The NSW Government promised laws to ban harmful conversion therapy directed at an individual’s sexuality and not to follow the Victorian laws and to protect religious prayer and teaching. However the NSW Department of Justice Consultation Paper paid no attention and essentially copies the Victorian ban. ICS analysis shows the Victorian ban laws are an
The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) will soon finalise its recommended changes to the Sex Discrimination Act to remove freedoms of religious schools and colleges. These changes will likely require religious schools and colleges to make their employment decisions, teaching and student conduct rules subject to progressive moral values around acceptable relationship status, sexual expression
In light of the Andrew Thorburn Essendon football club controversy, Simon Kennedy has written an article for The Australian, asking the question 'are people with traditional religious views free to participate in public life?' Here is the link to the original article published in The Australian: ARTICLE LINK And a PDF of the article can be accessed here: PDF
Recently, the proposed Religious Discrimination Bill (RDB) went through the Lower House but was stalled before going to the Senate. Why did this happen? And why is it important that Australia has an RDB? To answer these questions, the Institute for Civil Society has made a three-part explainer video about the RDB: Why Australia needs
A broad based group of faith leaders (Christian, Muslim and Jewish) sent a questionnaire to parties and over 900 candidates in April 2022 to understand their policies on the Religious Discrimination Bill and Religious Schools. Go to the survey page to access the responses received on behalf of most parties and 500+ candidates. You can search for responses by
Translations of a recent update on the Religious Discrimination Bill are now available: Chinese (simplifed) and Arabic.
The Institute for Civil Society supports the Religious Discrimination Bill and accompanying Bills as a long overdue protection of people of faith and their organisations from being discriminated against on the ground of their religious belief or religious activity. In January 2022, ICS made a submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee Inquiry into
PDF available here. The Bill’s strengths It provides for the first time national protection for individuals against discrimination on grounds of their religious belief or lawful religious activity in many fields of public life (like employment, education, accommodation, provision of goods or services). Currently there is no protection against religious discrimination in NSW or (except
Mark Sneddon and Dr Sarah Irving-Stonebraker discuss the necessity of protections for religious freedom, the many worrying recent anti-religious legal and political developments and the fundamental importance of religious tolerance in Australian history.
Download fact sheet here.
