Freedom of Association

Permalink

ICS strongly supports the NSW Joint Select Committee Report on the Anti-Discrimination Amendment (Religious Freedoms and Equality) Bill 2020 (NSW)

An all-party NSW Parliamentary Joint Select Committee Report has made detailed recommendations for a NSW Government Bill to protect people and organisations from discrimination based on their religious belief or activity.[1] The Committee’s Report deserves strong support. Federal, State and Territory anti-discrimination laws all prohibit discrimination based on race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation and

By Mark Sneddon| July 10th, 2021|Freedom of Conscience and Religion|

Permalink

Anti-conversion Bill’s rigid ideology and overreach will harm not help

The Andrews Government’s Conversion and Suppression Practices Ban Bill started with an idea many would support – banning non-consensual aversion therapy for sexual orientation. But it totally jumps the shark by making illegal (and often criminal) a very wide range of conduct directed towards a person (from mere conversation to counselling to therapy) by anyone

By Mark Sneddon| December 8th, 2020|Freedom of Conscience and Religion|

Permalink

Scare Campaign Against Bill Uses Hypotheticals, But Real People Need Its Protection

Australians who regularly practise their religion are in a minority. Those who follow traditional religious practices on matters like sexual ethics, marriage, sanctity of human life, prayer and fasting or religious dress are an unpopular minority in some quarters. Like other minorities, they experience discrimination, but they don’t have the same legal protection. All federal,

By Mark Sneddon| March 3rd, 2020|Freedom of Conscience and Religion|

Permalink

Mark Sneddon on ABC TV: Israel Folau, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion

"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

By Mark Sneddon| December 10th, 2019|Freedom of Conscience and Religion, Uncategorized|

Permalink

Comments on the Exposure Draft of the Religious Discrimination Bill 2019 and the Human Rights Legislation Amendment (Freedom of Religion) Bill 2019

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

By Mark Sneddon| September 25th, 2019|Freedom of Conscience and Religion|

Permalink

Protecting Freedom of Religion and Belief in Anti-Discrimination Law – A First Look at the Religious Discrimination Bill

Mark Sneddon recently delivered a conference presentation on the newly proposed Religious Discrimination Bill. A PDF of the presentation is available here.

By Mark Sneddon| September 6th, 2019|Uncategorized|

Permalink

Policy and Drafting Issues in a Religious Discrimination Bill

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

By Mark Sneddon| August 27th, 2019|Freedom of Conscience and Religion|

Permalink

The Campaign to Remove Religious Freedoms in Anti-Discrimination Law – Video Explainer

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

By Mark Sneddon| June 19th, 2019|Freedom of Conscience and Religion|

Permalink

Australians Want Protection for Freedom of Religion and Conscience

Prof. Mark Sneddon, ICS Executive Director, discusses the Galaxy poll on freedom of religion and freedom of conscience, and the importance of these issues for the 2019 Federal Election. A new poll, conducted by YouGov Galaxy and published by the Institute for Civil Society on Wednesday shows a vast majority of Australians think freedom of conscience

By Simon Kennedy| May 17th, 2019|Featured, Freedom of Association, Freedom of Conscience and Religion, News|

Permalink

Poll Shows Strong Support for Protecting Freedoms of Thought, Conscience, Belief

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

By Mark Sneddon| May 14th, 2019|Freedom of Conscience and Religion|