Labor pledges a united approach to religion laws

Anthony Albanese says he will adopt a bipartisan approach to new religious discrimination laws.

ALP leader Anthony Albanese. Picture: Gaye Gerard

Anthony Albanese says he will adopt a bipartisan approach to new religious discrimination laws, declaring he “absolutely” supported freedoms for faith-based organisations and individuals.

Ahead of Labor receiving the federal government’s religious discrimination legislation on Tuesday, the Opposition Leader said faith-based protections should “not be an issue of partisan politics”.

“Do I support religious freedom? Absolutely,” Mr Albanese said. “But we need to see the bill. I’ve spoken to religious leaders … who are very disappointed that the government, on an issue which should not be an issue of partisan politics, has not worked in a bipartisan way across this parliament.”

After swings against Labor in western Sydney at the 2019 election, linked with its failure to strongly back religious protections following the same-sex marriage plebiscite, the ALP national platform this year pledged to “ensure that Australia’s anti-vilification laws are fit for purpose”.

In a statement released by 25 faith leaders, Christian, Jewish and Islamic groups called for “bipartisan support” on the religious discrimination bill, given controversial elements had been removed. Mr Albanese said he had ­spoken with faith leaders who had “expressed to me a great deal of disappointment that there hasn’t been a reaching out across the aisle”.

“It should be an issue which just unites the country. We shouldn’t support discrimination on the basis of someone’s religion,” he said.

Attorney-General Michaelia Cash, who has briefed government MPs on the religious discrimination bill over the past week, will distribute the legislation at Tuesday’s Coalition joint party room meeting.

With the government concerned about a backlash from moderate Liberal MPs, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said: “One of the fundamental rights of our nation is to have a faith and be able to stand behind it as long as it doesn’t hurt somebody and profess your faith.

“I think there’ll be a lot of ­people around a lot of churches and a lot of schools who would be pretty upset if you decide that you’re going to not support something that actually helps, something they’ve been wanting us to do – that we took to the last election – said we’d do.”

Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon said it was important to ensure that “people of faith-based institutions don’t feel threatened by an excessively progressive agenda”.

“But at the same time, I’ll fight with everyone determined to ­ensure people aren’t discriminated against, for example, on the basis of their sexuality,” Mr Fitzgibbon said. “So, it’s a very fine and difficult balance. It’s one we need to get right and it’s a debate we should have been having at least two years ago.”

Labor frontbencher Stephen Jones, a Left faction member, said he supported the idea that ­religious schools should be “able to hire somebody on the basis of their faith”.

“I think it’s a little bit more tricky when you’re talking about dismissing a teacher,” he said.

“But I absolutely agree that a school, if you’re (a) faith-based school, should be able to hire somebody on the basis of their faith.” Mr Jones said it was “dangerous territory” for employers to ­become the “morals police”.