Election 2022: Faith leaders find ALP light on detail concerning religious discrimination laws

The ALP has failed to provide 21 faith leaders with assurances on religious discrimination laws, including whether Labor will pass faith protections in the next term of parliament.

Anglican Bishop Michael Stead has been a long term supporter of the Religious Discrimination Bill. Picture: John Feder/The Australian

The ALP has failed to provide 21 faith leaders with assurances on religious discrimination laws, including whether Labor will override state legislation and pass faith protections in the next term of parliament.

In response to a survey of more than 1100 candidates and parties running in next Saturday’s election, Labor provided vague responses to 13 questions asked by Christian, Jewish and Islamic ­organisations and school groups.

While Anthony Albanese has committed to protect Australians against discrimination on the basis of religious belief and ­activity, Labor’s response did not make clear whether its legislative framework would negatively ­impact the employment rights of religious groups to hire people of their own faith.

Faith groups are also concerned about Labor’s position on statements of faith, with the ALP floating an amendment that would allow similar complaints as those made against Tasmanian Catholic Archbishop Julian Porteous for teaching a traditional view of marriage and family.

The survey revealed a raft of caveats from Labor and the Greens, with the Greens indicating they would introduce ­religious protections via a commonwealth charter of rights.

Anglican Bishop of South Sydney Michael Stead, who led the survey on behalf of groups including the Executive Council of ­Australian Jewry, the Australian National Imams Council, the ­Islamic Council of Victoria, Australian Baptist Ministries and the Presbyterian Church of Australia, said ­religious freedoms were “a key matter for people of faith”.

“It’s obviously not the only issue that will influence how people will vote,” he said. “The purpose of this survey is certainly not to tell people how to vote.

“It is to inform them of this particular issue. For those whom it is a significant issue, and that’s a sizeable number of faith communities, this is about informing them.”

Bishop Stead said the ­Coalition’s survey response “gives the greatest amount of ­detail because they’re able to commit to the provisions and protections in the religious discrimination bill which the faith leaders are supportive of”.

Federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese has made commitments to religious leaders but has not provided any detail. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“The Labor Party hasn’t tabled a bill and has made certain commitments, which in themselves are welcome, but without detail it’s hard to know how far those protections go,” he said.

“We don’t know what the Labor Party will do, but to put it positively all of the major parties are making a commitment to protect people of faith against discrimination on the basis of religious belief. That’s welcome. At that level, we should expect to see some legislation in the next term of government. But as to how far those protections will extend, it’s unclear what the Labor Party’s protections will cover.”

After Labor MPs in NSW, Victoria and Queensland suffered swings in religious and multicultural seats at the 2019 election, Mr Albanese has been careful to not alienate faith groups and visited his alma mater, St Mary’s Cathedral College, with Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher on Monday.

The Weekend Australian understands some faith leaders are concerned that despite Mr Albanese’s public rhetoric on religious freedoms, Labor could face pressure to water down key aspects of a religious discrimination bill.

The Anglican Church of Australia General Synod on Thursday endorsed a motion expressing disappointment over the failure to have federal legislation in place prohibiting ­religious discrimination. It calls for laws to be passed in the next term of parliament “in such a way that does not harm LGBTQI+ members of their school communities or polarise the wider community on these issues”.

The motion affirms that “no Anglican school seeks, or intends to seek, the right to expel students or otherwise disadvantage members of other school communities on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity”.