The Australian Conservative says the Morrison government should bring in more encompassing laws to protect religious freedom and freedom of speech, describing Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s plan for a religious freedom anti-discrimination act as “flawed”.

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The party’s spokesperson, and Queensland senate candidate, Lyle Shelton said the announcement made this morning was well intentioned, but flawed.

“The Government’s proposed religious freedoms act with a religious freedom commissioner at the bureaucratic and flawed Australian Human Rights Commission would only set up further conflict between identity groups. It will be lawyers at five paces. That’s not the Australian way – we want to live and let live respecting difference and diversity,” Shelton said in a statement.

The aspiring politician said a religious freedom act that allowed religious people to be insulted and offended but not other identity groups was nonsensical.

“All provisions in anti-discrimination law that make it an offence to insult or offend should be repealed or overridden. Same-sex marriage has weaponised anti-discrimination laws and today’s attempts to restore freedom are just creating a camel. Freedom needs to be protected – including and especially the right to dissent from the rainbow gender-fluid world view.”

Shelton said Conservative Party Senators would push for a Protected Freedoms Act but if that was rejected the party would obviously support any government measures to better protect freedom of religion.

OIP Staff