Labor calls on govt to release submissions on Religious Discrimination Bill

Labor is calling on the Morrison government to show some transparency on their proposed Religious Discrimination Bill, urging for the release of submissions on the legislation.

The government released their second draft of the bill earlier this month, with Attorney General Christian Porter claiming to have received almost 6,000 submissions from concerned parties.

Porter’s counterpart, Shadow Attorney General Mark Dreyfus, has written to the Attorney General appealing for all submissions to be released to the public.

“This is concerning. It is important that every Australian who wishes to contribute to this debate be respected and listened to,” Dreyfus said

“Moreover, the public debate in respect of the new exposure drafts will be assisted and enriched by the submissions in respect of the original exposure drafts being made public.”

So far, the Attorney General’s office has released around 100 of the submissions.

“We received approximately 6,000 submissions, including a number of campaign-based submissions,” The Attorney General’s website reads.

“We will publish further submissions progressively over time, but note that given the volume received, not all submissions will be published.”

OIP Staff