Rita Panahi: Andrew Thorburn must make Essendon pay

Andrew Thorburn must make Essendon pay — organisations will only stop behaving in this intolerant way when there’s a financial cost for their woke wankery.

Essendon president Dave Barham has shown himself to be thoroughly inept and there are now serious concerns that his actions and commentary have opened the club up to legal action. Barham told the media Andrew Thorburn was given a choice between retaining his role as CEO at Essendon or his position with his church group. “It’s difficult because in interview processes you’re not allowed to ask about people’s religious (beliefs), it’s against the law,” Barham said. “What we did as soon as we saw them was we acted.”

What’s also against the law, Dave, is for an employer to discriminate against an employee on the basis of their religious beliefs and activity.

Leading workplace lawyer Josh Bornstein explains: “Requiring an employee to choose between their job and their religious activity … can constitute unlawful discrimination”. Bornstein told ABC radio: “Based off (media reports) there’s a prima facie case of religious discrimination.”

Andrew Thorburn stood down as Essendon’s CEO less than 30 hours after he was appointed.

Another employment law expert Paul O’Halloran wrote: “Mr Thorburn has the right, protected by the laws enacted by the parliaments of Victoria and the Commonwealth, to be a member of whatever lawful religion he chooses … Freedom of religion is protected by Victoria’s Equal Opportunity Act 2010. The legal protection means that a person cannot be treated unfavourably because they hold, or do not hold, a lawful religious belief or view. There are similar protections in the Fair Work Act, which covers most employees in Australia, preventing employers from taking “adverse action” against an employee, including because of their religion or political opinions.”

Thorburn must make Essendon pay, if not for his own sake, for the benefit of other Christians who are not as financially blessed as he is.

Thorburn cannot turn the other cheek, that will only see more of this corporate bastardry. Organisations will only stop behaving in this intolerant, injudicious manner when there is a financial cost associated with their woke wankery.

Essendon President David Barham.

Catholics are not welcome

It’s clear that Catholics, Muslims and Jews, indeed anybody who has devout faith in Abrahamic religions, is not welcome at the AFL or its clubs.

Sure, they’ll take your membership money but don’t think about holding a position of influence in football. The league’s determination to play divisive political games has seen a devout Christian forced to choose between his faith and his club - he chose the former. And, if you’re an atheist like me you’re not safe either, not if your values don’t align with the far Left identitarian politics embraced by the AFL.

Though all devoutly religious people are abhorrent to the AFL, some religions are more equal than others.

That double standard was again on display this week as a Christian was forced to resign while a Muslim AFLW player, Haneen Zreika, is allowed to act in accordance with her beliefs and not play in the pride round.

Muslim AFLW player Haneen Zreika.

This is pure anti-Christian bigotry. One would think the AFL would have a little sympathy for a religion that is under attack across much of the world. Let’s not forget that Christians are slaughtered for their beliefs in countries like Nigeria and persecuted in much of the Middle East and parts of Asia.

Football media’s woke wankery exhausting

Talking about woke wankery the football media has again shown itself to be one dimensional and divorced from reality when it comes to off-field issues. Whether it’s racial politics, misogyny or religious vilification, the uniformly woke schmucks in the footy media can be relied upon to sing off the same AFL-approved hymn sheet.

Dan’s selective care for vulnerable not fooling anyone

The man responsible for plunging Victorians into isolation and depression now has the gall to claim he’s worried about mental health.

Read the opinion piece in full here.