2019-12-10
The second exposure draft of the Liberals' Religious Discrimination legislation has made already bad legislation even worse.
"The Liberals have massively widened the scope of the legislation, which will increase the number of organisations that will be able to discriminate," Greens Justice spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.
"The legislation maintains its undermining of state-based protections against discrimination, including Tasmania's nation-leading laws."
"This whole process has always been a smokescreen for bigotry."
Greens LGBTIQ+ spokesperson Janet Rice said:
“This has been a sham of a process to appease the far-right of Morrison’s party, letting them chip away at the rights of LGBTIQ+ people and other minorities."
“The Attorney General’s second exposure draft remains a Trojan horse for hate.”
"Despite the concerns expressed by a raft of legal, faith and LGBTIQ+ organisations, it appears that the bill still includes the potential for a manager to tell their employees, 'your homosexual lifestyle is a sin', or a counsellor to encourage their client to pray for healing of their 'sexual brokeness'."
“This kind of bigotry cannot stand. Any Bill that comes to the parliament must ensure all Australians are treated equally."
"The bill should only act as a shield for people of faith, not as a sword to be used against other minority groups.”