'How safe are religious exemptions in Anti-Discrimination Law?' by Monica Doumit

Описание: Prior to the federal election, the then-Labor opposition laid out its plans for anti-discrimination law. If these pre-election undertakings are maintained, we can expect the newly-elected Labor Government to attempt to combine all federal anti-discrimination laws into a single piece of legislation, to refer the matter of religious exemptions in anti-discrimination law to the Australian Law Reform Commission, and to seek to protect LGBT students and teachers from discrimination while simultaneously maintaining the right of faith-based schools to teach religious doctrine and preference staff of the same faith.

Given Labor will need to rely on the Greens in the Senate to pursue its legislative agenda, how realistic are any protections for religious individuals and institutions? What should we be doing now to prepare for all religious exemptions to anti-discrimination law being removed?

Monica Doumit is the Director of Public Affairs and Engagement for the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, engaging in policy and communications for issues such as abortion, euthanasia, marriage and religious freedom. She was also the communications director and spokeswoman for the Coalition for Marriage during the 2017 plebiscite on marriage. She is an adjunct senior lecturer in law at the University of Notre Dame Australia and a regular columnist for the Catholic Weekly. Prior to working for the Archdiocese, Monica spent ten years working as a corporate lawyer in Sydney and London, and holds degrees in law and medical science, a diploma in finance and a masters in bioethics.