Topping the list of grievances is a provision that would prevent large employers taking action against employees for expressing their religious beliefs in a private capacity,unless the employer can demonstrate the expression would cause unjustifiable financial hardship to their business.
The so-called Folau clause stems from Rugby Australia’s controversial decision to terminate Israel Folau’s contract over social media posts claiming that homosexuals,adulterers,atheists and other “sinners” would go to hell.
Liberal MP Dave Sharma said this part of the bill - as well as a section allowing health practitioners and others to conscientiously object to performing certain activities - posed the most serious risk to people in the LGBTQI community.
“I’ve got strong objections to the bill as it is currently drafted,” he said. “The bill should be narrowly cast so it provides the same level of protection against discrimination on the basis of religion that people have on race and gender. But it shouldn’t go any further than that.”
Mr Sharma is among the MPs who met Senator Cash in the final parliamentary sitting week in June. He predicts significant revisions to the bill drafted under her predecessor Christian Porter.
“I don’t expect that that’s the bill we will be expected to vote upon,” Mr Sharma said,adding the draft bill had been “uniformly unpopular” among religious groups and the LGBTQI community.