Same-sex marriage Bill fight on protections

CONSERVATIVE members of the Turnbull Government are shaping up for a fight on religious protections and parental rights, as Parliament prepares to legislate same-sex marriage before Christmas.

The scope of religious freedoms and whether they ought be debated in coming weeks or postponed until next year, has quickly become a key battleground in the wake of the same-sex marriage postal vote.

Cabinet minister Matt Canavan is among those proposing to insert sections of international covenants around freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief into a crossparty marriage Bill that is before Parliament.

Senator Canavan and other ‘no’ campaigners Scott Morrison and Eric Abetz are calling for marriage laws “that act for 100 per cent of Australians”, not just the 61.6 per cent who voted ‘yes’ in the postal survey.

The trio have each rejected suggestions religious protections could be dealt with separately next year.

“Now is the time to deal with these matters in one job lot,” Senator Canavan said yesterday. He said ensuring parents were able to pull their kids from classes and courses they disagreed with would be critical to securing support from those opposed to same-sex marriage.

Senator Abetz will be pushing for an even wider range of protections for parents, religious institutions and conscientious objectors.

Opposition frontbencher Andrew Leigh said Labor was open to debate on religious freedoms, but the issue ought be considered separately to same-sex marriage.

“I do find it odd that some of the same people who were saying that we need to weaken protections against racial hate speech are now saying we need to change laws in the opposite direction on religious discrimination,” Mr Leigh told the ABC.

“No one will be compelled to perform a same-sex wedding, just as churches today are able to choose which marriages they perform.’’