Government’s religious discrimination bill under increasing pressure

The federal government is under increasing pressure to abandon its controversial religious discrimination bill and draw up another.

The proposed laws are intended to prevent a person from being discriminated against on the basis of their religion and would fulfil a promise the Coalition took to the last election.

Scott Morrison is facing a revolt from sections of his own party over the bill, which would prohibit schools from expelling gay students, while others say it doesn’t do enough to protect transgender students vulnerable to discrimination.

Alastair Lawrie, from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), said it was clear the bill in its current form wouldn’t work.

“What we’ve been doing is trying to point the serious problems of what is being proposed and trying to convince moderate Liberal members and the opposition that this bill should be abandoned and a much more standard religious discrimination bill, which protects on the basis of belief without allowing for the discrimination of others would be far preferable,” he said.

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