Media Release
Thursday February 3rd 2022

 

MORRISON SCHOOLS DEAL: DEVIL WILL BE IN THE DETAIL
MODERATE LIBS WARNED DEAL MIGHT NOT HELP LGBTIQ+ STUDENTS  
New campaign unveiled to email moderate Liberals

National lobby group, Just.Equal Australia, has written to moderate Liberals warning them the devil will be in the detail of Prime Minister, Scott Morrison’s, proposal to prevent discrimination against LGBTIQ+ students in faith-based schools.

The Prime Minister has said he will protect LGBTIQ+ students from discrimination by faith schools, responding to a renewed push from moderate Liberal MPs, some of whom have indicated this is a condition for their support for Mr Morrison’s Religious Discrimination Bill.

Spokesperson for Just.Equal, Rodney Croome, said,

“The devil will be in the details of Mr Morrison’s proposal because it could quite easily turn out that the protections he is offering are hollow.”

“For example, amending the Sex Discrimination Act to prohibit sexuality and gender identity discrimination, as some moderate Liberals have proposed, would be pointless because the Religious Discrimination Bill broadens the scope for faith schools to discriminate against LGBTIQ+ students and teachers on the grounds of ‘religious belief’.”

“As the actions of Citipointe Christian College clearly show, there are faith-schools camouflaging discrimination against LGBTIQ+ students by invoking 'religious beliefs' rather than discriminating directly on the grounds of sexuality or gender identity.”

“If the Sex Discrimination Act is amended and the Religious Discrimination Bill is passed in its current form, the Government will have given with one hand and taken with the other.”

“In addition, a deal would be unacceptable if students are only protected from expulsion, if there are no changes to those parts of the Religious Discrimination Bill allowing harmful ‘statements of belief’ against LGBTIQ+ young people and if the changes do not protect LGBTIQ+ teachers in faith-based schools.”

“We have written to all moderate Liberals outlining the potential problems with a deal, and asking to brief them.”

To amplify the message, Just.Equal Australia has launched a new webform aimed specifically at moderate Liberals.

Members of the LGBTIQ+ community, friends and family members can send emails to all moderate Liberals asking them not to do a deal over the Religious Discrimination Bill and to vote the Bill down instead.

The Liberal webform can be found here: https://www.equal.org.au/tell_liberals_to_kill_the_bill

An equivalent Labor webform can be found here: https://www.equal.org.au/tell_labor_to_kill_the_bill

For a copy of this statement on the web, click here
For more information contact Rodney Croome on 0409 010 668.