Faith leaders vexed by lack of consultation

Senior religious figures have expressed frustration that their views on religious discrimination were barely heard.

Dr Glenn Davies, Anglican Archbishop of Sydney. Picture: Britta Campion

Senior religious figures have expressed frustration that their views on religious discrimination were barely heard prior to the release of yesterday’s draft bill.

The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Glenn Davies, expressed “very significant concerns” about the consultation process, saying religious leaders should have had greater input in discussions.

Dr Davies said the government’s offer of further “consultation meetings” after the draft bill had been drawn up left them insufficient time to digest the details and suggest last-minute tweaks.

“We only got four days’ notice before the announcement,” he told The Australian yesterday.

“That is poor governance of the situation if that’s how they deal with a matter of religious liberty in our country.

“Having legislation like this would certainly be an advance of where we are now … it goes part way towards what we want, but it’s not there yet.

“The con in consultation means together. Without (an earlier) meeting, it’s now inviting us to listen to something you’ve already decided.”

Anglican Bishop Michael Stead said he was concerned at the lack of clarity on how the laws would impact on workplaces and corporations that sacked employees for expressing religious views outside of work. “I’m concerned by the provision that allows big corporates … to establish or make the ­argument that if they suffer mat­erial financial hardship, they are able to curb the religious freedom of their employees,” he said.

“It’s not clear to me yet whether Israel Folau is in or out on that test.

“But my bigger concern is what happens if public attitudes in Australia change. And a big bank can say ‘People don’t like coming into our bank if our women employees are wearing a hijab, therefore we’re going to restrict the religious freedom around religious dress’.”

A spokeswoman for Sydney’s Catholic Archbishop, Anthony Fisher, said “there was only very limited consultation” between the government and the archdiocese before the draft bill was released.

Australian Christian Lobby managing director Martyn Iles said those such as rugby player Folau had been “left out in the cold” by the draft bill.

Bilal Rauf, the spokesman who accompanied the Grand Mufti of Australia, Ibrahim Abu Mohammed, to Attorney-General Christian Porter’s speech yesterday, said he was disappointed at how the consultation process had been handled.

“It’s really only now that the consultation process seems to be beginning,” he said. “There has been very little discussion and … very little involvement with us.

“It’s more been a case of people pushing to try and get across views without really understanding what the government had in mind.

“It seems to be quite advanced in its form. I think the reality is that there will be little scope to achieve structural or significant changes.”

Tasmania’s Catholic Archbishop, Julian Porteous, the subject of a 2015 anti-discrimination complaint for distributing an anti-same-sex marriage pamphlet in schools, was mentioned by Mr Porter as someone who would be “shielded” by the laws.

Archbishop Porteous last night welcomed the draft as “a positive step forward’’ and said he was “encouraged by an initial reading … It will take time to thoroughly examine it (but) I see the draft bill as a positive step forward”.