Des Houghton: How dare the Human Rights Commission tell church schools what to believe

Queensland’s Human Rights Commissioner has complained that the interests of a group of religious advocates has been very persuasive with the government, but what’s so wrong with that, asks Des Houghton.

Queensland Human Rights Commissioner Scott McDougall. Picture: Liam Kidston

How dare the Queensland Human Rights Commission presume to tell church schools they cannot employ people of faith.

How dare the Human Rights Commissioner attempt to usurp the role of Parliament.

Human Rights Commissioner Scott McDougall went too far when he accused the Crisafulli government of “disrespecting” democracy.

He didn’t say boo to a goose when the previous Labor government – frequently described as toxic and corrupt in Parliament – trampled basic rights while failing to call out vile threats to women and children by union thugs.

“The interests of a group of religious advocates has been very persuasive with the government,” McDougall complained to the Courier-Mail.

And what is wrong with that, Mr McDougall?

Union thugs, transgender activists, anti-mining green zealots and assorted freeloaders influenced the Palaszczuk-Miles government for nine years with disastrous effect.

While Labor was preaching equity and fairness, the Peter Coaldrake review found harassment and vilification was rife in the public service. Public service whistleblowers like Mike Summerell, Nikola Stepanov, Jillian Spencer were prosecuted for speaking out. Labor stacked the courts and filled the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission with cronies.

There is still $900m in Labor’s Advance Queensland handouts that have not been made public. (Despite my constant questioning the LNP can’t seem to find where the money went.)

Correct me if I’m wrong, Mr McDougall, but I think you went along with every piece of intrusive legislation introduced by the ALP.

Human Rights Commissioner Scott McDougall went too far when he accused the Crisafulli government of “disrespecting” democracy. Picture David Clark

And the Palaszczuk, Miles, Fentiman, Trad, Grace, De Brenni and Bailey mob left us woke and broke.

They stole our human rights while pretending to protect them.

Those days are done.

I have no trouble if people of faith are at last being listened to. They were consistently ignored during the implementation of euthanasia and late-term abortion laws.

Congratulations to Deb Frecklington, the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice for drawing a line in the sand.

All Queenslanders who believe in fair play should applaud her.

Frecklington has led the Adult Crime, Adult Time laws also questioned by McDougall. He is out of touch with public sentiment if not reality.

Frecklington, meanwhile, has put a handbrake on Labor’s radical changes to the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991.

Major changes to Queensland’s anti-discrimination laws were pushed through Parliament in the final sessions of the former Miles Government and were due to start in July.

The proposed amendments were included in the Respect at Work and Other Matters Amendment Act 2024 (the RAW Act), which was passed by Parliament in September 2024.

Advice provided to Frecklington the Department of Justice and other agencies suggests new protected attributes for discrimination, including “irrelevant criminal record”, could impact on certain statutory decision-making schemes.

I see it as an attempt to subjugate police.

So what is the future of the Human Rights Commission? I suggest it doesn’t have one.

We already have a federal Human Rights Commission, and we don’t need a costly duplicate.

It should be abolished.