a time when freedoms are increasingly under threat .
In a study, the Australian Law Reform Commission recommended repealing laws that allow religious schools to discriminate against staff on the basis of their faith.
An Equality Australia study released earlier this year found that almost one in ten of Australia’s largest faith-based service providers publicly discriminate against LGBTIQ+ people, while almost four in ten remain silent on their positions in matter of inclusion.
Opposition legal affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said holding negotiations on the bill “has been one of the most bizarre processes I have seen since I have been in Parliament “.
“The Prime Minister has kept this bill secret from his own caucus. I have been forbidden from sharing it, and many religious groups have not seen it,” she said.
Cash said it was “disappointing that the Prime Minister has failed Australians of faith” and said the bill, as presented, would have had a “shocking potential impact on faith schools”.
Responding to Albanese’s comments, Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli said it was “regrettable that such important legislation would not be implemented”.
“However, I hope the Prime Minister will be true to his word that the protection of people of faith will not retreat under his leadership.”
