2020 Religious Freedom Bills submission
As a part of his internship at the University of Melbourne, Connor Shaw prepared this report to explore the effect that the currently proposed religious discrimination bills would have on the rights of Australian women and other vulnerable communities.
This report contends that “religious freedom is already subject to adequate protections in Australia, and that any further explicit right to religion is a response to the recent progression of events that are controversial to religious beliefs, such as marriage equality and gender reform.”
“The far-reaching scope of the draft Religious Discrimination Bill 2019 and its dramatic departure from conventional discrimination law frameworks holds heightened risk for abortion and health service access, health and sexual education, responses to institutional child sexual abuse and offensive speech. It is this report’s conclusion that religious freedom protections will create a superseding right to religious dignity over the basic human dignity of vulnerable communities, particularly women.”
On January 30th, VWT submitted Connor’s report to the Attorney General’s Religious Freedom Bills – second exposure draft consultations writing that VWT has, “serious concerns about this proposed legislation and its negative impacts on Australian women.”
VWT has joined with other women and gender equality organisations to oppose the Religious Discrimination Bill on the grounds that it risks women’s health and safety as a part of the Our Health, Our Rights, Our Lives! Women say NO to the Religious Discrimination Bill Campaign.
Click here to read more about the campaign.
To download a pdf of Connor Shaw’s report, click the button below.
