‘All or nothing’ on religious law bipartisanship

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry says Anthony Albanese must delay religious discrimination reforms if he can’t achieve bipartisanship.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Peter Wertheim in Sydney. Picture: John Feder

The peak body representing Jewish Australians has called on Anthony Albanese to delay religious discrimination reforms if he can’t achieve bipartisanship, as pressure mounts on the federal government to either drop or rescue its stalled draft laws.

After an alliance of faith groups, equality advocates, Coalition and Greens demanded the Prime Minister intervene to save his religious discrimination bill or tell them the reforms were dead, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry agreed it would be in everyone’s interests to have some clarity about the content of the bills and any timeline to pass them.

“Proposals for a religious discrimination bill and amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act have been debated since 2018,” ECAJ co-chief executive Peter Wertheim told The Australian.

“During that time, the gaps have narrowed between those whose primary concern is to preserve religious freedom and those whose focus is on non-discrimination. Faith community representatives have given the government constructive proposals to bridge the remaining gaps.

“For any new landmark legislation ... a bipartisan consensus would be desirable, and a wider cross-party consensus even more desirable. If bipartisanship cannot be achieved then it seems likely the reforms will be deferred once again. While that would be far from an ideal result, we think it would be preferable to forcing through changes that large parts of the country will bitterly oppose.”

Mr Wertheim noted the Jewish and Sikh communities were in a different position to other faith groups because they were also recognised as ethnic communities and covered by legislation against racial discrimination.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the government was seeking an enduring solution that strengthened protection for students, teachers and people of faith, with bipartisanship essential.