Election 2022: Liberal MPs threaten to cross floor on religious discrimination laws

Liberal MPs have delivered a stark message to Prime Minister Scott Morrison over his religious discrimination laws.

Liberals who crossed the floor to block Scott Morrison’s religious discrimination laws will not rule out a repeat rebellion if he does not protect gay students at the same time.

The Prime Minister said there was “no evidence” gay students were expelled from schools for their sexuality, despite five of his own MPs voting against the government earlier this year over insufficient protections for LGBTQ students and teachers alongside the proposed Religious Discrimination Act (RDA).

Mr Morrison said faith-based schools and leaders had told him students were not at risk of expulsion over their sexuality.

“There is no evidence of that,” he said.

“None. The point is, it doesn’t happen.”

Mr Morrison on Sunday declared his priority remained ensuring Australians were not discriminated against due to their faith, or lack of faith, with any changes to the Sexual Discrimination Act to protect LGBTQ students only to occur “sequentially” after the RDA.

Following his comments, Wentworth MP Dave Sharma, Higgins MP Katie Allen and Bass MP Bridget Archer, who all crossed to floor to seek protections for trans students, confirmed their positions were unchanged.

Dr Allen, who was a paediatrician before she entered parliament, said the protections under the SDA were “non-negotiable”.

“I believe you can protect religious freedoms and gay students,” she said.

Member for Higgins. Katie Allen, at the PM’s speech in Melbourne on Sunday. Picture: Jason Edwards

Last week NSW Senator Andrew Bragg also called for the two issues to be dealt with concurrently, if not in the same legislative package.

Christian Schools Australia Director of Public Policy Mark Spencer backed Mr Morrison’s claim there was “no evidence” students were being expelled from faith-based schools “simply because they are gay”.

“The fear created in LGBT students by LGBT activists, however, is genuine and must be addressed, despite being totally unfounded,” he said.

Equality Australia chief Anna Brown said the government seemed to only want to protect LGBTQ students “after successfully winding back protections for our communities through its Religious Discrimination Bill”.

“It is unconscionable for our communities to be required to endure the erosion of hard-fought rights, in order for reforms protecting students to proceed,” she said.

Ms Brown said an example of the attempt to discriminate had occurred earlier this year when Brisbane’s Citipointe Christian College attempted to get students and parents to sign a contract describing homosexual acts as “immoral” and “offensive to God”.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison makes a IVF announcement in Melbourne.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese said there was “evidence of religious discrimination” and he supported an RDA with protections for LGBTQ people.

“If people don’t think that young people are discriminated against and vilified because of their sexuality, then that does not reflect reality,” he said.

In recognition of Mother's Day, Mr Albanese announced an $11 million Labor commitment to upgrade facilities for playgroups in Australia to support mums and dads, as well as help expand “intergenerational playgroups” like those seen in the television series “Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds”.

Meanwhile Mr Morrison toured an IVF facility in Melbourne to promote the Coalition’s $53m commitment to slash reproductive services, pregnancy planning and post natal care, which Labor has matched.

Mr Morrison was joined by his mother Marion, wife Jenny, their two daughters Lily and Abbey, at a Liberal Party rally in Melbourne on Mother's Day.

In a speech focused on the importance of family, Mr Morrison wished all Australian mums a happy Mother's Day.

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Originally published as Election 2022: Liberal MPs threaten to cross floor on religious discrimination laws