Liberal MP, and former Human Rights Commissioner, Tim Wilson says the concerns the Labor party has voiced about the legislation the government has put forward to stop LGBTI children being expelled from school over their sexuality are “complete rubbish”.
Appearing on the ABC’s National Wrap Wilson told host Patricia Karvelas that he had no problems with the legislation and he believed it would provide adequate protection for students.
The Prime Minister had vowed to remove the exemptions from the sexual discrimination act that allow religious based schools to expel students over their sexuality before the end of the parliamentary year, but was unable to come to an agreement with the opposition.
The Labor party has argued that an amendment to the bill that the government has suggested could potentially allow for more discrimination. Wilson dismissed those concerns describing them as “complete rubbish”.
Wilson said the government has the right approach. “The provision that’s currently there under section 38-3 gives a general exemption to religious schools to be able to decide who can come into the school or not, or a role at the school or not. We would be getting rid of that provision and making sure that there were no general exemptions from the sex discrimination act.”
The Victorian MP said at the same time the government wanted to ensure religious freedom by adding a new provision that would allow schools to continue teaching in line with their beliefs.
Wilson said the amendment that was being proposed simply referred to teaching practice and nothing more. The MP said the amendment would not cover a concern raised by his colleague Queensland MP Amanda Stoker.
Stoker has advocated that additional changes need to be added to protect religious schools from activist parents and activist children who might want to form gay clubs within religious schools. Wilson said he didn’t believe the legislation put forward would relate to anything beyond teaching content.
Labor’s Senator Louise Pratt also appeared on the show and said Labor’s concerns were legitimate and there was a concern that the proposed amendment would allow discrimination to continue.
“We think it’s fine that all schools should be able to teach all students according to their ethos, which might include for example values around marriage in religious education. But would it be okay to pull out an individual student and teach them that somehow they were personally deviant and some kind of conversion therapy?
“Our concern is that this kind of teaching would be allowed in schools, and I’ve certainly seen cases where this kind of behaviour has happened.”
Senator Pratt said the government should release the Ruddock Review into religious freedom.
OIP Staff
