Australian prime minister Scott Morrison (Stefan Postles/Getty) Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has backtracked on comments he made about a potential new law which could see gay students discriminated against by religious schools. The controversy began earlier this week when reports surfaced about a government commissioned report on religious freedom which suggested that the current law should be reformed to allow religious schools to turn gay students away on the basis of their sexuality. Morrison initially responded to the controversy by saying that schools should be run in line with their religious principles. However, speaking to Sky News on Thursday, Morrison said that he would “happily take the criticism” for not ruling out sexuality as a grounds for discrimination of students sooner. He added that he was “not comfortable” with the idea of religious schools turning gay students away, and accused Fairfax Media, which first reported the recommendation, of misrepresenting the report. While the full report has not yet been released, reports suggest that it recommends that the Australian government amend the Sex Discrimination Act to provide “that religious schools may discriminate in relation to students on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or relationship status.” The Sex Discrimination Act currently makes it illegal to discriminate against somebody on a number of grounds in Australia, however, religious bodies are exempt. Despite this, some states, including Tasmania and Queensland, have specific anti-discrimination laws in place which prohibit discrimination against students based on their sexuality. Responding to the controversy, Morrison said that the report was focused on protecting the right to religious freedom, while at the same time not disrespecting the rights of others – including LGBT+ people. He added that he doesn’t think someone should be “kicked out” of school “because they have a different sexuality to what might be believed to be the appropriate thing by a particular religious group.” Earlier this week, LGBT+ campaigner Rodney Croome of Just.equal said that if a new law is introduced based on the report, it would “give new life to old prejudices.” “There would be an upsurge in LGBTI students being excluded and teachers fired,” he added. “Mr Morrison has misled the nation by suggesting nothing will change.” The full report—compiled by former Labor attorney general Philip Ruddock—has not yet been made public, and despite calls to publish it in advance of a byelection later this month, Morrison has said that the government plans to “deal with this by the end of the year.” When Morrison became Prime Minister of Australia in August, many in the LGBT+ community were concerned, as he has been a vocal opponent to marriage equality, and has spoken out in favour of religious liberty. Before getting the top position, Morrison addressed the marriage equality referendum in Australia, in which 61 percent of Australians voted in favour. He said that as many, if not more Australians, wanted to see laws introduced that would protect religious freedom.<doc-sep>(CNN) Prime Minister Scott Morrison said religious schools in Australia are already legally allowed to deny students a place based on their sexual orientation, following criticism of a leaked report that proposes allowing schools to bar them. Morrison was commenting on the contents of a leaked report on religious freedoms, reigniting debate about what constitutes unlawful discrimination against gay people just months after Australia's Parliament voted to legalize same-sex marriage. Fairfax Media reported Wednesday it had seen contents of the report , which recommended amendments to a federal law that allows religious schools to discriminate against students "on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or relationship status." When asked if he thought religious schools should be able to turn away students on the basis of sexual orientation, Morrison demurred twice, saying "that is the existing law." The Prime Minister's office said he was referring to a section in the federal Sex Discrimination Act that exempts religious educational institutions from some discrimination requirements. However, some states have passed their own discrimination laws and do not allow religious schools to reject students on the basis of sexual orientation. "We're not proposing to change that law to take away that existing arrangement that exists," Morrison said. JUST WATCHED Australians say 'yes' to same-sex marriage Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Australians say 'yes' to same-sex marriage 02:53 Morrison, who opposed the same-sex marriage bill and abstained from the final vote in December 2017, vowed to change the law to protect religious freedom in an interview last month , shortly after the sudden ouster of former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. But Morrison said any new laws would take into account the religious freedom review, which Turnbull commissioned in order to assuage the concerns of marriage equality opponents who said the new law infringed on their religious rights. The report was compiled after a public consultation period that attracted 15,000 submissions and submitted to Turnbull in May, but the government has yet to formally release it, Fairfax reported. "We have a report that's been provided to the government. It's a report to government, not from government. It's a report that the government will be considering and developing a balanced response to, and we will do that in our orderly process, taking it through Cabinet," Morrison said Wednesday. Critics, including civil liberty groups, members of the opposition Labor Party and gay rights advocates, said the government should not be proposing avenues for discrimination. "The fact of the matter is that every child is entitled to human dignity. We shouldn't even be having this debate," opposition leader Bill Shorten said. Alex Greenwich, an MP from Sydney and a gay rights activist, said he was concerned about the divisiveness of the report. "One of the tragic things out of this report is it seeks to establish a narrative of gay versus God," he told Sky News Australia. "The faith community is largely supportive of the LGBTQI community and the LGBTQI community is very supportive and respective of the faith community." According to Fairfax, the panel rejected the idea put forward by Australian conservatives that religious freedom was in "imminent peril." It also found that businesses should not be allowed to refuse service to customers on religious grounds because it would "unnecessarily encroach on other human rights" and "may cause significant harm to vulnerable groups," Fairfax reported. Australian Attorney-General Christian Porter said in a statement Wednesday that the report does not propose creating any new exemptions for religious schools to discriminate on the basis of sexuality, nor does it make any changes to the regime currently in place. The law was last amended in 2012, when the opposition Labor party was in power. "The exemption that allows schools to make employment and student admission decisions in a way consistent with the tenets of their religion already exists for religious schools," he said. Morrison said the report has not been considered by the Cabinet, but would be released "in due course." "It will be released with a response from the Government, once we're in a position to advise our comprehensive response to that report, and once we've carefully considered and respectfully considered all the measures and recommendations and proposals that have been put forward," he said.