20 March 2024
A Bi-Partisan Religious Discrimination Bill IS possible.
Christian schools across Australia call upon the Government and the Opposition to work together in a spirit of respect and cooperation to achieve a bi-partisan Religious Discrimination Bill.
“We believe bipartisan support is possible – we saw what it looks like in the Religious Discrimination Bill 2022 passed by the House of Representatives on 10 February 2022,” said Mark Spencer, Director of Public Policy for Christian Schools Australia.
‘The 2022 bill was passed overwhelmingly, 91-6 by the House of Representatives,’ he said.
There was widespread community support for the 2022 bill, which was subject to intense scrutiny.
‘Two exposure drafts of that bill were subject to wide consultation, with over 13,000 submissions’, said Vanessa Cheng, Executive Officer for Australian Association of Christian Schools.
‘Two parliamentary committees recommended that the Parliament pass that bill,’ she said, ‘it would be ludicrous to ignore all that hard work’.
People of faith have waited far too long for the protection of a Religious Discrimination Act. Christian schools and their communities are calling on all parliamentarians to put politics aside and focus on protecting fundamental human rights in accordance with international law.
‘The Prime Minister, Opposition Leader and the Attorney-General all voted for the 2022 bill, why would they abandon it now?’ Mr Spencer said.
‘Let’s see our parliamentarians working together for the good of our nation and for future generations of Australian children to benefit from Christian schooling,’ said Mrs Cheng
Christian schools are calling on the Government and Opposition to work together and pass religious discrimination protections in the form of the Religious Discrimination Bill 2022.
ENDS
About us:
Christian Schools Australia (CSA) and Australian Association of Christian Schools (AACS) are national bodies that support and represent schools for whom religious formation is an integral part of the education process.
In combination, CSA, and AACS schools educate more than 120,000 students across more than 250 locations nationally.
Contact details:
For all media enquiries:
Mark Spencer, Christian Schools Australia, 0419 419 224
Vanessa Cheng, Australian Association of Christian Schools, 0416 244 372