Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I refer to the letter that was sent by religious leaders to the Prime Minister and the Attorney-General last week calling for the Prime Minister and the Attorney-General to reject the recommendations that have come from the ALRC report. This is one of the biggest attacks that we have seen upon religious freedom in this country—a systemic attack on religious freedoms in this country—and here we have today the Prime Minister offering a deal with the Greens to be able to deal directly with them rather than submitting the bill to this parliament.

The Prime Minister should bring the bill to this parliament for us to be able to have an inquiry into this bill. We should not see a Judas deal done with the Australian Greens and put aside the interests and the sensitivities of people of faith across this country. What the Prime Minister is demonstrating through this dirty Judas deal with the Greens is that he fundamentally misunderstands the character and the importance of faith in the lives of all Australians. For a person of faith, your faith is not just an activity, it's not just something you have as an adjunct to your life, it is part of who you are. And for the Prime Minister to disregard the ability of this parliament to be able to have an inquiry to give all Australians the ability to look into this bill is an absolute outrage. Of all weeks, leading up to Easter, for us to see the Prime Minister prepared to do a dirty deal with the Greens— (Time expired)