Prime Minister Scott Morrison will release the long awaited Ruddock Review into religious freedom this morning and it is understood he will propose a new anti-discrimination law that focuses specifically on protecting religious beliefs.
The Nationals Deputy Leader Bridget McKenzie appeared on ABC Radio this morning arguing that the new law was essential.
“Discrimination in any form in this country is an anathema to how we view ourselves as Australians and the fair-go ethos that our entire nation has been built on,” McKenzie said.
“The Sikh community, our Islamic community, our Buddhist community etc, our Jewish community, all need to be able to practice the tenets of their faith and be able to educate their children in those tenets.” Senator McKenzie said.
The review was commissioned by former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during parliament’s debate over introducing same sex marriage laws. The final report was due in April but was delayed to May after the panel received thousands of submissions from the public.
The government however chose not to make the details of the report public until today, sections of it were leaked to the media during the Wentworth by-election.
It has been reported that the government will also announce it will be asking the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) to look into the best way to change the laws to provide protections to LGBTI students who attend religious based schools.
During the Wentworth by-election the Prime Minister vowed to remove the exemptions from the anti-discrimination laws which allow schools to expel students over their sexuality or gender, but they have been unable to come to an agreement on the working of the legislation with the opposition.
Shadow Attorney General Mark Butler has accused the government of delay discussion on both issues.
“We could have been debating over the course of 2018 the recommendations, but instead we’ve got the review dropped out on the eve of Christmas in the shadow of a federal election,” Butler said.
Butler said the ALRC usually took around a year to develop a proposal and the Prime Minister was delaying providing protections to students for another year.
“Students face the prospect of at least another full school year open to discrimination in religious schools,” he said.
OIP Staff, Photo by Jose Aragones on Unsplash
