Liberal MP Fiona Martin shares why she crossed the floor for Religious Discrimination Bill

·

First-term Liberal MP, Fiona Martin, was one of five party members who crossed the Parliamentary floor last Thursday to pass Labor amendments to the government’s Religious Discrimination Bill.

The bill was a packaged deal that was accompanied by a proposal to amend s38(3) of the Sex Discrimination Act, which gives religious schools a legal exemption to discriminate against students on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

READ MORE: ‘We are very vulnerable’: Fiona Martin MP warns national mental health will take time.

READ MORE: ‘It fills the void’: Attorney-General and Immigration Minister discuss Religious Discrimination Bill.

Dr Martin supported the government’s centrepiece Religious Discrimination Bill, but half an hour later crossed the floor to vote for an amendment to scrap s38(3) provision entirely, extending protections to transgender students as well.

In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Dr Martin, who has two decades worth of experience as a child psychologist, said she had to cross the floor to defend her principles.

READ MORE: Fiona Martin MP calls for ‘critically significant’ reform of mental health system.

Fiona Martin MP.

“This is what defines me as a human. I’ve dedicated my life to child psychology, and then to support something that hurts these vulnerable people that I’ve actually worked with just goes against everything that I stand for,” Dr Martin said in the interview.

“In the end, I wanted a guarantee that our kids were going to be protected and there did not seem to be any certainty there.”

Ultimately the law currently remains unchanged. While the religious discrimination package passed the Lower House, the government shelved the bill before it could be debated in the Senate.

READ MORE: Fiona Martin MP launches ‘Liberal Friends of Greece’ initiative.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Dr Christos Theologos: ‘Dance keeps us bound to our roots, from Chios to Sydney’

As part of the Zeibekiko Festival Australia, respected folklorist Dr Christos Theologos will lead a series of lectures and workshops.

South Melbourne turns to supporters ahead of Australian Championship kick-off

The opening clash of the Australian Championship will be an event shaped by the voices of the fans themselves.

Low birth rates and ageing: The silent enemy of the Greek nation

From the late 1990s it had become clear to Greek demographers and social scientists that the number of births in Greece was falling.

Peta Trimis: The new star of Australian football with a Hellenic soul

At just 19 years old, Peta Trimis is already being hailed as one of the brightest young stars of Australian football.

A second chance at life: Angelo Alateras’ journey from mechanical heart to transplant hope

After years on life support, 80kgs lost, and 615 days of physio, Angelo finally received the gift of a new heart.

You May Also Like

Baby of Cretan surrogacy clinic scandal sold to Australian woman

A baby born in Chania as part of the Cretan surrogacy clinic scandal which took place in August has been sold to a woman in Australia.

Greek Consul General in Melbourne receives Order of the Christ-Loving medal

The Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, Emmanuel Kakavelakis, has been awarded the medal of the Order of the Christ-Loving.

Police fire tear gas to break up banned gatherings in Greece

Left-wing opposition parties decried the ban as unconstitutional, although the country’s highest administrative court, the Council of State, ruled otherwise.