Religious discrimination bill all about ‘love’, Scott Morrison says

The prime minister has introduced his religious freedom bill to parliament, saying the laws are all “about love and compassion.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says his government’ religious discrimination laws are all about “love.”

While introducing the bill to parliament on Thursday, Mr Morrison said humans are “more than our physical selves,” and religious faith needed protection because “religion and faith is also about humility and vulnerability.

“It is about love and compassion,” he said.

“It recognises the sanctity and dignity of humanity.

“Faith is about the heart, it is about the soul and the spirit, not the state or the marketplace.”

Introducing the legislation on the floor of parliament, Mr Morrison said that the bill would not threaten nonbelievers.

“This bill is balanced and thoughtful. It does not take away from the rights of others. We do not seek to pit one group against another – to do so would diminish us all,” he said.

Taking a philosophical view of the role of religion in Australia, Mr Morrison said the laws will address the lack of protection for people of faith against “prevalence of cancel culture” on campuses and in corporate Australia.

“Faith and freedom are inseparable,” he told parliament, noting that in NSW and South Australia in particular there is only limited or no specific protection against religious discrimination.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says people of faith shouldn’t have to look over their shoulders. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

“This bill brings clarity and it provides confidence that Australians of faith can have confidence they will be protected from discrimination.

“Many people from various religious traditions are concerned about the lack of religious protection against the prevalence of ‘cancel culture’ on campuses and in Australian corporate life.

“A Sikh should not be discriminated against because of the turban they wear. Nor a Maronite because of the cross around their neck. Nor a Muslim employee who keeps a prayer mat in the bottom drawer of their desk at work.

“History has shown that dictators and autocrats have never felt at ease with faith and religion.

“They have never felt comfortable with human choice, human dignity and the refusal of individuals to give the state, the place of the divine.”

The Bill would allow a person to make faith-based statements provided they do not incite violence, harassment, intimidation or vilify others.

Religious schools would also be allowed to hire teachers based on their faith, provided this criteria was clearly publicly stated.

Mr Morrison will move to address concerns within his own government about the impact of the proposed Bill, which several moderate Liberal MPs fear grants more importance to religious beliefs than others.

North Sydney MP Trent Zimmerman said the government needed to consider how human rights can “conflict” and overlap as they don’t “exist in silos”.

“It would be unfortunate if we ended up in a situation where we’re effectively saying that views expressed founded in a religious faith have greater primacy than views expressed simply because it’s something that we believe as individuals,” he said.

The PM says Australia’s Sikh community shouldn’t be discriminated against because of the turbans they wear,

The decision to wait a year for a review ensuring Australia has effective provisions to prevent a gay student from being expelled by a religious school has also been criticised as an unnecessary delay.

Attorney-General Michaelia Cash wrote to the Australian Law Reform Commission to clarify the government’s expectations its review into religious anti-discrimination exemptions include considerations that students not be expelled for their sexuality.

Advocacy group Equality Australia has launched an advertising campaign funded by charitable donations calling on MPs not to support the religious discrimination Bill.

“The government’s Bill will licence more discrimination against all our communities, by overriding existing protections for women, people with disability, LGBTIQ+ people and even people of faith,” chief executive Anna Brown said.