Advocates slam ‘deeply flawed’ Coalition LGBTI school discrimination bill
Image: Image: Australian Christian Lobby / YouTube.
Advocates have slammed legislation proposed by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, warning it may open up new forms of discrimination.
Morrison claims that the Coalition’s proposed bill will end discrimination against LGBTI students at religious schools.
But just.equal spokesperson Rodney Croome said the rushed bill put forward by the Prime Minister is “deeply flawed”.
鈥淭he legislation announced today allows discrimination to continue against LGBTI students, and potentially broadens it out to other students,” Croome said.
“This bill is deeply flawed and should be voted down by all MPs who want faith-based schools to be safe and productive learning environments.
“Tasmania banned anti-LGBTI discrimination in faith-based schools twenty years ago without the sky falling in, and I urge all sides of federal politics to adopt the Tasmanian model.鈥�
Croome added that LGBTI teachers in faith-based schools should also be protected from discrimination.
The Greens also condemned Morrison’s legislation, calling it a “Trojan horse”.
“This bill is a Trojan horse that will expand discrimination against LGBTI students, not remove it,鈥� said senator Janet Rice, the Australian Greens LGBTI spokesperson.
“This bill allows schools to bully, exclude or even refuse to teach LGBTI students. It is unacceptable.鈥�
“Discrimination against LGBTI young people is dangerous. We know that LGBTI young people experience far worse mental health than their peers, and it鈥檚 often because of discrimination.鈥�
鈥淒iscrimination has no place in schools. Full stop. No ifs. No buts.鈥�
“Students and all Australians have every right to be deeply frustrated and heartbroken that our Parliament has failed to deliver on what should be a straightforward reform,” said the Human Rights Law Centre’s Anna Brown.
“Prime Minister Morrison has broken his commitment to introduce and pass legislation to protect students in school as soon as practicable.
“That commitment was made in October, the changes are very simple and now in the final days of Parliament we are mired in a ridiculous debate instead of giving families certainty before the new school year,” Brown said.
Morrison also challenged Labor to allow MPs a conscience vote on the matter, even though more than聽
On Monday the Coalition voted against bringing Labor’s bill to debate with the support of Centre Alliance, who yesterday backflipped to allow the debate to occur.
Today, Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick supported Coalition amendments that Labor said would broaden the scope of discrimination.
In response, Labor pulled their bill, with Senator Penny Wong saying the amendments would “destroy the intent of the bill.”
The Senate has now, once again, voted to defer handling the matter until sitting resumes in 2019.
In a press conference, Morrison was asked if any religion should be allowed to teach in schools that it’s not “alright to be gay”.
“Well my understand of my faith and other religious teachings goes to people’s behaviour, not who they are,” Morrison responded.
“Are you saying it’s not okay to live a gay life?” another journalist queried.
“No, look, these are matters that would be dealt with by courts in specific circumstances, so I’m not getting drawn into that debate,” Morrison said.
Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek warned that the government’s refusal to take clear action after Morrison vowed that the issue would be dealt with by the end of the year could be history repeating.
“I’m worried that this will go down the same route as the marriage equality debate. Someone will be suggesting a plebiscite next.”
Remember the lessons of Pastor Martin Niem枚ller. Speak out for all, for when they come there will be no-one left to speak for you!
Religions do teach that it’s not okay to be gay. Exhibit A the Pope this week. Exhibit B gays in the Muslim world.
Morrison is full of shit, as usual. Dodging questions, mealy mouthed answers, marketing spin in place of actual policy from a former marketing executive. It’s amazing he managed not to use the phrase “fair dinkum”.
Rodney Croome as usual is right, I’ll also invoke Michael Kirby, have secular laws applying to schools which accept government money. Teach in chapel whatever the fuck you like (but be aware you will be turning reasonable people within the student body and the broader school community against your religion if you teach hate) but everything else as far as discrimination against students or teachers has to be off limits, Tasmania has lead the way here and indeed the sky has not fallen in.
If a faith based school is not allowed to employ faith based teachers and have only those students that adhere to that faith, then we need to ban political parties from having only those members who share their perspective on life, ban any club that is gender specific, ban most groups that have any common interest where those with an opposing view are not welcome. Antidiscrimination laws whilst having an honourable intention, have become nonsense, unwieldy and unworkable. Time to get some sense back into the debate.
who cares the lgbti make up only a very tiny minority of the australian population yet they are continuously over represented in the media the average aussie couldnt give two stuffs about lgbti rights in faith based schools or anywhere else. Also no one has the right to force any one to accept anything if my faith tells me homosexuality is immoral and a sin no one has a right to impose their will or opinion on me or any faith based institution who believes the same if i can be content to leave the lgbti community alone then why cant the lgbti cronies do the same. Oh thats right the two lgbti students in australia cant be discriminated against even at the expense of the other 99.9 percent of students who arn’t . haha what a joke.
The average Aussie believes in equality and civil rights for all. The average Aussie is pretty cynical about churches, the Royal Commission confirmed what we all knew. The average Aussie reckons Tony Abbott is a dickhead. Young folks particularly believe in LGBTQI rights.
In an ideal world, or just an Ideal Australia – something which thanks to both the ALP and Coalition, & not necessarily in that order for one’s as bad as the other, – Australia would pass just One Law: Banning Discrimination altogether. No Ifs, No Buts just make it Illegal, a Criminal Act, for anyone or any organisations to discriminate against anyone on the basis of their Gender, their Sexuality, their Religion, their Ethnicity, their Race.
Politicians from the major parties, the ALP & Coalition tell us that such legislation is already in place. They Lie.
The GLBTIQ Communities across Australia have been calling for Equality for decades. Our politicians have ignored them. That is until Tony Abbott proposed his dishonest, deceitful Plebiscite.
Then Turnbull proposed the Postal Survey. No, it was not perfect and some felt they had been hurt by it. But that Postal Survey resulted in a massive majority “Yes” vote. The Liberal’s Dean Smith of WA had his Private member’s Bill ready. Turnbull immediately moved to bring the vote on in the Australian Parliament. It passed with a massive majority and Same Gender Marriage became legal.
Never forget that ALP Policy for decades has been 100% Opposed to Same Gender Marriage/ Equality for All. The current leader of the ALP, Bill Shorten was loud in his condemnation of the idea of such Equality. Tanya Plibersek who was part of the ALP Federal Government from 2007-2013 now hypocritically chatters about the Government’s proposed legislation. The ALP now has the power to amend All Government legislation. Let Tanya use that power and amend Morrison’s proposed legislation to make unchallengeable by religious businesses – they are all money-making businesses today. God, People’s souls and so-called “Salvation” have long been abandoned.
Tanya stop with your carping, chattering, criticism and actually do something. You have the numbers in both Houses Use them.
@ Robert McCormick. Wrong. Utterly false.
BIll Shorten was loud in his support for marriage equality in the 2012 vote and told the Australian Christian Lobby exactly that in 2013. In 2016 Shorten also marched in the Mardi Gras.
Support, leadership, participation and a loud voice