Debate on the Morrison government’s Religious Discrimination Bill has recommenced in parliament with MPs sharing their thoughts on the proposed legislation.
Labor member Graham Perrott said the contract proposed by Brisbane’s Citipointe Christian College last week was utterly repugnant.
“For a person to be using a contract to beat up a child, and say ‘I know God’s plan, and I will enforce harm upon that child and that family’, is something I find utterly repugnant.”
Perrett said the leaders of the Australian Christian Lobby, one of the largest groups advocating for the government’s Religious Discrimination Bill, had been “strangely silent” over the last week, and that there had been some “crab-walking away” from the college.
The Labor MP said all schools had a responsibility to protect all students who pass through their gates.
Nationals MP Dr Anne Webster, who chaired one of the inquiries into the bill, said the government had spent a long time working on the legislation and now got the balance right.
Dr Webster said that while the legislation allowed for statements made in the name of religious to be protected, it did not allow people to under take discriminatory actions, and that lobby groups had undertaken scaremongering tactics in describing how the bill might potentially operate.
The MP said it was important that the federal legislation overruled the current Tasmanian discrimination laws.
“In Tasmania we see the bar for protections set too low.” Dr Webster said, before saying the claims that the passing of the bill would throw state based laws into chaos were unfounded.
Independent Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie said he remained opposed to the legislation and suggested that rather trying to override Tasmania’s laws the government should try to meet the same standards.
“The federal government should be looking at Tasmania’s anti-discrimination laws as a model for national reform.” Wilkie said. “Instead it is intent on watering down the protections we have in the island state. This is something that Tasmanians do not want, and even the Liberal Premier has said as much recently.”
Western Australia Liberal MP Ian Goodenough said most Australians were people of faith, and the proposed bill would bring protections for both people who follow a religion, and the smaller number of people, who do not.
Goodenough said the 2016 census had shown that only seven percent of Australians described themselves as agnostic, atheists or humanists, but the bill would provide protections for everyone.
“I have been subjected to personal attacks in the media for being a Christian, over several years, as have a number of my supporters and colleagues. Political opponents have questions the right of people of faith to participate in the political process. They use slurs to denigrate mainstream Christian beliefs by referring to my supporters and I as being part of a cult.”
“This is why a religious discrimination bill is required, to give lawful protection to people of faith to participate in society.” Goodenough said.
Goodenough said the bill would have better described as one that supports religious harmony, rather than religious freedom.
“As a lifelong Christian I am supporter of traditional family values, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and multiculturalism.”
Debate was adjourned before Goodenough was able to finish his comments. . Later in the day the Liberal party convened a meeting to discuss the bill in a hope to get moderate members to publicly support the proposal.
OIP Staff
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