Media Release: Vote ‘No’ to a Religious Discrimination Act

The National Secular Lobby is calling on secular Australians to vote 'no' to a proposed religious discrimination act, when the Coalition takes that promise to the next federal election.

The NSL, established to provide a stronger voice for the 78% of Australians that support secularism, says such legislation is unnecessary, and panders to the religious right’s mistaken view that religious Australians need special protection.

Peter Monk, president of the NSL says:

"Australia already has adequate protections for religious people.  Australia is a signatory to the International Covenant of Civic and Political Rights which states 'everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion'. Further, there are no laws in Australia that limit the right to religious freedom. This was stated in a 2015 Law Council of Australia submission to the Human Rights Commission.

"This move by the Morrison government is deliberately misleading and divisive. If the Prime Minster wants to make this an election issue, bring it on. He will galvanise the many secular organisations across Australia and the majority of the moderate Australian public."

The NSL is also furious that the Morrison government has now asked the Australian Law Reform Commission get involved in recommending how to protect LGBTI students from discrimination in schools.

Peter Monk says: "The Morrison government moving forward on a religious discrimination act while handballing the crucial issue of student protection to the ALRC -- after already promising and then failing to legislate on it -- is yet another sign that it’s determined to prioritise the religious right above all else."

"We call on all secular, moderate Australians to vote down the Coalition at the next election and show the government what we want it to prioritise."

 

National Secular Lobby