Media Release
Sunday January 5th 2020
ADVOCATES WELCOME ALBANESE CONSULTATION
MESSAGE WILL BE "OPPOSE THE BILL AND EDUCATE PUBLIC"
CALL FOR WIDE CONSULTATION
Just.equal has welcomed Labor leader, Anthony Albanese's, decision to consult LGBTIQ community representatives on the Religious Discrimination Bill, saying its message to Mr Albanese will be for Labor to oppose the Bill and educate the public about the danger the Bill poses.
Just.equal has been calling for such a consultation since the Bill was first mooted and now some LGBTIQ leaders have been invited to a meeting in Melbourne on January 30th.
Just.equal spokesperson, Rodney Croome, said,
"We welcome Mr Albanese's decision to consult."
"Our message to him will be that Labor must oppose the Bill outright and as soon as possible."
"This is so Labor can begin the task of educating the public about why the Bill is a threat to social minorities, a threat to fundamental Australian values like equality before the law, and a threat to Labor's legacy of strong state and federal anti-discrimination laws."
Mr Croome has responded to Mr Albanese's invitation with a set of requests to ensure the consultation is as effective as possible. These are
- for the consultation to include a wider range of LGBTIQ community representatives including transgender and gender diverse people, PFLAG, rainbow families, rural and regional communities, researchers, discrimination experts, support service workers, community activists, and LGBTIQ people of faith and people with disability
- for there to be dedicated consultations with other affected groups including people with disability, women's health organisations, family planning organisations, and racial and religious minorities
- for there to be consultations across the nation, including in Tasmania where the state Anti-Discrimination Act is set to be overridden
For a copy of this statement on the web, click
hereFor more information contact Rodney Croome on 0409 010 668.
