Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said he will tighten legislation to prevent religious schools from discriminating against gay students.
The issue became a matter of public discussion last week when Fairfax Media published leaked excerpts from a report handed to government following a review into religious freedom led by former Attorney-General Philip Ruddock.
In a statement, Morrison said that he would be taking action to introduce amendments “as soon as practicable”, to “make it clear that no student of a non-state school should be expelled on the basis of their sexuality”.
“I believe this view is shared across the Parliament and we should use the next fortnight to ensure this matter is addressed…” he said.
“Our Government does not support expulsion of students from religious non-state schools on the basis of their sexuality. I also know that this view is widely shared by religious schools and communities across the country.”
RELATED: ESSAY: RUDDOCK REPORT CONSTRAINS, NOT EXPANDS, FEDERAL RELIGIOUS EXEMPTIONS
Morrison said that he had asked the Attorney-General to prepare amendments and would be writing to Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to “invite him to work with the Government on a bipartisan basis to provide certainty in this area”.
He said amending the legislation would “give all students and parents the certainty they require”.
Morrison said that contrary to what had been reported last week, “the Ruddock Review proposes to strengthen the protections for students from discrimination”.
“The Ruddock Review actually proposes restrictions to the laws introduced by the previous Labor Government, which gave religious schools greater ability to expel students where the school considered that was necessary according to the doctrines of the religion in question.”
Shorten has said the ALP supported the repeal of discriminatiuon law exemptions which give religious schools the right to expel gay students.
