A group of Anglican schools based in Sydney have written to the federal government arguing that it is vital that laws which allow them to fire teachers who they discover are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender be maintained.
Thirty four schools have signed the open letter which was reported in The Australian newspaper yesterday.
“Until such time as religious freedom is codified in legislation, the exemptions should remain,” their letter states.
There have been calls for the government to remove the sections of federal anti-discrimination laws that allow religious based schools to expel students because of their sexuality, and remove teachers from their employment.
The Morrison government said it would change the laws as they relate to students, but has been unable to come to agreement with the opposition over the legislation. The government has said the changing the laws as they relate to teachers is a different matter.
Focus on the laws developed after sections of the Ruddock Religious Freedom review were leaked to the media. THe review was suggesting that the discrimination exemptions should remain, but schools would be required to have clear policies. Public opinion however showed that most people did not support the discriminations in any circumstance.
Education Minister Dan Tehan said the government was committed to finding the right balance.
“Obviously the UN declaration of human rights has freedom of religion as one of its core rights, but we also want to protect against sexual discrimination,” he told Sky News on Wednesday.
