Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appears to have confirmed that his Government has dropped efforts to pass a religious discrimination bill during this term of Parliament, according to The Catholic Weekly.
When asked for an update on the religious discrimination laws during a press conference in Western Australia on Friday afternoon, the Prime Minister stated he was unwilling to move forward without bipartisan support, which he claimed had not been forthcoming.
“One of the things I’ve spoken about is the need for greater social cohesion,” Mr Albanese said.
“And the last thing that Australia needs is any divisive debate relating to religion and people’s faith… I don’t intend to engage in a partisan debate when it comes to religious discrimination.”
Mr Albanese explained that he had set a time frame for bipartisan agreement to introduce legislation during the May federal budget sittings.
He attributed the lack of progress on the bill to the Coalition, stating that bipartisan agreement had not been achieved because the Opposition had failed to provide amendments to Labor’s draft.
Opposition legal affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash stated in mid-July that Labor needed to start over completely, given the rejection of the bill by faith groups.
While it had been widely speculated that the legislation was unlikely to proceed after the May deadline passed, the Prime Minister’s remarks are the first public confirmation that it would likely not move forward at all.
With church leaders and school communities vying for the ability to employ and dismiss teachers based on religious beliefs, including sexuality, Albanese’s decision has the potential to create a cultural debate that will last until the next federal election.
Source: The Catholic Weekly.
