PM faces call to stop faith discrimination

Greater protections against discrimination for people of faith should be entrenched in law, according to a review into obtained by Fairfax Media.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is being urged to amend the Racial Discrimination Act or create a new Religious Discrimination Act after a report to government recommended laws banning discrimination against people of faith.

The proposal, contained in a review into religious freedoms handed to the coalition in May, would give people of faith the same rights as other protected by anti-discrimination laws, Fairfax Media reported on Thursday.

The review led by former federal Liberal MP Philip Ruddock has not yet been publicly released and the federal government has yet to formally respond to its findings.

But, according to Fairfax, it says people of faith are entitled to "equal and effective protection" alongside sanctions against discrimination on the grounds of race or ethnic origin.

Protection of religious belief already exists in almost every jurisdiction, except NSW and South Australia.

The review calls for laws to be amended in those two states.

But it has rejected calls for a Religious Freedom Act giving greater rights to people to express their religious beliefs.


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Source: AAP


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