Related blog posts…
What many do not realise is that over 60% of Australians (14 million people) identify as religious, and almost 3 in 10 Australians (29%) report having been discriminated against on the basis of their religious beliefs. This is, unfortunately, a growing trend. Increasingly, churches, faith-based schools and organisations are being targeted for simply adhering to… Read More
The promised bill is a valuable first step in acknowledging the importance of faith in the lives of the majority of everyday Australians and affirming the principle that religious people and the organisations they form should not be discriminated against. However, the bill does not address some of the flashpoints for religious hostility in the… Read More
The largely unremarkable bill will extend protection to religious belief that other attributes such as sex, race and sexuality have enjoyed for many decades. Read More
Some parts of the Religious Discrimination Bill (RDB) are fine. These are the protection for people of faith from discrimination in the provision of education, accommodation, finance, club memberships etc. The draft Bill also provides that faith-based schools, public benevolent institutions, hospitals and aged care facilities can prefer to employ faith-based staff. Also, that faith-based… Read More
