Australian archbishop urges rejection of ‘Equality Bill’ in New South Wales

Australian Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney says a proposed Bill in the state of New South Wales “will have a direct impact on people of faith, as well as vulnerable women and children.”

The Equality Bill was introduced by Independent Alex Greenwich in August 2023, and would end the current rules allowing religious schools and organizations to use their beliefs in employment policies.

The proposed legislation is strongly supported by pro-homosexual and pro-transgender organizations.

“Labor [the ruling party in New South Wales] committed to these reforms before coming to power but discrimination against students and staff is still happening around the country because of gaps in our laws that allow religious schools to play by their own rules,” said Anna Brown, the CEO of Equality Australia CEO.

However, Fisher – who is currently in Rome for the Synod on Synodality – said while the Church sympathizes with all efforts to discourage or forbid unjust discrimination against LGBT people, “there is a troubling anti-religious undercurrent in the bill.”

“For example, the bill proposes to remove the few existing protections for religious institutions from anti-discrimination lawfare, including schools, healthcare, aged care, welfare and pastoral services, while offering no protections at all for individuals of faith,” the archbishop said earlier this year.

Sydney is the capital of the state, which has a population of around 8.3 million, making it Australia’s most populous state.

Writing from Rome this week, Fisher noted if the bill is passed, it would “see a number of significant changes to our laws that will have a direct impact on people of faith, as well as vulnerable women and children.”

“More than 13,000 people responded to the NSW parliamentary inquiry into the bill. Of those, more than 85 percent asked our MPs to reject it entirely. Additionally, the largest online petition to ever be presented to the Legislative Council also asked for it to be voted down,” he wrote.

“Unfortunately, after hearing an overwhelming ‘no’ from their constituents more than once, a full parliamentary inquiry and more than a year of being able to consider its damaging implications, the government refuses to oppose the bill,” the bishop added.

He claimed, “under normal circumstances,” a private members’ bill in parliament would have expired months ago “but, remarkably, it has remained on the table and now it looks like it will be debated as early as next week.”

In his earlier comments, Fisher noted New South Wales and South Australia are the only two states in Australia “where it remains perfectly legal to discriminate against a person on the basis of their religious belief or activity.”

“In proposing to remove the only religious protections, the bill would only enlarge the scope for discrimination against believers,” the archbishop said.

He also said while prostitution has long been legal in the state, there are certain restrictions in place to “safeguard public decency,” but the proposed bill would make it permissible for a person to engage in solicitation even outside a church or faith school.

Fisher also noted the bill allows “self-identification of sex” on official documents such as birth certificates.

“This will not only put ‘women only’ spaces at risk, but make it near-impossible for religious communities to retain customs regarding separation of sexes in prayer, wedding only those of opposite sex, ordaining only men, or schooling girls separately from boys,” the archbishop said.

“It is one thing to disagree with world religions on such matters, but quite another to deny them the right to practice their faith by making official documents deceptive regarding people’s biological or birth sex,” he said.

Fisher said the bill also places vulnerable groups at risk.

“Its proposals around commercial surrogacy risk exploitation of women, especially in poorer countries; while its proposals around medical consent allow children to undergo life-altering medical treatments without parental consent, exposing children to interventions they may well later regret. Just when several overseas jurisdictions and local experts are counselling caution regarding gender-affirmative treatment of minors and even an outright ban, this state would be giving it the green light,” he said.

“The reality of this bill is that, in the name of equality gains for a few, it proposes reducing the rights of the great many with faith and puts at risk some of the most vulnerable,” Fisher said.

Follow Charles Collins on X: @CharlesinRome