‘WE give thanks to God!’ was the way Queensland Catholic Education Commission executive director Joe McCorley broke the news about the Church’s agreement with the Queensland Government over amendments to the state’s anti-discrimination laws.
Mr McCorley said he was delighted that the Discrimination Law Amendment Bill 2002, adopted by parliament on November 29, accommodated the Church’s concerns over the changes.
The deadlock between the Government and Church leaders was broken at a meeting on November 27.
While admitting that the legislation incorporated many of the Church’s original concerns, Archbishop Bathersby said he regretted the Church does not have the general exemption to employ people that it had previously.
He said that during negotiations he had told Premier Beattie that the married union of husband and wife was a basic unit of society and that he would be sad if its position was undermined.
Mr Beattie made a commitment to Archbishop Bathersby to express in the preamble to the bill the Government’s respect for the values of marriage and traditional family values.
Mr Welford told parliament that for people whose job involved communicating religious ideas, beliefs or values, it was reasonable for their employer to expect them to be ‘someone who in their conduct conveys values consistent with the values that the employer requires’.
Opposition Leader Mike Horan, who is a Catholic, tried unsuccessfully to extend the time for debate on the bill and accused the Government of failing to consult with Churches.
Liberal Party State Member for Caloundra, Joan Sheldon, who is also a Catholic, said she supported the Churches’ fundamental right to run their schools and institutions ‘as they see fit’.
She said not to allow Churches this right would be to discriminate against them.
