Govt plan to scrap our legal protection
The Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby (VGLRL) is seeking an urgent meeting with Victorian Attorney-General Robert Clark following an announcement the Baillieu Government will overturn a law — due to come into effect in August — which limits the right of religious organisations to discriminate against gay and lesbian people.
Clark told The Sunday Age amendments are being drafted to overturn an exemptions law which forced religious organisations to prove that a person’s sexuality or marital status would directly undermine their faith.
VGLRL co-convenor Sarah Rogan said the decision was disappointing.
“The Equal Opportunity Act is designed to be fair to everyone,” Rogan told the Star Observer.
“It’s got nothing to do with being an attack on freedom of religion. We’ve got no issue whatsoever with people with religious beliefs and faith-based organisations practising their religion, however, using their religion as a tool to discriminate is deeply problematic and troubling.”
ALSO Foundation CEO Crusader Hillis called the proposed changes a “backwards step”.
“What the previous Government was trying to do was bring religious institutions that were offering services, and often being funded by the government, in line with the Victorian Charter [of Human Rights and Responsibilities],” he said.
“If [religious-based organisations] want to operate entirely by themselves, with no support and no money from the public that might be one thing, but if they’re receiving any funding from the public there is a point they need to live up to the expectations of the law.”
Shadow Attorney-General Martin Pakula told the Star Observer he believes the Brumby Government legislation “struck the right balance”.
“It still gave churches the right to effectively be the masters of their own hiring when it came to certain positions, but where the inherent requirement of the position shouldn’t properly allow discrimination, it didn’t,” Pakula said.
Greens MLC Sue Pennicuik labelled the proposed changes “regrettable”.
“We’ve either got a commitment to universal human rights and everyone has equal rights or we don’t,” she said.
Australian Christian Lobby Victorian director Rob Ward, however, told the Star Observer the proposed changes don’t mean church-based groups will suddenly discriminate against gay and lesbian people.
“We’re not in favour of discrimination as a principle, but rather, we would see it as an act of religious freedom to be able to positively select staff and other members of the organisation who share [similar] values.
“I would say somebody who was of homosexual orientation would not generally seek employment in a circumstance where the teaching of that organisation or the values of that organisation differed from their personal beliefs, so I don’t think the issue generally arises.”
The Greens are the only party in power that advocates against our taxes being given to religious groups to promote discrimination Australians. The facts are people do not get many government services if they are run by a religious group. That is national disgrace.
Lets get some perspective on this issue – both major parties have serioulsy turned their back on our community. Last year Brumby/Hulls had the opportunity to remove the exemptions all together but caved in to the religious extremist lobby and just took a bit of the raw edge off then existing provisions. Tasmainia has such such exemptions and the sky has fallen (in fact, I have heard that doing so has encourage some religous schools to really work on the issue in a positive and constructive way). The Liberal Party’s action are only just a bit more offensive that what Labour has already done.
Remember this is about Ted selecting people for jobs based on your religious beliefs, and not on your ability.
Ted is a terrible manager of the States finances if we are going to spend billions on charities that do not employ the best people for the job.
I have just visted the official pride march victoria website, and in the photos were lots of GLBT people marching with signs and banners urging people to support the Liberals Ted Baillieu. So these GLBT people who support Ted Baillieu cannot complain about discrimination.
Taxes are a community resource. To exclude some members of the community access to government funded services, based on their sexuality, gender, race, or religious beliefs, is a gross violation of the Civil Rights of all Australians.
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals’ freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one’s ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.
Ted Baillieu and the Victorian Attorney-General Robert Clark are in my view no better than a thief and should have a citizens arrest made on them. They are attempting to take our taxes and exclude us from government funded services. Many Religious groups are against this. The community is against this. It is an attack on the great Australian ethos of a Fair Go. It is an attack on our way of life, on us for being Australian.
Remember all this the next time Ted Baillieu attempts to march at Midsummer- he has stolen from the community, and attempted to deny you access to government funded services on the basis of you not believing in a particular religious belief.
Write to him and let him know what a disgusting proposal it is to exclude members of the community from government funded services on the basis of race, sexuality, gender, marital status, and religious beliefs.
Ted Baillieu –Premier of Victoria
[email protected]
Peter Ryan –Deputy Premiere of Victoria
[email protected]
Robert Clarke – Attorney General of Victoria
[email protected]
If you are in Victoria contact your member of parliament and let them know you should not be forced to follow a particular religious belief in order to access some government funded services.