Father Frank Brennan, who sat on the government’s Ruddock Review looking into the issue of religious freedom in Australia, says he believes only minor changes are needed to Australia’s laws. In an address delivered to the Castan Centre’s Human Rights conference on Friday Father Brennan said he believed that only small changes would be needed […]
A number of Liberal MPs are speaking out ahead of the long awaited release of the government’s Ruddock Review into Religious Freedom and calling for additional laws to protect people of faith. The Australian published an opinion piece over the weekend from Dan Teham, the Minister for Social Services. Tehan argues that the country needs to […]
Liberal Senator James Paterson has spoken out against a proposal in the Labor party that would see a future Shorten government giving preference to businesses that don’t discriminate against LGBTIQ people. The proposal, which is up for debate at the party’s national conference in July, argues that government departments should give preference to suppliers “who ensure […]
Comedian Rhys Nicholson has shared that he was recently threatened with death while catching pubic transport in Melbourne. The comedian posted the story to his Twitter account sharing that on Friday night he’d been catching a train, wearing his headphones, when he noticed four men board the train. Soon one of the four began targeting […]
The federal senate has spent the day arguing about Senator Dean Smith’s marriage bill. Working into the night the senators have addressed a large number of proposed amendments to the bill with each subsequent proposed changed knocked back. Five amendments put forward by Senator James Paterson and Senator David Fawcett have failed to gain support […]
Liberal Senator James Paterson has announced he is dropping his controversial marriage bill. The Victorian senator posted a statement to his Facebook page saying that it was clear that the majority of his colleagues supported Senator Dean Smith’s marriage bill. “I am very pleased with the strong “Yes” result today. At last, same sex couples […]
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has put his support behind Senator Dean Smith’s marriage bill saying the conservative bill put forward by Victorian Senator James Paterson has no prospect of becoming law. On the eve of the marriage postal survey results being announced, the Prime Minister said MPs would be free to suggest amendments on any […]
The Law Council of Australia has described the marriage bill proposed by Liberal Senator James Paterson as an “extraordinary and perilous” winding back of Australia’s anti-discrimination laws. Law Council of Australia President, Fiona McLeod SC, said while the Paterson Bill acknowledges concerns of those holding traditional views of marriage, it goes well beyond the issue […]
The Equality Campaign has rejected the marriage equality bill put forward by Senator James Paterson as nothing more than a license to discriminate. “This is not a marriage equality bill. It’s about enshrining discrimination and taking Australia back decades,” said Anna Brown of the Equality Campaign. “Australians are voting to make our country a fairer […]
Liberal Senator James Paterson has announced he has developed his own marriage bill, which has more emphasis on religious protections than the bill put forward by colleague Senator Dean Smith. Writing in The Australian, Senator Paterson said he’d developed his marriage bill to ensure there were sufficiently robust protects for freedom of religion, freedom of speech and […]
