Faith leaders urge for religious freedom laws in wake of Israel conflict

Faith leaders say spillover from the conflict in the Middle East has made it ‘blindingly obvious’ why the country needs religious freedom laws.

Australia/Israel & Jewish ­Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein.

Faith leaders say spillover from the conflict in the Middle East has made it “blindingly obvious” why the country needs religious freedom laws, raising concerns over the potential for increased prejudice in the wake of the violence.

The federal government this week announced it would ­expedite a $50m grant program to improve security at faith-based places, including mosques and synagogues.

Both the Islamophobia Register Australia and the Executive Council of Australian Jewry have reported surges in reports from their communities of racism and threatening behaviour being ­exercised against them.

Prime Minister Anthony ­Albanese on Wednesday said Australia could not take its diversity and relative harmony for granted. “We need to … work with all community leaders to make sure that harmony is maintained in this nation,” he said.

Australia/Israel & Jewish ­Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein said the rallies and racism in recent weeks showed why a religious freedom bill would be so “pertinent”.

“It has always been important, but the relevance and significance of it now is blindingly obvious,” he said. “All Australians ... need to be able to go about their lives free from vilification and racial and ­religious incitement.”

The former Coalition government failed to pass its religious freedom legislation before the election, after numerous Liberal MPs crossed the floor over concerns the bill would not protect transgender children.

Labor has committed to enshrining religious freedom laws, indicating the “first step” would be a review of the sex discrimination act by the Australian Law ­Reform Commission. Its report is due by the end of the year.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive, Peter Wertheim said a religious freedom bill would serve not only a practical purpose, but a symbolic one, as the Australian Jewish community healed from the events in the Middle East.

Australian National Imams Council spokesman Bilal Rauf said “there is no doubt there is a need for civil laws prohibiting ­religious discrimination”.

A spokesman for Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the government was committed to extending the federal anti-discrimination framework to protect people of faith from discrimination and vilification.