Meeting with Queensland Attorney General

It was wonderful that AACS Executive Officer Vanessa Cheng could meet Queensland Attorney General Hon. Yvette D’ath along with colleagues from Christian Schools Australia and Associated Christian Schools to discuss the Respect at Work and Other Matters Amendment Bill which was introduced into the Queensland Government last month.

In our meeting we expressed our appreciation for the Government's response to our advocacy efforts, however, there are still elements in the new Respect at Work bill that risk religious speech and freedoms:

• The prohibition on “hateful” speech remains, with no clear definition of what “hateful” means.
• A new category of “sex-based discrimination” has been created, which is much broader than “sexual discrimination” and could include traditional teaching on sexuality and gender.
• The positive duty to prevent discrimination could see faith-based institutions and schools forced to teach against their beliefs.
• Religious exemptions have not been extended to cover these new sections of legislation, so religious speech and faith-based institutions are not protected.