Consideration of the school freedom issue is ongoing, as the Senate has moved to continue debate on the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Removing Discrimination Against Students) Bill 2018 next year.
The Bill in its current form goes farther than necessary and has unintended consequences which threaten the ability of faith-based schools to teach their own values.
“It’s good to see the Bill will continue to be debated next year, as this is a critical issue to get right,” said Martyn Iles, managing director of the ACL.
“The government’s amendments appeared to substantially improve the bill, but it must be acknowledged that very little time had been taken to properly consider their effect.”
“Over 23,500 parents, grandparents and students of Christian schools signed an open letter to the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition urging them not to remove religious freedom for schools.”
The Australian Christian Lobby calls for strong leadership from the Government on religious freedom.
“The current state of religious freedom debate is chaotic, ill-considered, and lacking clear direction. The government must step in and take the lead by clearly outlining their policy position on Ruddock, schools, and freedom more generally.”
The Australian Christian Lobby will continue to lobby the federal parliament to ensure that democratic freedoms are protected in Australia.
