Folau’s dad ‘intervened to stop career-saving deal’

Israel Folau was reportedly set to accept career-saving deal until his dad told him he’d “go to hell”.

A young Israel Folau at home with his dad Eni.

Israel Folau was set to accept a deal with Rugby Australia that would have saved his job until his father intervened to stop him, according to a report out today.

Eni Folau, a Christian pastor, told his superstar son he would “go to hell” if he agreed to RA’s peace deal terms, which included deleting his controversial Instagram post, The Sunday Telegraph reports.

Folau, 30, has previously spoken of resisting the “temptation” of a path back to a playing career.

“It has crossed my mind that I could possibly go back to playing the way I used to,” Folau told the congregation at his Sydney church last month, referencing “opportunities” that had been offered to him.

“The way that Satan works is that he offers you things that look good to the eye.

“(But) the will of God comes first, no matter how much you want things.”

Israel Folau's father, Eni, at the family home in Boronia Heights.

Yesterday, The Weekend Australian revealed former employment minister Eric Abetz had written to the Fair Work Ombudsman and Australian Human Rights Commission asking for investigations into the termination of Folau’s contract with Rugby Australia.

Senator Abetz has asked both bodies to consider whether the sacking of Folau — a devout Christian — for “expressing his religious views outside of the workplace” represented a breach of the Fair Work Act or the Australian Human Rights Commission Act.

Both letters also were sent to Industrial Relations Minister and Attorney-General Christian Porter with Senator Abetz telling The Weekend Australian there was a “public interest in fully exploring and considering whether the termination of Mr Folau was actually in violation of the current laws”.

“Under the Fair Work Act, it is expressly unlawful, and indeed there is a reversed onus of proof, to discriminate against an employee on the basis of their religion,” he said. “Given — as it has been reported — Mr Folau was terminated on the basis of publicly expressing his personal religious beliefs, it would appear to contradict existing law.

“If that is the case, I would hope that the regulator would fully investigate and consider action on this matter, especially given the considerable public attention this matter has received.”

The letters from Senator Abetz, sent yesterday, follow a push from some Coalition MPs, including Barnaby Joyce and Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, for an overhaul to employment law that would prevent workplace contracts from forcing people of faith to hide their religious views.

Folau with his wife Maria. Picture: Instagram

In his letter to ombudsman Sandra Parker, Senator Abetz said sections 342 and 351 of the Fair Work Act prohibited “adverse action and discrimination on the basis of an individual’s religion”.

Mark Fowler, an adjunct associate professor of law at the University of Notre Dame, has also argued that Folau could pursue a claim under section 772 of the Fair Work Act which prohibits employees from being terminated on religious grounds.

— with Joe Kelly