Albanese accused of ‘cowardice’ on law change after gay teacher sacking

The Greens have accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of cowardice over Labor’s approach to religious discrimination reforms after a gay teacher was fired from a Sydney private school while the government waits on the Coalition to change the law.

The minor party’s LGBTQ spokesperson, Stephen Bates, said Labor could pass laws to protect people from discrimination by working with the Greens and crossbenchers but had been refusing to show them its proposed legislation.

Charlotte (not her real name) was sacked as a primary school teacher after her same-sex relationship was discovered.Credit: Nick Moir

“The Greens have been telling Labor repeatedly for months: let’s work together and pass the Australian Law Reform Commission’s recommendations. The only thing stopping Labor protecting LGBTIQA+ workers in their workplace is their own cowardice. I’m sick of it,” he said.

“You should not be fired for being LGBTIQA+. It’s as simple as that. Labor needs to keep their promise to protect LGBTIQA+ people in school. People like [the teacher] Charlotte* are losing their jobs and their livelihoods because of Labor’s inaction.”

This masthead on Thursday reported that Charlotte was fired from her job teaching music at a religious private school in western Sydney last month after a parent discovered through a Facebook post that she was in a same-sex relationship, and reported it to the principal.

The school’s actions were legal under a special exemption in the Sex Discrimination Act that allows religious schools to expel students and fire teachers because of their gender identity or sexuality.

Labor went to the last election promising to protect LGBTQ students and staff in religious schools, but Albanese earlier this year said he would shelve the government’s planned reforms if they didn’t have the Coalition’s support, citing fears about a toxic public debate.

Asked about Charlotte’s case on ABC Radio on Friday, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said Labor was seeking a lasting solution to a “very thorny area” of the law.

“That’s why we need support for this across the parliament... And where it’s at is that the opposition still hasn’t told the government what the opposition’s position is on the proposed religious discrimination bills,” he said.

ABC presenter Craig Reucassel contended that Labor would pass many bills without opposition support and asked whether the government was kicking the can down the road while trying to blame somebody else.

Dreyfus said the issue had been debated by the parliament for seven or eight years. “We want there to be an agreement across the parliament because we want anything that’s legislated to last beyond any change of government,” he said.

“We’re seeking co-operation. We’re still waiting to hear from Peter Dutton what his party’s response is to the draft bills that I gave to the opposition in March of this year.”

But the Coalition’s shadow attorney-general, Michaelia Cash, said Dreyfus had received the opposition’s feedback several weeks ago.

“Faith communities have given the government very clear feedback about how the current draft legislation is inadequate. As I have made clear to Mr Dreyfus, both he and the government should take heed of that feedback and produce a revised draft of his legislation,” she said.

“He has had this feedback for many weeks now. I have also told Mr Dreyfus that he should release a revised draft of the legislation publicly so it can be openly debated. We have always said our guiding principle is that any legislation must take people of faith forward, not backwards. That remains our clear position.”

Drefyus’ office did not respond to questions about whether Labor would act on the Coalition’s requests to gain its support, including whether it planned to redraft the legislation to incorporate feedback from faith groups.

Albanese’s office also referred questions to Dreyfus’ office, which pointed to his earlier remarks on the ABC.

Independent MP Allegra Spender said there was a pathway through the parliament to deliver protections for the LGBTQ community while enhancing protections for people of faith.

But it would require all sides of politics to compromise and consider social cohesion, “rather than play the short-term political game”.

“I admire what Equality Australia and some of the religious communities are doing in coming together to try to find common ground. There’s an option here that is better for all sides and that’s what we should all be focused on. I urge all parties here to step up,” she said.

*Name changed to protect identity.

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