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Religious discrimination laws are back in the news, and if you’re thinking “didn’t we have this debate and sort it out years ago?”, the answer is yes, and no.
As Luke Beck explains, the issue has its roots in the 2017 marriage equality plebiscite. Despite more than 60% of Australians voting “yes”, conservative religious groups were offered a religious freedom review in its aftermath. The review did not find that Australia had a religious discrimination problem, but it did recommend new laws to protect against such discrimination. So in 2018, the Morrison government proposed a Religious Discrimination Act.
Parts of the proposed laws were highly controversial, and they never passed.
In the lead-up to the 2022 federal election, “Anthony Albanese promised to change federal law to ban discrimination against LGTBQIA+ students and staff by religious schools, and to protect people against discrimination on the basis of their religious beliefs or lack of religious beliefs,” Beck explains.
After Labor won the election, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus asked the Australian Law Reform Commission to advise how the law would need to be changed to comply with Labor’s election promise. That report is due to be released today, amid intense politicking in anticipation of it.
Religious discrimination laws have a long and tumultuous recent history in Australia. And it is still far from over.
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Amanda Dunn
Politics + Society Editor
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Luke Beck, Monash University
Religious discrimination laws have been highly controversial in Australia in recent years. Here’s where they started, and where we are now.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Wong says she delivered a strong message to her counterpart on the sentencing of Australian writer Yang Hengjun on espionage charges.
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Anne Twomey, University of Sydney
The government will head back to the High Court next month for another immigration case. If it loses, there could be wide-ranging consequences.
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Marina Yue Zhang, University of Technology Sydney; Wanning Sun, University of Technology Sydney
TikTok has mobilised its vast user base to contest a possible US ban, plus it could challenge it in court as an infringement of people’s free speech.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
TikTok has come into the spotlight after the US. congress proposed a bill to force it's sale away from Chinese owned company ByteDance. To discuss this we're joined by Cyber expert Lesley Seebeck.
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Marten Risius, The University of Queensland; Stan Karanasios, The University of Queensland
Online extremism is a unique challenge – terrorists use methods that can’t be captured by standard content moderation. So, what can we do about it?
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Robert Hortle, University of Tasmania
Tasmanians head to the polls on Saturday in an election that was called more than a year early. After a largely uninspiring campaign, here’s your guide to state election.
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Kimberley Baxter, Queensland University of Technology; Rebecca Byrne, Queensland University of Technology
Parents told us how the ever-present juggle of budgets and the realities of family life strained relationships and increased their mental load.
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Stephanie Perkiss, University of Wollongong; Cristiana Bernardi, The Open University; John Dumay, Macquarie University
The 5th Edition of the Chocolate Scorecard reveals that some retailers are lagging when it comes to selling sustainable products.
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Chloe Lucas, University of Tasmania; Charlotte Earl-Jones, University of Tasmania; Gabi Mocatta, Deakin University; Gretta Pecl, University of Tasmania; Kim Beasy, University of Tasmania; Rachel Kelly, University of Tasmania
The result shows climate change education in schools must become more holistic and empowering, and children should be allowed to shape the future they will inherit.
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Muhammad Rizwan Azhar, Edith Cowan University; Waqas Uzair, Edith Cowan University; Yasir Arafat, Edith Cowan University
China’s two largest EV battery makers are pledging to slash the cost of their batteries this year. Behind the pledge is a cost war – and new battery chemistries.
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Gabriel Garcia Ochoa, Monash University
Until August is the fruit of Gabriel García Márquez’s labour against adversity, a moving testament of his love for and commitment to literature.
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Politics + Society
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Emma McNicol, Monash University
50 years ago, the first shelter for women experiencing domestic violence was established in Sydney. It’s opening was far from a ribbon-cutting affair, but it’s legacy is long and powerful.
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Health + Medicine
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Jacinta L. Johnson, University of South Australia; Wern Chai, University of South Australia
Older people and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are at much greater risk of hospitalisation from UTI. Prompt medical care is important.
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Science + Technology
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Yuan-Sen Ting, Australian National University; Fan Liu, Monash University
The largest study yet of ‘twin stars’ shows planetary orbits may be less stable than we thought.
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Environment + Energy
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Tim Wardlaw, University of Tasmania
Our tallest trees are world champions when it comes to capturing and storing carbon, but they don’t like the heat. Climate change will trigger mass tree deaths in Tasmania. Here’s what can be done.
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Michael Bunce, University of Otago; Simon Jarman, Curtin University
Monitoring methods based on environmental DNA are faster, more comprehensive and cheaper than traditional ecological surveys. They help fill gaps in New Zealand’s data on river health.
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Janice Lord, University of Otago; Connal McLean, Te Papa Tongarewa
Many common insects seem to disappear during autumn and winter – but they are still around. Making your garden a good winter habitat can help these vital pollinators survive and thrive.
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Arts + Culture
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William Peterson, Auckland University of Technology
The theatre, dance and music works at this year’s festival have helped fulfil a three-pronged vision from some two decades ago.
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Cherine Fahd, University of Technology Sydney; Sara Oscar, University of Technology Sydney
White saviourism is the paternalistic notion that white people are needed to “save” people of colour from their circumstances.
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Books + Ideas
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Richard Scully, University of New England; Robert Phiddian, Flinders University; Stephanie Brookes, Monash University
Is it really OK that the Americans, Canadians, French and New Zealanders manage to do better by their cartoon and comic heritage than Australia?
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Business + Economy
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Leonora Risse, University of Canberra
Businesses with more than 500 employees will need to meet targets against at least three gender equality indicators.
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