Christian leaders in New South Wales have warned of a “looming battle” for the freedoms of private schools after the state’s Law Reform Commission released a review of the 1977 Anti-Discrimination Act. Source: The Catholic Weekly.
The 267-page report, released on May 20, is a consultation paper that canvasses opinions on a range of issues, including whether the anti-discrimination act should allow schools, both religious and non-religious, to select personnel who support their values.
The commission based its discussion on preliminary submissions from dozens of organisations and individuals, which it had received two years ago. It is now seeking comment on its consultation paper by August 15.
While the document appears to be objective, says Joshua Rowe, the NSW Director for the Australian Christian Lobby, it has a “subtle but ominous” bias.
He warns that Christians should not be naïve: a major struggle is looming over religious freedom.
The oft-amended anti-discrimination act has been criticised as “cumbersome, wordy, opaque, repetitive and confusing”, and in urgent need of reform.
Currently, the report says, there is “a complex web of exceptions – some apply to certain forms of conduct, others to certain areas or attributes, and some apply across the whole Act.”
It adds, “One of the most controversial issues in discrimination law is whether and, if so when, religious bodies should be granted exceptions that allow them to discriminate.”
But several Christian leaders told The Catholic Weekly that they feared the reform appears to be moving in the wrong direction.
They said the constant framing of religious freedom as an exception and not as a right could have serious consequences when concrete proposals for legislation emerge.
Sydney Anglican Bishop Michael Steads said faith groups, at least since the time of the Ruddock review in 2018, “have been making very clear the inadequate and inappropriate framing of the question.
Monica Doumit, Director of Public Affairs and Engagement for the Archdiocese of Sydney, said protections for religious freedom, including the ability of religious institutions to hire people who share their faith and to keep activists out “should be uncontroversial”.
“It’s unfortunate that in every parliamentary term, state or federal, we are forced to defend fundamental and commonsense rights and freedoms,” she said.
FULL STORY
Threat “looming” for NSW religious freedoms (By Michael Cook, The Catholic Weekly)
