Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

In concluding the debate on this matter, unless there are other members who wish to speak on it, I thank members for their contributions in this debate. I particularly thank those who have spoken in support of what I believe are very important amendments to protect religious freedoms in this country and, more importantly, the wonderful work of faith that they do in our community, not just here in Australia but all around the world.

Just to pick up on a couple of points in summary, I refer members under the explanatory memorandum on the original bill to paragraphs 177 to 179. I think that addresses many of the questions that have been raised. I don't want to delay the House by revisiting those debates.

I also commend the member for Menzies for the way he quite ably set out the issues, I think, with the failure of the advice that those who are opposing these amendments are relying on to provide that level of protection. I think he's adequately covered that and I don't intend to repeat it. I thank him for putting it forward so strongly.

There was also a statement made in the debate that apparently no-one asked for this protection. Well, that's just palpably false. Not only was evidence heard in the Senate committees about this matter, specifically asking for this; I also tabled in the course of this debate letters representing many different religious organisations and schools that have actually set out to ask for this. In particular, there is one that I didn't mention but which I will mention now because this has been raised. On 23 November I met with the Maronite Bishop of Australia and a number of other of the Eastern Orthodox bishops. He put to me what their proposed amendments were to the Smith bill.

He said that this position was held by the following: the Maronite Bishop of Australia; the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Saint Thomas the Apostle in Australia; the Metropolitan and Archbishop of the Syriac Orthodox Church; the Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Sydney and its affiliated region in Singapore; the Primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Australia and New Zealand; the Patriarchal Vicar of the Armenian Catholic Church in Australia; the Syriac Catholic Church; the Imam Masjid Arrahman at Kingsgrove; the Australian representative of the Mufti of Lebanon; and the Imam of the Lakemba Mosque. In their proposed amendments they asked for protection for charities who endorse beliefs that may not accord to the ramifications of the marriage definition and that there be no discrimination in government funding, either expressly or implied, with respect to organisations and religions that do not emphatically, or, for that matter, even tacitly, endorse what is being proposed in terms of same-sex marriage.

There is a clear demand for this. I fear what other members have said—that we will have to revisit this issue once the injury has happened. We could take steps now to prevent that injury and we could ensure that protections are in place to be absolutely assured on this issue. I, like other members of the government, am disappointed that the Labor Party have decided not to have a fair dinkum conscience vote on these amendments at all. In doing so, by opposing these amendments, I think they're letting people down in their communities who are depending on them to stand up for faith and religion and for the work of religion and faith in their communities.

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