16th Oct 2018, 3:50 PM – Senate Motions - Religious Freedom Review - Discrimination against LGBTI students and staff

The majority voted in favour of motion introduced by Labor Senator Penny Wong, which means it succeeded.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) Australia is a tolerant and accepting nation and discrimination against LGBTI Australians has no place in our national laws,

(ii) the Government has had the Review into Religious Freedoms since May 2018, and has so far refused to release it so Australia can have a proper debate about these important issues,

(iii) repeated leaks over the last week have suggested that the review will recommend changes to exemptions from anti-discrimination legislation in relation to LGBTI students and staff,

(iv) many religious education institutions have made clear that they do not use, nor do they want, these exemptions, and

(v) these exemptions are out of step with the views and beliefs of most Australians; and

(b) calls on the Federal Government to:

(i) immediately introduce legislation which would abolish the current exemptions that permit discrimination against LGBTI students and staff in religious schools, and

(ii) immediately release the Review into Religious Freedoms so the Australian people can have a mature debate about how we can best balance protection of religious freedom with the rights of people to live free from discrimination, in compliance with the orders of the Senate of 19 September and 20 September 2018.