‘No evidence’ LGBTQI students are expelled from religious schools, Scott Morrison claims

Scott Morrison has made a big claim about LGBTQI people after vowing to pursue his contentious religious discrimination bill.

Scott Morrison has claimed there is “no evidence” of gay students being expelled from schools because of their sexuality as he defended his renewed push for religious discrimination reforms.

The Prime Minister has said a re-elected Morrison government would pursue contentious changes to the religious discrimination act (RDA) to enhance religious freedoms without making changes to the sex discrimination act (SDA) to protect gay students at the same time.

Mr Morrison came under fire during a press conference in Melbourne on Sunday as reporters raised concerns that changing the RDA on its own could leave young Australians open to harm.

Mr Morrison said there would be a “sequential” change made to the SDA but he refused to put a timeline on when the greater protections for gay students would be introduced.

Asked how these students would be protected in the interim, Mr Morrison pushed back against suggestions LGBTQI people experienced discrimination at religious schools.

Scott Morrison has vowed to forge ahead with contentious religious discrimination laws if the Coalition is re-elected to government. Picture: Jason Edwards

“And on education it has been presented, students are being expelled each and every day, apparently, each and every week and each and every year. There is no evidence of that at all,” he said.

“What I’m saying is (it’s) not like they don’t need to be protected. No, what I am saying is there is no evidence because religious schools themselves don’t wish to do that. They don’t wish to do it.”

Mr Morrison said the RDA reforms were about ensuring people of religious faith were not discriminated against, saying they had no current protections.

He was asked what guarantee he could give to gay students that he wouldn’t send the proposed changes to a parliamentary law reform review — which could stall the legislation by up to 12 months.

Mr Morrison responded by saying: “I don’t think you are across the legislation” to which the reporter replied: “I think I am!”.

Higgins MP and paediatrician Katie Allen signalled she would cross the floor again. Picture: Jason Edwards

Mr Morrison promised to make the changes to the RDA before the 2019 election, which the Coalition said would better protect faith communities from discrimination.

But earlier this year he failed in his attempt to amend the RDA and the sex discrimination act concurrently in a bid to assuage moderates’ concerns about gay students being expelled on the basis of their sexuality.

The Morrison government shelved the package of laws after five moderate Liberal MPs crossed the floor of parliament and sided with Labor over the proposed RDA amendments.

Paediatrician Katie Allen was one of those five MPs who revolted and on Sunday signalled she would do the same again.

Pressed on the matter by reporters at a Liberal Party rally in Melbourne, Dr Allen said her position remained “unchanged”.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese made a pointed remark about Mr Morrison’s earlier comments. Picture: Liam Kidston

Anthony Albanese said he would support a religious discrimination bill with protections for LGTBQI people, before making a pointed reference to Mr Morrison’s comments.

“If people don’t think that young people are discriminated against and vilified because of their sexuality, then that does not reflect reality,” he told reporters in Sydney.

“We need to protect people from discrimination, whether it’s religious discrimination on the basis or on the basis of people’s sexuality.”

But Mr Albanese avoided answering question on whether a Labor government would amend the religious and sex discrimination acts at the same time or not.

Originally published as ‘No evidence’ LGBTQI students are expelled from religious schools, Scott Morrison claims