New concern over Victoria’s gay conversion laws

A conservative think tank has taken aim at the Andrews government proposal, saying it will impede rights to prayer.

The Opposition has asked for the Andrews government to pause rolling out gay conversion laws and to engage in further consultation. Picture: Wayne Taylor

Conservative think tank the Menzies Research Centre has accused the Andrew government of impeding rights to prayer through gay conversion laws, citing a new survey.

The release of the report is the latest development in a contentious back and forth over the Andrews Government’s legislation, which is likely to pass early this year, and its impact on church groups.

The Bill aims to outlaw damaging gay conversion practices, such as electroshock therapy, but has courted controversy by going further than other states and also naming some religious practices, including prayer, if construed as an attempt to change a person’s sexuality.

Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, Peter Comensoli, and the Australian Christian Lobby have previously claimed the laws could impact religious freedom.

Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne Peter Comensoli. Picture: David Geraghty

Of concern were parts of the Bill referencing harmful “religious-based practices” and “prayer-based practices”.

The state government has maintained that sermons, prayers and other activities that do not target an individual person’s sexuality will not fall under the legislation.

Criminal cases would have to prove beyond doubt that any actions had caused serious injury.

The Menzies Research Centre surveyed 500 adult Victorians and found that six out of 10 people supported the right for a person to change their gender.

When asked if “saying a prayer for a person struggling with gender identity should be a criminal offence”, 25 per cent were supportive.

“While Australians are broadly accepting of individual choices, whether on gender or matters of faith, the proposal to make it illegal to pray for someone is a step way too far for most people,” the centre’s executive director Nick Cater said.

“Victorian MPs should have the confidence to throw out these proposals that are rejected by a clear majority of voters across the political spectrum.”

The Bill has already passed Victoria’s lower house, where Labor has a clear majority, and will require support from three upper house crossbench MPs to become a law.

The Opposition has asked for the state government to pause rolling out the legislation until and to engage in further consultation.

In December, former Victorian Liberal vice president Karina Okotel sparked an internal rift after she wrote to all of the party’s 31 elected MPs asking them to consider parts of the legislation around religion and counselling.

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