"The better remedy for views which you think are objectionable is to rebut them. The remedy for bad speech is good speech. The remedy for bad ideas is better arguments on the other side. And that's how a free society operates, and that's how hopefully we get closer to truth while not shutting each other
PDF version available here. Executive summary ICS believes that the Religious Discrimination Bill (RD Bill) has much to commend it. However, there are a number of amendments and improvements that should be made in order to bolster the protection of freedom of religion and to meet Australia’s obligations under Article 18 of the International Covenant on
Mark Sneddon recently delivered a conference presentation on the newly proposed Religious Discrimination Bill. A PDF of the presentation is available here.
Revised 24 July 2019 PDF version here. This paper raises and makes recommendations concerning some key policy and drafting issues for a Religious Discrimination Act (RDA). It is recognised that an RDA is only the first step in implementing the government’s election commitments in relation to the Ruddock report and its response to broader concerns about
A PDF version of this paper is available here. On 13 December 2018 the Prime Minister released the government’s response to the Ruddock review – see here. His media release said[1]: “Our response to the Religious Freedom Review includes: establishing religion as a protected attribute in a new Religious Discrimination Act, rendering discrimination on this
Mark Sneddon took part in a conversation at St John’s Cathedral Parramatta on Religious Freedom with John Anderson AO and John Steenhoff in April 2019. In this excerpt Mark discusses Religious Freedom provisions in Anti-Discrimination Law and the campaign to remove them including the Greens and ALP Senate Bills in November 2018 – February 2019
A new YouGov Galaxy opinion survey shows that Australians strongly support the need for legal protections for freedoms of thought, conscience and belief (including religious belief) and that support has risen sharply in the last two years. 75% of those surveyed agreed that freedom of thought, conscience and belief in public through speech, practice and teaching
SUBMISSION TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF THE PARLIAMENT OF TASMANIA JUSTICE AND RELATED LEGISLATION (MARRIAGE AMENDMENTS) BILL 2018 20 March 2019 We oppose the new concept of “gender expression” being included in “gender identity” as a new basis for unlawful discrimination and for insulting or offending unlawful conduct - Clause 9 amendments (a) and (b).
The Labor Party’s proposed amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act, currently before the Senate, will severely limit the freedom of religious schools and religious adult education institutions which train chaplains, missionaries and in Australia. Summary Contrary to the recommendations of the Ruddock Panel on Religious Freedom, the ALP (Senator Wong) has introduced a Bill into the Senate to amend
Pre-empting the release of the Ruddock Panel Report on Religious Freedom, the Greens recently introduced a Bill to the Senate. It seeks to amend the Sex Discrimination Act and risks the freedom of religious Australians. The leaked recommendations of the Ruddock Report would continue the current exemptions in the Sex Discrimination Act that allow religious
