Include GLBTs in ‘values’

The Australian Secular Party is contesting its second federal election, this time with official party status.

The party supports same-sex marriage, an end to school chaplains, no religious exemptions in anti-discrimination laws, and it wants migrants educated about Australian values, including tolerance for sexual minorities, party president John Perkins told Sydney Star Observer.

Perkins said the policy was inspired by Somalian atheist and feminist Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who has said countries like Australia shouldn’t be afraid to prioritise migrants based on compatibility of values out of fear of being called racist.

Since 2007, migrants have been made to sign an Australian values statement which pledges them to respect this country’s rules and customs.

Perkins believes better educating migrants about the full range of Australian rights, including GLBT rights, would better ensure that the right people choose to settle here.

“We have a lot of migrants coming to Australia, and we genuinely welcome migrants,” he said. “But I think we should make clear that … Australian law predominates over any religious law.

“For people who do hold their religious law over any secular law, I think it would make them think twice about whether they really wanted to come here given that what they would prefer is not what is expected.”

Currently the values statement does not mention equal treatment of sexual minorities, although it mentions “race, religion or ethnic background” and the “equality of men and women”.

When asked if he’d like to see the statement changed to include sexual minorities, Perkins said, “Definitely”.

Secular Party candidate for Sydney, Christopher Owen told Sydney Star Observer he was running against sitting Labor MP Tanya Plibersek so that people who believed religious bias should play no role in politics could be heard — with same-sex marriage a top priority.

“Basically, there’s a group of parliamentarians who share a faith, and it doesn’t really matter to them that the majority of people want things like same-sex marriage to go through,” Owen said.