<doc-sep>Bill Shorten has offered Scott Morrison Labor’s support to repeal discrimination law exemptions that allow religious schools to turn away and expel gay students. Shorten made the offer at a media conference on Friday, after Morrison reversed his position by saying schools should not be able to expel students based on their sexuality. The proposal for a bipartisan approach is a significant shift for Labor, and came just hours after its deputy leader and education spokeswoman, Tanya Plibersek, reiterated the party’s policy that it had no plans to roll back existing discrimination law exemptions. Morrison has expressed in-principle opposition to discrimination, while backing a recommendation in the Ruddock review to enshrine religious schools’ power to discriminate on sexuality. Labor’s offer stops short of committing its MPs to vote for a Greens bill to repeal religious exemptions. On Thursday, Morrison said he was “not comfortable” with religious schools turning away gay students, and that students should not “be kicked out because they have a different sexuality to what might be believed to be the appropriate thing by a particular religious group”. Shorten told reporters in Melbourne that “there is no case to discriminate against any kid based on sexuality”. “Those laws are out of date, if they were ever in date.” Shorten said he had spoken to school administrators and “they don’t even use the existing laws”. “So if Mr Morrison wants to back up his statement, I will work with him to make sure that no child is denied human dignity.” The offer is limited to children, meaning Shorten has made no commitment to reconsider exemptions that allow religious schools to fire gay teachers in every state and territory except Tasmania. Shorten’s office released a letter to the prime minister on Friday afternoon in which he laid out the offer, and also called on the government to release the full Ruddock review, saying both “Labor and the Australian people are being kept in the dark.” Earlier, Plibersek said it was “wrong and irresponsible” for schools to turn away gay students and “frankly abhorrent to send that message to a child that something is wrong with them”. Plibersek told reporters in Sydney the “vast majority” of schools did not use their exemptions to the discrimination law to sack gay teachers or expel gay students, but confirmed it was “not Labor’s plan to reduce any of the existing exemptions”. The Ruddock religious freedom review recommended that the federal Sex Discrimination Act be amended to provide “that religious schools may discriminate in relation to students on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or relationship status”. The federal law already contains exemptions for religious schools that allow discrimination, although the states, including Queensland and Tasmania, prohibit discrimination against students based on their sexuality. The Ruddock review proposed adding several safeguards – discrimination must be “founded in the precepts of the religion”, a school would have to publish its policy on discrimination and it must have “regard to the best interests of the child as the primary consideration in its conduct”. On Thursday, Morrison told 3AW radio that “religious schools should be able to run their schools based on their religious principles” and claimed that “no one” was calling for existing exemptions to be repealed. Later that day, he he clarified that he believed schools should not be able to expel students based on their sexuality. The prime minister said the Ruddock review was focused on “what is necessary to ensure a positive right of freedom of religion but at the same time not to disrespect or disenfranchise the rights of other Australians” including on the grounds of sexuality. The Greens education spokeswoman, Mehreen Faruqi, noted Morrison’s backdown and called on him to “do something about it” by supporting the Greens bill to remove anti-discrimination exemptions for religious schools. Well do something about it. Vote for the @Greens bill to remove anti-discrimination exemptions for religious schools.https://t.co/YFPGsEGIBJ — Mehreen Faruqi (@MehreenFaruqi) October 11, 2018 Phillip Ruddock has previously told Guardian Australia that his religious freedom review panel found that “in large measure” the issue of firing teachers and expelling students “was not a problem”. However, he said some religious schools felt that “their ethos, part of their belief system” could be “unreasonably challenged”, for example if students proselytised against religious teachings. Alex Greenwich, the independent state MP for Sydney and former co-chair of the yes campaign for marriage equality, said the Ruddock review had recommended “legislating bullying”, calling the proposal “a disgrace”.<doc-sep>
Stefan Postles/Getty Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended plans to hand faith schools the right to discriminate against gay children. A government-commissioned ‘religious freedom’ report, that is under consideration by the country’s cabinet, has recommended changes to the Sex Discrimination Act to give faith schools more powers to turn away people that conflict with their beliefs. The proposals would give religious schools the right to discriminate against students on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or relationship status, as well as the right to discriminate in employment. The exemption would not extend to discrimination based on race or disability. LGBT+ activists reacted with horror to the news, but PM Scott Morrison defended the plan on Wednesday, while on the campaign trail for a crucial by-election. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Morrison said: “We’re not proposing to change that law to take away that existing arrangement that exists. “We have a report that’s been provided to the government. It’s a report to government, not from government. “It’s a report that the government will be considering and developing a balanced response to, and we will do that in our orderly process, taking it through cabinet.” Asked if he was “comfortable with a school expelling a student because they are gay or lesbian,” the PM replied: “It is existing law.” Some states in Australia, including Tasmania, have laws that protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation. The proposed amendment to the Sex Discrimination Act would effectively overturn this nationwide and allow all religious schools to deny education to gay children, and employment to gay teachers, on the grounds of their sexual orientation. LGBT+ campaigner Rodney Croome of Just.equal said: “A federal law based on the Ruddock recommendation would give new life to old prejudices. “There would be an upsurge in LGBTI students being excluded and teachers fired. Mr Morrison has mislead the nation by suggesting nothing will change.” Croome, also a spokesperson for the Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group, added: “Schools should be places of learning, not breeding grounds of prejudice. “Any school that receives public money should abide by the same rules as the rest of society, including the same rules about fair-treatment and discrimination.” Opposition Labor Party leader Bill Shorten has hit out at the government over the proposals. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Shorten said: “The fact of the matter is that every child is entitled to human dignity. We shouldn’t even be having this debate.” “If Mr Morrison won’t release this secret report before the Wentworth by-election, he is telling the voters in Wentworth that he doesn’t trust them. “It is an expert report. What could be in that report which is so bad that it has to remain hidden? “There should be no extension of discriminatory rights against people in this country.”