IEU disappointed by Federal Labor’s broken promise on anti-discrimination law

The federal government will not legislate before the next election to protect LGBTIQA+ people from discrimination by religious schools.

Firing, expelling, and discriminating against LGBTIQA+ staff and students in religious schools is still legal under our federal laws.

Before the last federal election, the Australian Government promised to close the carve-outs in our laws that disadvantage LGBTIQA+ people in religious schools. But in a press conference in mid-August, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the window for action had passed because an agreement could not be reached with the opposition.

Equality Australia spokesperson Anna Brown says that news is ‘devastating’.

‘It’s a broken promise to our community that carries real-world consequences. Every delay means people are left exposed to the distress that discrimination causes.

‘We know that with every delay – every missed opportunity and broken promise – children are forced to walk through their school gates afraid to be themselves, while teachers and staff can be fired simply for being LGBTIQA+, pregnant, divorced, or unmarried.

‘Laws enabling disadvantage and inequality should have no place in 2024.’

The IEU has fought alongside Equality Australia, winning significant anti-discrimination provisions in Victoria. We share EA’s distress at the postponement of these important reforms and we will continue to campaign for their introduction.

The Australian Greens said the Australian Law Reform Commission’s 2023 report was ‘a roadmap to reform everyone could agree to, and Labor has had a clear pathway through the Senate, with the support of the Greens and crossbench, to deliver those recommendations in full’.

‘But to Labor, the only opinion that matters is Peter Dutton’s.’ The Guardian Australia reported, ‘In opposition, Anthony Albanese committed a future Labor government to passing legislation that would prevent discrimination against people of faith, including anti-vilification protection; protect all students from discrimination on any grounds; and protect teachers from discrimination at work, while ensuring religious schools maintained the right to preference people of their faith during hiring processes’.

It seems we must wait until after the next election to see if those commitments will be met.

Watch and share an Equality Australia video to keep this issue on the national agenda.
Go to their Instagram site or: rb.gy/xc59be

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Go to: equalityaustralia.org.au/our-work/ freedom-from-discrimination/