National LGBTQIA+ advocates are calling on the Australian Greens to push for comprehensive reform when dealing with the government on religious discrimination legislation.
In March, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese indicated religious discrimination reform could be shelved, if he could not secure bipartisan support for change. This week, the PM indicated he could work with the Greens to move a Bill forward.
“If the Greens are willing to support the rights of people to practice their faith, then that would be a way forward,” the Prime Minister said on Tuesday.
Rodney Croome, spokesperson for national advocacy organisation Just.Equal Australia, hopes this new direction will see reform that protect LGBTIQA+ people from discrimination beyond faith-based schools.
“Publicly funded faith-based services, including hospitals, charities and employment agencies, have special exemptions in federal law to discriminate against LGBTQ+ staff, clients and volunteers,” Croome said.
“Some states have outlawed this along with discrimination in schools, but some have not.
“The inquiry by the Australian Law Reform Commission into religious exemptions had terms of reference limited to schools because Labor drafted it that way.”
“However, if discrimination against LGBTQ+ teachers and students in faith-based schools is wrong and must be eliminated, the same principle must apply to all staff and clients in all faith-based services,” Croome said.
Just.Equal are also calling for Labor and the Greens to put the appointment of a dedicated LGBTIQA+ Human Rights Commissioner on the table.
“This was ALP policy until Mr Albanese dumped it when he became Leader in 2019,” Croome continued.
“The Australian Human Rights Commission has commissioners for sex, race, age, disability, children and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. But there is no dedicated commissioner to advocate for the human rights of the LGBTIQA+ community, despite the obvious need.”
“Mr Albanese wants to appoint a Religious Discrimination Commissioner as part of his Religious Discrimination Bill, but continues to ignore the absence of an LGBTIQA+ Human Rights Commissioner.”
“We urge the Greens to include all faith-based organisations and an LGBTIQA+ Human Rights Commissioner in their negotiations with Labor over LGBTIQA+ and religious human rights protections.”
OIP Staff
