Media Alert
Thursday January 16th 2020
 
CONCERN RELIGIOUS BIAS BILL WILL GIVE PREACHERS FREE REIN
 
What: new group will gather signatures against Religious Discrimination Bill giving street preachers freer rein
Who: new Hobart resident's group, Devils in the Detail
Where: Elizabeth Street Mall, Hobart
When: Tomorrow (contact Sam Mazur for further details)
 
Hobart residents concerned about extra rights for street preachers under the Religious Discrimination Bill have formed a new group called Devils in the Detail and will be seeking signatures on a new petition in the Elizabeth Street Mall tomorrow.

They are concerned the Bill will give street preachers a new right to appeal against council by-laws that manage where, when and how preaching can occur.
 
Spokesperson for Devils in the Detail, Samuel Mazur, said,
 
"We are not against the idea of outdoor preaching itself, but we want councils to retain their current and existing right to limit street preaching to particular places and times, and for street preachers to be subject to some level of oversight."
 
"Sometimes street preachers in shopping areas can be nuisances to staff and customers, and derogatory to minorities, and we are against any legislation they feel allows them to behave in such a way without consequence."
 
"Unfortunately, giving free rein to statements of belief that are demeaning and harmful under the guise of religious freedom seems to be the main objective of this Bill, and we oppose it."
 
Devils in the Detail will be collecting signatures in the Hobart Mall tomorrow.
 
See below for more information how the Religious Discrimination Bill will give street preachers freer rein, and FAQs about Devils in the Detail's action.
 
For this statement on the web, click here
For more information, including about tomororw's stall, contact Samuel Mazur on 0447 191 666.
 
 
How will the Religious Discrimination Bill give street preachers freer rein?
 
The first exposure draft of the Religious Discrimination Bill stated that actions done in compliance with state and territory laws, or local government by-laws, would not constitute discrimination.
 
However, the second and most recent exposure draft only covers state and territory laws. This allows individuals such as street preachers to make discrimination complaints against city councils for their by-laws.
 
For example, if a street preacher is found to have violated a council by-law governing when, where and how preaching can occur, under the Religious Discrimination Bill the street preacher will have a new right to take a complaint against the by-law to the Human Rights Commission alleging "religious discrimination".
 
The council will then be required to justify its by-law under the Religious Discrimination Bill. 
 
This is likely to lead to:

a) a large number of test cases funded by evangelical churches, or through organiations such as the Australian Christian Lobby and its litigation arm, the Human Rights Law Alliance, and/or
b) councils being intimidated into not passing or enforcing relevant by-laws. 
 
The reluctance of too many Australian street preachers to follow council by-laws will only increase the likelihood of these outcomes.
 
 
FAQs about our action
 
What's this about?
The Religious Discrimination Bill will give street preachers the right to defy council by-laws about when, where and how they preach, which is something we are against.
 
Do you oppose all street preaching?
We are not against street preaching as such. We're against unrestricted street preaching and for the rights of councils to set reasonable limits on when, where and how preaching occurs.
 
What are some of the problems you see with street preaching?
Street preachers can sometimes be nuisances to shoppers, and can be derogatory to groups like LGBTIQ people, women, minority religions, and different denominations of mainstream religions. We don't want street preachers to feel this Bill gives them a license to do these things.
 
Exactly how will this Bill encourage renegade street preaching?
The Bill says anyone who feels a council by-law restricts their ability to "proselytise" can take a case to the Human Rights Commission alleging indirect discrimination on the basis of their religious belief. We believe this will intimidate councils into not passing or enforcing their by-laws about street preaching.

Is your action anti-religion?
No, we believe no-one should face discrimination because of their faith. This is enshrined in the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Act, which we support. Our concern is when people are given special rights because of their faith, which seems to be what's happening in this case.
 
What are your next steps?
We will be presenting our petition to the Parliament, making submissions to the Government, and raising community awareness. We will be encouraging people around Australia to raise their voices against allowing street preachers to disregard or otherwise ignore council by-laws.