Don’t give up on religious discrimination bill: faith leaders

Religious leaders are increasing pressure on Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese to not dump the religious discrimination bill ahead of the election.

Maronite Catholic Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay.

Religious leaders are increasing pressure on Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese to not dump the religious discrimination bill ahead of the election, urging both sides to get it done in this term of parliament amid concerns it could be sidelined.

The Australian understands prominent religious leaders are lobbying the major parties to come back to the negotiating table due to fears that faith protections could fall off the post-election political agenda.

Faith leaders told The Australian they were concerned Labor could face difficulties legislating religious protections while balancing concerns of interest groups and want the Coalition to have another go when parliament returns for the March 29 budget.

In a homily delivered by Maronite Catholic Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay on Sunday, he told the Prime Minister he shared “your disappointment regarding the obstacles that the religious discrimination bill faced in parliament”.

“Freedom of religion is one of a few rights specifically protected in the Australian Constitution,” Bishop Tarabay said. “And while we certainly enjoy religious freedom in Australia, we are mostly disappointed … for the way in which people of faith were spoken about during the debate of the bill and denied protections to practise their faith and their values away from any discrimination.

“When proposing amendments, many suggested that people of faith would use any freedoms given to them to be hateful and discriminatory. We know this is not the case.”

Bishop Tarabay said people of faith were “people of service”.

“This was certainly lost in the debate of the bill in recent weeks. The history of this country has shown that as soon as the Catholics and the Christians missionaries arrived, they set out starting schools, hospitals and welfare services,” he said.

“Australia’s first saint, Mary Mackillop, took education to rural areas where none was provided. The Sisters of Charity were the first to serve and treat HIV patients in the early 1980s.”

Bishop Tarabay said when debate on the bill resumes, he hoped it would be in a “manner that celebrates the contribution of people of faith to this country, and a true understanding of the need for a right to express our beliefs and values freely and without any fear”.

South Sydney Anglican Bishop Michael Stead – a key figure in the fight for religious protections – wants the government and opposition to work together to “resolve the technical issues and bring this matter to a resolution before the next federal election”.

“People of religious faith in Australia, of all beliefs and backgrounds, deserve the equal protection that such a bill was intended to give. The benevolent religious organisations they have established and maintain also need the stability that well-considered legislation would provide,” Bishop Stead said.

“There is goodwill on our part to proceed and we call for a bipartisan approach that would progress this very important bill.”

At a Senate estimates hearing on Monday, Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said no investigation would be conducted after The Australian last week revealed Mr Morrison was rebuffed in cabinet over a proposal to reboot stalled commonwealth integrity commission legislation to win support from moderate Liberals and independent MPs.