Unrepentant Scott Morrison has hope religious freedoms Bill will inspire unity

Scott Morrison has declared to religious groups that he has ‘no regrets’ about putting up the religious freedoms Bill.

Scott Morrison attends Sunday Mass at the Lebanese Maronite Catholic Church in Westbourne Park, South Australia, on Sunday. Picture: Adam Taylor

Scott Morrison has declared to religious groups that he has “no regrets” about putting up the religious freedoms Bill last week despite it being defeated in the House of Representatives and pulled from the Senate.

Facing criticism from some church leaders, some Liberal MPs and demands to explain himself from Labor, the Prime Minister said the failure of the attempt to add to protections for religious freedom “was a bitter disappointment”.

“But I do not regret that I brought that Bill forward’,” he told the congregation of St Maroun’s Maronite Church in Adelaide after Mass on Sunday.

Mr Morrison cited the biblical story of the wisdom of Solomon who was called on to judge two women’s claims to be the mother of the same baby and determined who was the real mother by threatening to cut the child in half.

Solomon judged that the woman who said not to kill the child but give it to the other woman was the real mother.

“I would rather lay down our attempt to secure those protections than see them compromised or undermined,” Mr Morrison said.

“I am sure like communities of faith around Australia you will share this view.”

While he said he did not regret introducing the Bill in the dying days of the 46th parliament he said he did regret “some of the unkind things said about people of faith”.

“It was disappointing that the very attempt to improve the protection of religion was undermined by those who would seek to undermine those religious institutions, not just schools but also charitable organisations,” he said.

Mr Morrison said Christians and other faiths did not rely “on government or laws to uphold our faith”.

Although he did not pledge to take the promise for religious freedom laws to the next election, they were a Coalition promise at the 2019 election, Mr Morrison said: “We will see where this goes in the future.”

Only seven parliamentary sitting days are scheduled before the election and it is unlikely the Bill will be put to the Senate because of the likelihood of further amendments in the Senate.

Labor’s deputy leader in the Senate, Kristina Keneally, said on Sunday that Mr Morrison had broken an election promise on religious freedoms and “if he’s going to break that promise he needs to explain it to the Australian people”.

Senator Keneally said Labor would move amendments to remove protection from “religious statements even if they offend or insult”.

Mr Morrison also welcomed on Sunday a swing towards the Liberal Party in the state by-election in Western Sydney’s seat of Strathfield which is one of the so-called “faith seats” which could be swayed by protection for religious freedom.