Albanese has shied from culture wars. This one waits for him when parliament resumes

A renewed fight over religious freedoms awaits the re-elected Labor government as faith groups and LGBTQ advocates push Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to resolve the thorny issue after he abandoned it last year to avoid culture wars.

Albanese has been reluctant to engage in controversial social debates, but this will be tested when he returns to parliament, as Labor’s increased majority raises expectations that the government will use its authority to progress difficult issues such as a Religious Discrimination Act.

Albanese’s reluctance to engage in controversial social debates will be tested when he returns to parliament with an increased majority.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

A group of 19 religious organisations have sought a meeting with Albanese and Attorney-General Michelle Rowland to escalate their concerns, while equality advocates want Labor to fulfil its promise from the last election to stop discrimination against LGBTQ students and staff in religious schools.

Rowland, who started the role this week, will inherit the task of navigating their demands. Religious freedom laws were first proposed in 2017 but have been delayed for years because both Coalition and Labor governments have been unable to strike a working balance between the rights of religious people and LGBTQ Australians.

Albanese promised to resolve the issue at the 2022 election, and former attorney-general Mark Dreyfus drafted a bill after receiving advice from the Australian Law Reform Commission.

But Albanese shelved it last year because he wanted to avoid divisive debates. While the Greens and progressive crossbenchers offered to work with Labor to push the laws through, Albanese insisted on the Coalition’s support, which was not forthcoming and meant shelving the laws.

A central point of disagreement has been how to treat staff in religious schools, who can be fired over their sexuality, gender identity or pregnancy status under current laws. Equality groups want the rule scrapped, but schools say they must be able to preference faith in staffing decisions.

Faith groups who wrote to Albanese this week said they were grateful he had insisted on a bipartisan approach. “We agree that a consensus between the two major parties is required to produce ‘enduring, unifying’ reforms that will provide a ‘long-term solution that will advance’ the religious freedom rights of all Australians ‘in a way that brings Australians together’,” they said.

“We note, however, that a number of the concerns raised in our [correspondence] remain unanswered. We continue to hold the expressed concerns in respect of each of these areas.

“Accordingly, we look forward to continuing close engagement with your government.”

Equality Australia, the lead advocacy group for LGBTQ Australians, will also step up its advocacy when parliament returns.

“It’s clear that the prime minister’s requirement for broad political support has been met by such a resounding win,” said Equality Australia chief executive Anna Brown.

“The prime minister has categorical support from across the political divide, a clear path through both houses and the definitive backing of the Australian people.

“We have spent more than a decade raising this issue, with many reviews and attempts to change the law, not to mention that Labor committed to these reforms before coming to power in 2022.”

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