2018-10-16
Greens LGBTIQ+ spokesperson Senator Janet Rice today said that voting for the Greens’ bill to end exemptions to anti-discrimination laws that allow religious schools to expel LGBT+ students is Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s chance to “act right now” and deal with this issue “once and for all”.
The Greens introduced the Discrimination Free Schools Bill 2018 into the Senate this afternoon.
“Prime Minister Scott Morrison is right: we need to ‘act right now’ to end this unfair discrimination while both parties are feeling the pressure in Wentworth,” Senator Rice said.
“Under intense community pressure, both the Labor and Liberal parties have changed their position and are now talking big about removing discrimination against LGBT+ students and teachers from our laws.
“It’s time they turn their words into action and vote for the Greens’ bill to protect students, teachers and staff members from being expelled or fired by religious schools because of who they are.
“If we delay, we risk Scott Morrison caving into the conservatives and Bill Shorten selling out LGBT+ Australians once again after the Wentworth by-election and missing our opportunity to end this legal discrimination ‘once and for all’.
The Greens took removing these exemptions in anti-discrimination legislation for religious schools and organisations to the 2016 Federal Election.