Just.Equal Australia has condemned both major parties for their failure to address discrimination against LGBTIQA+ students and staff in faith-based schools.
Correspondence obtained through an Order of Production of Documents (OPD) by WA Senator, Fatima Payman, and tabled by the Federal Government in the Senate yesterday, shows the Government continues to set the condition of Opposition support before it will proceed with reform, support which now seems impossible under the new Coalition leadership.
The Government also wants Coalition support before moving forward with a Religious Discrimination Bill, despite the Coalition becoming more extreme on the issue.
Spokesperson, Rodney Croome, said,
"The correspondence revealed by Senator Payman's document request is deeply disappointing."
“Labor doesn’t need the Coalition's votes to protect LGBTIQA+ students and staff from discrimination.”
“It is using the Coalition’s opposition to this reform as an excuse for inaction.”
“Meanwhile, the Coalition has moved even further to the right on religious discrimination under new leader, Angus Taylor, with Shadow Attorney-General, Michaelia Cash, saying she wants a bill that would entrench the right of religious freedom, thereby potentially invalidating a raft of long-standing state and territory LGBTIQA+ discrimination protections.”
“Labor’s outsourcing of LGBTIQA+ equality to Angus Taylor and Michaelia Cash is an abandonment of its own principles and of LGBTIQA+ voters.”
The cache of documents tabled in the Senate are composed mainly of correspondence between faith leaders and Attorney-General, Michelle Rowlands.
The correspondence confirms the Government will only remove the federal religious school discrimination exemption, or legislate for religious discrimination protections, with Opposition support, something faith leaders appear to support.
The correspondence also shows the Government has more ongoing contact with faith leaders than those most directly disadvantaged by its decisions, LGBTIQA+ people.
“The Government clearly thinks the voices of some faith-leaders matter more than the voices of those most directly affected; LGBTIQA+ staff and students, and their families and advocates", Mr Croome said.
“The Government should rethink its policy of inaction if it wants LGBTIQA+ votes, particularly in inner-city seats threatened by the Teals and Greens.”
Mr Croome said federal exemptions allowing discrimination by faith-based schools not only impact LGBTIQA+ people in those states without protections, but also states like Tasmania and Victoria with them.
“The Catholic church has made it very clear it believes its exemption in federal law overrides existing state protections.”
“This ignores the fact state and federal discrimination laws are meant to sit side-by-side.”
“A simple solution would be to remove the archaic federal exemption.”
A copy of the correspondence is attached.
For a copy of this statement on the web, click here
For more information contact Rodney Croome on 0409 010 668.
