Labor accused of ‘playing politics’ over gay students

Penny Wong’s proposed changes to the Sex Discrimination Act will meet with stiff resistance from other parliamentarians.

Labor senator Penny Wong. Picture: AAP

A parliamentary showdown has been set up over laws to protect gay students from discrimination, with government senators blasting a proposed Labor bill as an ­attack on religious schools and their ability to operate according to their beliefs.

Labor’s proposed changes to the Sex Discrimination Act, introduced by senator Penny Wong, would overturn an exemption for religious schools allowing them to discriminate against students on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

“Labor wants to be clear — nothing in this bill would compromise the ability of religious ­institutions to operate consistently with religious teaching, whether in the classroom or through the enforcement of school rules,” the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate told the chamber yesterday.

Liberal National Party senator Amanda Stoker said the proposed bill “simply extinguishes religious freedom”.

“Everyone in this chamber thinks gay kids shouldn’t be ­expelled simply for being gay. The PM is on the record saying just that,” Senator Stoker said.

“But this bill does so much more, by removing all protections that previously existed in the Sex Discrimination Act for religious schools to operate according to their ethos.”

She told the Senate that taking away the right of religious schools to shape their own culture would destroy their character, and make them indistinguishable to those in the public system.

“In fact, the bill actually discriminates against religious believers in that it imposes a burden upon them that they alone ­encounter on the basis of their ­religious conviction,” Senator Stoker said.

Labor is seeking a Senate vote on the proposed bill on Monday, where it could pass with the support of the crossbench. However, it would struggle to have the bill considered in the House of Representatives, requiring all of the crossbench and at least one ­Coalition MP to suspend standing orders and allow its debate.

Scott Morrison yesterday said he had sought to deal with protections for gay children in a bipartisan way. “I’m disappointed that the Labor Party has sought to politicise this issue and play political football with it,” the Prime Minister said.

The Sex Discrimination Act has included exemptions for ­religious schools since its introduction in 1984, and these were extended by Labor in 2013 to include exemption from newly protected attributes of sexual orientation and gender identity.