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The current debate regarding the ability of faith-based schools to preference staff who share a common faith appears to ignore a crucial principle of international human rights law that aims for a principled balancing of conflicting rights. World War II was the deadliest military conflict [...]

Take a Stand for Our Religious Freedom It's a grave time for religious freedom in Australia. As you may have already heard, in the Australian Capital Territory, the Labor-Greens Coalition has passed legislation to forcibly acquire Calvary Hospital on July 3. Calvary Hospital is [...]

The Prime Minister must intervene to stop the ACT government’s takeover of a Catholic hospital and assure Christians that their institutions are safe. The ACT government’s unprecedented decision to take over Calvary Public Hospital sets a dangerous precedent that should worry all Christian organisations. If [...]

Palliative care hospice Clare Holland House is also at risk, with ACT Government claiming staff want to "take palliative care into the future." Legislation to enable the compulsory acquisition of Calvary Public Hospital by the ACT Government has passed the territory’s Legislative Assembly after a [...]

The compulsory acquisition is because Calvary Hospital and the ACT government had a fundamental disagreement over the definition of healthcare. For the government, the provision of abortion is non-negotiable. Calvary Hospital relies on institutional conscientious objection to refrain from participating in abortion.

On 4 November 2022, the Attorney-General, the Hon Mark Dreyfus MP, asked the ALRC to recommend reforms to the law to implement the Government’s policy commitment to a Religious Discrimination Bill that is consistent with Australia’s international legal obligations. On 27 January 2023, the ALRC [...]

Australia’s Christian schools are under threat from “woke bigotry”, warns Senator Ralph Babet, who spoke up in their defence this week. In a passionate two-minute speech yesterday, UAP Senator for Victoria Ralph Babet offered a strong defence of Christian schools on the floor of the [...]

(Editor’s Note: This Religious Freedom and Education Forum did not include Lyle Shelton in Group A standing as an independent on behalf of Family First in the Upper House for the 2023 NSW State Election. You may feel that you would like to add him [...]

By Mark Sneddon The Australian Law Reform Commission recommends abolishing balancing provisions that protect religious institutions in anti-discrimination laws. This article is Part 1 of 2. I will start with an overview of the three areas of law I want to talk about and will [...]

Parents are increasingly choosing private over public education. Governments should respect that choice instead of undermining religious freedom and parental rights. For quite some time, I have been concerned about the attack upon private schools, and in particular, those who are faith-based. With almost boring [...]

Just how many things that we warned about have now come to pass? We told you so. We told you so. We told you so. There, I said it. Three times. I know it is not good form to rub it in when you tried [...]

Alongside pandemic cronyism’s cost-of-living pressures, the battle for religious freedom is a vital political battleground. As a long-cherished key component of freedoms, protected under Christ-centred classical liberalism, freedom of religion is the proverbial canary in the coal mine. Learn from the history of Eastern Europe [...]

Just before Christmas, a significant religious discrimination decision was handed down in the Western Australian State Administrative Tribunal. In HORDYK and WANSLEA FAMILY SERVICES INC [2022] WASAT 117 (23 December 2022), the Tribunal held that Mr and Mrs Hordyk had been indirectly discriminated against on [...]

The question hit me with fresh force as I read it: ‘What gender is your child?’ I had read and answered similar questions before, at least about my gender. But this question from my son’s local soccer club about his gender gave the following options: [...]

A Nicaraguan bishop falsely accused of “spreading fake news” has chosen life in prison over exile in the United States. Rolando Álvarez, a vocal opponent of Nicaragua’s socialist President Daniel Ortego, was sentenced on Friday to 26 years in gaol, after being “tried” for “treason”. [...]

Religious schools are gearing up for a fight with the Palaszczuk government over proposed reforms that will make it harder for them to sack LGBTQ+ teachers. Controversial law changes, recommended by the state’s Human Rights Commission, would prevent church-run schools from discriminating against employees on [...]

If the Federal Government implements legal changes recommended by the Australian Law Reform Commission, religious schools will soon face the same gender identity and sexual orientation policies as state schools. In 2013, the federal Sex Discrimination Act (SDA) made a person’s self-identified gender identity and [...]

Inspirational Christian speaker, mentor and surfing champion Bethany Hamilton has made international headlines for having the audacity to speak out against the outrageous new transgender policy of the World Surfing League. Bethany has declared she “won’t be competing in or supporting the World Surfing League [...]

An in-depth analysis of Australian politics during the last few decades of societal upheaval and economic woes. What values and principles guide our major parties? In 1999, Australia conducted its largest taxpayer-funded focus group -- the referendum on a republic. Voting in the referendum was [...]

Conversion therapy lawfare claims its first victim with Maltese police criminally charging a former homosexual under Malta’s 2016 “conversion therapy” laws. Summoned by police in June 2022, Matthew Grech is accused of ‘advertising conversion practices, and breaking article 3, chapter 567 of Maltese laws’ after [...]