Members will recall that in August 2020 the Society lodged submissions with the Joint Select Committee on the Anti-Discrimination Amendment (Religious Freedoms and Equality) Bill 2020. That Committee delivered its final report on 31 March 2021.

Broadly, the submission provided in principle support for the expansion of religious anti-discrimination protections through amendments to the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW). However, the Society argued that expansion of religious discrimination laws is a complex area, fraught with difficulty due to the risk that any expansion of such laws infringes on other attributes protected by already existing discrimination laws in Australia, and argued that numerous provisions in the draft Bill should be rejected. The Select Committee drew upon numerous points raised by the Society. A copy of the Society's submission is available here. The final report is available here. 

We will continue to provide input in this area as opportunities arise, including by working with the State Parliamentary Labor Party to encourage appropriate amendment to the Bill.