The Archbishop of Sydney says the Catholic Church will have to consider shutting down schools and hospitals if they lose the right to discriminate against LGBTIQA+ employees and students.
One of the Catholic Church’s most senior leaders in Australia says if their institutions lose the right to hire and hire staff, and the ability to expel students over their sexuality and gender identity, they may have to consider drastic action.
Speaking to The Australian, the Archbishop said Australia was heading to a “crunch point” in the debate over religious discrimination protections.
Archbishop Fisher said Catholic schools would have to consider closing “if we were told we were not allowed to take religion into account in who we employ, or in the ethos of our schools, which is quite a push at the moment”.
“So there’s an example of, I think, a crunch point that would force us to consider withdrawal from a ministry,” Archbishop Fisher said.
While the Archbishop says the tipping point for closures has not yet been reached, it would escalate if the government puts forward religious discrimination protections that covered staff.
Currently more that 800,000 students are taught in Catholic schools across Australia.
The issue of schools retaining their right to expel students who are transgender, bisexual or homosexual was first raised in the Ruddock Review – which was commissioned in the wake of marriage equality being achieved in Australia.
Then Prime Minister Scott Morrison promised to fix the legislative loophole affecting students “in a fortnight” back on October 2020, but rejected providing protections for teachers and other school staff.
The issue has become a drawn-out debate in Australian politics. The Morrison government developed two different attempts at legislation, but then saw members of the Liberal party cross the floor to vote against it.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also vowed to introduce legislation but says he will only put it forward if there is bipartisan support. Earlier this week Shadow Attorney General Michaelia Cash reportedly walked out of a meeting with Attorney General Mark Dreyfus after they clashed over the latest version of the legislation.
Archbishop Fisher’s suggestion that schools and hospitals would be forced to close if they were unable to hire and fire staff in line with religious doctrine has raised some eyebrows though, Tasmania has laws that protect LGBTIQA+ staff and Catholic schools and hospitals have continued operating for decades since they were introduced.
