Skip to content
The Catholic Leader
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
The Catholic Leader
No Result
View All Result
Home News Australia

Australian Bishops defend religious freedom as ‘fundamental human right’

byMark Bowling
22 February 2018 - Updated on 1 April 2021
Reading Time: 3 mins read
AA
fight for religious freedom

Human rights: "Exemptions are in (law) ... to allow religious groups to operate in accordance with their beliefs."

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
fight for religious freedom
Human rights: “Exemptions are in (law) … to allow religious groups to operate in accordance with their beliefs.”

THE Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has called for Australian laws to be updated to recognise religious freedom.

“Freedom of religion is a fundamental human right,” the bishops said in a submission to the Federal Government’s Religious Freedom Review.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull commissioned the review following last year’s “yes” vote on same-sex marriage, with hearings conducted by a five-member expert panel chaired by former attorney general Philip Ruddock.

Amongst more than 12,000 submissions, Church critics argue religious schools should be forced to hire LGBTI teachers, and that all anti-discrimination law should be abolished.

“The law already goes too far in allowing religious organisations to discriminate through broad exemptions in federal and state discrimination laws,” law lecturer and Queensland director of Australian Marriage Equality Peter Black said.

“We hope the panel respects this and looks at removing, not adding, barriers that prevent LGBTI from accessing services.”

Mr Black’s submission is made on behalf of the Equality Campaign that is lobbying for the repeal of church rights, including the right to hire and fire on the basis of gender and sexuality in line with religious teaching.

However the bishops’ submission says “Australia’s laws need to be updated to ensure we continue to enjoy freedom of thought, conscience and religion and the associated freedom of association”.

It says Catholic schools should be allowed to refuse employing staff whose personal behaviour or actions are “contrary to the values of the school”.

“The freedom of Catholic schools to employ staff who embrace Christianity is essential for providing effective religious education and faith formation to their students,” the bishops said.

Related Stories

Church workers have helped more than 1.2 million Ukrainians during the war, Caritas says

Parishes unite for Logan deanery family festival this Sunday

Lives of the saints – St Kateri Tekakwitha, the Lily of the Mohawks

The bishops’ submission addresses many practical issues of concern to religious believers – including whether churches can legally refuse to hire their halls for wedding receptions that go against their beliefs, and laws that force doctors who disagree with abortion to refer patients to another medical practitioner.

It points out that the Church provides Australia’s largest non-government grouping of hospitals, aged and community care services – about 10 per cent of health care services.

The Church provides social services for more than 450,000 Australians each year, and has more than 760,000 students in its schools.

The bishops’ submission recommends Australian laws be updated with a specific law recog­nising religious freedom separate to exemptions, and ­exceptions in anti-discrimination laws.

“Exceptions are in legislation in order to allow religious groups to operate in accordance with their beliefs, particularly with regard to whom they employ,” the submission says.

“(But) the language of exemptions is misleading and fails to recognise that religious freedom is not a special permission to discriminate granted by government in contradiction to the general law, but a fundamental human right that government is obliged to protect and which helps to define what kinds of discrimination are in fact unjust.”

The expert review panel is considering evidence in closed-door hearings from some of the key “stakeholders” – including churches, human rights groups and marriage equality campaigners.

Mr Ruddock’s panel includes the president of the Human Rights Commission Rosalind Croucher, retired Federal Court judge Annabelle Bennett, Jesuit priest and human rights lawyer Fr Frank Brennan, and University of Queensland constitutional law professor Nicholas Aroney.

It is due to report to the Prime Minister by March 31.

ShareTweet
Previous Post

Queensland farming communities “nothing short of desperate” for rain

Next Post

Sunshine Coast multi-millionaire Catholic has Biblical approach to donating his money

Mark Bowling

Mark is the joint winner of the Australian Variety Club 2000 Heart Award for his radio news reporting in East Timor, and has also won a Walkley award, Australia’s most-respected journalism award. Mark is the author of ‘Running Amok’ that chronicles his time as a foreign correspondent juggling news deadlines and the demands of being a husband and father. Mark is married with four children.

Related Posts

Church workers have helped more than 1.2 million Ukrainians during the war, Caritas says
World

Church workers have helped more than 1.2 million Ukrainians during the war, Caritas says

18 May 2022
Parishes unite for Logan deanery family festival this Sunday
QLD

Parishes unite for Logan deanery family festival this Sunday

17 May 2022
Lives of the saints – St Kateri Tekakwitha, the Lily of the Mohawks
Faith

Lives of the saints – St Kateri Tekakwitha, the Lily of the Mohawks

17 May 2022
Next Post
Roy and Nola Thompson

Sunshine Coast multi-millionaire Catholic has Biblical approach to donating his money

Jazz Yi Li, Joseph Hoang and Mark Yi Hoang

Baby's 'miracle' healing leads mother to the Church

Mater Research Care Centre staff

Advanced cancer patients to volunteer for new medicinal cannabis oil trial at Brisbane's Mater Research

Popular News

  • Angel’s Kitchen serves hot meals to the hungry in Southport

    Angel’s Kitchen serves hot meals to the hungry in Southport

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Here are the stories of 10 new saints being canonised this Sunday

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI turned 95 on a ‘very happy’ day

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Holiness is possible and the Church provides tools to attain it, cardinal says

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Hearts ‘fused’ together living their vocation

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Search our job finder
No Result
View All Result

Latest News

Br Alan Moss remembered for a life of faith and learning
QLD

Br Alan Moss remembered for a life of faith and learning

by Staff writers
19 May 2022
0

CHRISTIAN Brother Alan Moss was remembered by his friends, family and fellow brothers for his gifted mind,...

Catholic relationship advisers offer five tips to look after your mental health

Nationwide rosary event happening for Australia’s patroness this Saturday

19 May 2022
Francis offers advice on politics: Seek unity, don’t get lost in conflict

Francis offers advice on politics: Seek unity, don’t get lost in conflict

19 May 2022
Holiness is possible and the Church provides tools to attain it, cardinal says

Holiness is possible and the Church provides tools to attain it, cardinal says

18 May 2022
Church workers have helped more than 1.2 million Ukrainians during the war, Caritas says

Church workers have helped more than 1.2 million Ukrainians during the war, Caritas says

18 May 2022

Never miss a story. Sign up to the Weekly Round-Up
eNewsletter now to receive headlines directly in your email.

Sign up to eNews
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Jobs
  • Subscribe

The Catholic Leader is an Australian award-winning Catholic newspaper that has been published by the Archdiocese of Brisbane since 1929. Our journalism seeks to provide a full, accurate and balanced Catholic perspective of local, national and international news while upholding the dignity of the human person.

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader
Accessibility Information | Privacy Policy | Archdiocese of Brisbane

The Catholic Leader acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Peoples of this country and especially acknowledge the traditional owners on whose lands we live and work throughout the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyChoose another Subscription
    Continue Shopping