On 26 November 2021, pursuant to section 7(c) of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011, the Attorney-General referred to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights the following matters for inquiry and report by 4 February 2022:
- The Religious Discrimination Bill 2021 ('the bill');
- The Religious Discrimination (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2021;
- The Human Rights Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 (together referred to as 'the religious discrimination legislative package').
To the gauge the public's view on this religious discrimination legislation, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights has organised an online survey. All people are encouraged to complete the survey. The survey contains ten questions and closes 5:00 PM, Tuesday 22 December 2021.
You can access the survey here.
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has welcomed the introduction of the Religious Discrimination Bill, which will prohibit discrimination on the basis of a person’s religious belief or activity in a range of areas of public life.
Archbishop Peter A Comensoli, chair of the Bishops Commission for Life, Family and Public Engagement, has commended the Bill, saying it offers “a positive expression of religious freedom” that will be “an important progression towards parity with other anti-discrimination laws in Australia”. Read his full statement here.