Religious freedom may help gay conversion: Daniel Andrews

Victorian Labor has warned the draft religious freedom bill could jeopardise its bid to outlaw gay conversion therapy in the state.

Daniel Andrews. Picture: AAP.

Victorian Labor has warned the draft religious freedom bill could jeopardise its bid to outlaw gay conversion therapy in the state.

Premier Daniel Andrews revealed the state has made a submission to the Federal Government’s Religious Discrimination Bill 2019, and raised concerns the federal legislation could hamper Victoria’s ability to prevent gay conversion therapists operating, because practitioners could claim their religious freedoms were being curtailed.

“We made a commitment we would ban this terrible practice, a practice that underpins self harm and suicide and all manner of terrible outcomes,” Mr Andrews told ABC radio.

He said Victorian Attorney General Jill Hennessy had written to her federal counterpart Christian Porter, expressing concern that federal laws could potentially impact Victoria’s ability to outlaw gay conversion therapy.

“You might see people escape past that ban, if you like avoid that ban at a state level, on the basis this was part of their religious belief,” Mr Andrews said.

“The last thing we want is a federal law that makes it harder for us to deliver on our commitment.”

Gay conversion therapy is the practice of attempting to change or suppress the sexual orientation and gender identity of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

The Andrews government announced it would ban gay conversion therapy on February 3, 2019 after an investigation by the Victorian Healths Complaints Commissioner found it caused long-term psychological harm and recommended the new laws.

Mr Andrews clarified he did not believe Attorney-General Christian Porter or the federal government intended to make it more difficult to outlaw gay conversion therapy but said the Victorian government held some reservations over the legislation.

“Conversion therapy is just one example,” he said.

“I don’t think people are free to be prejudiced against others [and] I don’t think people are free to be devaluing the way other people live their lives.”

Mr Andrews said balancing religious and personal freedoms was a delicate balancing act.

“You should be yourself free to have your own views, to practice your faith,” he said.

“When that starts to impinge on others, whether it be people of another faith or no faith at all, that’s where the difficult balancing act comes in.”

The state government began a six-week community consultations on the ban on Monday and advice from stakeholders including the LGBTIQ task force, conversion practice survivor groups and religious groups will be sought.

Attorney-General Jill Hennessy denounced gay conversion therapy as “harmful quackery” and said the legislation would put an end to the practice in the state.

“We are taking action to ban cruel and insidious conversion practices, which are nothing short of harmful quackery and bigotry,” she said. “We want to make sure our legislation truly puts an end to anyone peddling these deeply harmful practices in our state.”