May
New hate speech laws in focus as social cohesion frays
Anti-Semitic graffiti scrawled on the fence of a Melbourne Jewish school has been condemned by the prime minister as the government considers tougher penalties for hate speech.
- Poppy Johnston
April
Rio and BHP’s massive US copper mine faces religious freedom challenge
Resolution Copper would be the largest development of its kind. Native American groups opposed to it have found new financiers for legal action against it.
- Peter Ker
March
Scrap private school religious discrimination rules, Labor advised
The government now has advice it sought from the Australian Law Reform Commission on how to deliver an election promise – but looks unlikely to proceed.
- Ronald Mizen
October 2022
- Opinion
- Opinion
Thorburn’s cancelling shows politics is now football’s main game
The AFL prides itself on being a cultural and workplace leader – and unfortunately it is. What the AFL does today is what the government and society will do tomorrow.
- John Roskam
May 2022
Liberal MP hopes voters back her independent spirit
Liberal MP Bridget Archer is walking a razor-thin margin of 0.4 per cent to secure a second term in the Tasmanian seat of Bass.
- Georgie Moore
At-risk Liberal MP wants to align timing of faith and LGBTQ laws
Curtin MP Celia Hammond thinks the two issues should remain separate but thinks they need to be dealt with in unison.
- Georgie Moore and Ronald Mizen
PM appears unaware of surgery rules for trans youngsters
Scott Morrison has echoed candidate Katherine Deves’ worries about transgender children, saying gender reassignment surgery poses “significant” and “serious” issues.
- Georgie Moore
PM won’t put timeline on protections for gay students
Scott Morrison has reiterated that if he is reelected he wants to pass religious discrimination laws before dealing with protections for LGBTQI school students.
- Georgie Moore
February 2022
- Opinion
- Letters to the Editor
Letters: Salvo across misogynist bows
Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins, Afghan assets, ACCC cartel case, religious discrimination bill, federal elections, Yellow Pages, public health and education.
Defeated Morrison shelves religious freedoms until after the election
The government will prosecute its controversial laws following the campaign at the polls after five Liberals sided with Labor to scuttle the signature policy.
- Phillip Coorey and Tom McIlroy
Ditch divisive religious freedom laws: Smith-Gander
Leading business figure Diane Smith-Gander has urged the Morrison government to start again on controversial religious freedom laws.
- Tom McIlroy
- Analysis
- Federal election
Religious freedom bill creates divisions across party lines
If Labor has its way, it would hope the bill never gets to the Senate.
- Phillip Coorey
PM wins Coalition backing for religious freedom laws
Scott Morrison’s victory puts pressure on Labor to state its position in Parliament before the May federal election.
- Tom McIlroy and Phillip Coorey
No time for federal ICAC: Cash
Laws on religious freedom and online trolls will be the Attorney-General’s top priorities in the final days of parliament.
- Michael Pelly
January 2022
How Pentecostalism is reshaping America and the world
With 600 million followers, the evangelical born-again Christian movement is deep-pocketed and tech-savvy - and it has big ambitions to reform the society in which we live.
- Julie Hare
‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ on gay teachers being sacked
Christian teachers have told parliament that religious institutions can and do sack staff because of their sexuality.
- Tom McIlroy
December 2021
Catholic schools say preferencing Catholic teachers is a ‘religious right’
The peak body for Catholic schools in Australia has told the Senate that “Catholic schools should be free to be Catholic”, in the ongoing fight over the Coalition’s controversial religious freedom laws.
- Hannah Wootton
Religious freedom bill ‘bad for business’
The Diversity Council of Australia, made up of big companies and faith-based organisations, says Scott Morrison’s religious freedom laws are ‘bad for business’.
- Joanna Mather
Don’t pit religious freedoms against diversity: IKEA
The Swedish home improvement giant says new rules to protect controversial comments in the workplace risk undermining existing discrimination protections.
- Tom McIlroy
November 2021
- Opinion
- Federal politics
Morrison finds that religion and politics do mix
The Prime Minister is promoting not only the importance of protecting religious freedom but also the value of political signalling ahead of the election.
- Jennifer Hewett
