Opponents of independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich’s “Equality Bill” have welcomed a further delay to debate but say they will continue to push hard to have it rejected altogether from the New South Wales Parliament. Source: The Catholic Weekly.
Time scheduled for debate on the contentious bill was due to lapse on August 8, after previous delays, but has now been extended until the end of October.
The Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTIQA+) Bill 2023 was introduced in August last year and proposes changes to 20 pieces of legislation in favour of LGBT priorities.
A range of faith and education leaders have opposed the bill, in part because it would also strip important protections for faith-based schools and religious institutions under the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act.
Other concerns about aspects of the bill include its allowing for access to overseas commercial surrogacy in the state and relaxing the regulation of prostitution.
It would also amend the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1995 to make it easier for individuals to alter their sex on their birth certificate.
Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP gave evidence to a parliamentary inquiry into the bill in May.
He warned that self-identification of sex on legal documents would put women-only spaces at risk and make it “near-impossible” to retain religious customs.
Labor MLC Greg Donnelly said he and other opponents of the bill were working hard both inside and outside parliament to stop it.
A petition he has sponsored on the New South Parliament website, calling on the Legislative Council to vote against the bill, has now passed 12,200 signatures.
Catholic Schools NSW chief executive officer Dallas McInerney said the delay was “prudent.”
“It is a wide-ranging and radical set of proposals and the implications need to be better understood and ultimately resisted,” he said.
But Mr Greenwich said he was “deeply disappointed” by the “continual delays,” saying the latest one will have a negative impact on LGBT people and families across the state.
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Faith leaders welcome further “Equality Bill” delay (By Marilyn Rodrigues, The Catholic Weekly)
