Christian lobby says religious freedom under threat by anti-discrimination concerns

The Christian lobby says attempts to reduce discrimination in Tasmanian schools run the risk of reducing religious freedom in the fashion of dictators and totalitarian regimes.

Hobart Archbishop Julian Porteous. Picture: Kenji Sato

Attempts to reduce discrimination in Tasmanian schools run the risk of reducing religious freedom in the fashion of dictators and totalitarian regimes, the Australian Christian Lobby says.

The comments came during a Parliamentary Committee hearing into bullying and discrimination in Tasmanian schools.

Australian Christian Lobby director of policy and research Christopher Broheir said the ACL did not support bullying but had concerns about the tenor of some efforts to crack down on discrimination.

Much of his testimony related to a letter circulated to schools by Tasmania’s Catholic Archbishop Julian Porteous which took aim at abortion, voluntary assisted dying laws, same-sex marriage and what was described as a ‘woke’ movement pushing for transgender rights and conversion therapy laws.

Archbishop Julian Porteous. Picture: Chris Kidd

Mr Broheir said that human rights involved balancing protections from discrimination with the rights of freedom of speech and religious freedom.

“You can’t just say to people ‘you can’t speak’, because if you do that, you are suppressing a human right and you are doing that in cohort or in harmony with dictatorial regimes flowing right through the world,” he said.

“It is the dictatorial, totalitarian regimes that choose to do that.”

He said the committee should be wary of attempting to impose one ideological view on Tasmania.

“If this committee, wants to have a grey society where everybody speaks the same thing and there’s no plurality, then go for it — but do not pretend you are trying to be democratic,” he said.

He said students who did not like the Catholic ethos were free to seek an education somewhere else.

In her submission to the inquiry, Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Sarah Bolt said Porteous letter had an impact on the culture of inclusion at Catholic schools.

“The impacts on mental health, safety at school, inclusion and school culture are immeasurable,” she wrote.

“It is not contentious to say that if a student does not feel welcome in their school community because of their identity, there will be a level of disengagement from their education.

“This directly contradicts a child’s right to education.”

The Archbishop has turned 75 and is retiring when his replacement can be found.

Giving evidence before the committee on Wednesday, Ms Bolt told the committee she thought a new Catholic archbishop might see things differently.

“To be frank, when there’s a change of the current Archbishop — which is happening — there may be a lessening of tensions depending upon who is appointed to that to that role, because it is a very conservative view that has been taken over the last sort of 20 years and that may soften depending upon the belief of the person who is in that role,” she said.

Section 51 of the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Act allows for limited exemptions to allow discrimination on the basis of religious belief in employment and admission to educational institutions.