NSW
The “Equality” legislation
undermines religious organisations
The NSW “Equality” Bill undermines the ability of religious charities and health care providers to maintain their religious character.
The Bill will strip protections from religious organisations by making significant changes to the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977. The NSW Government has already committed to reviewing the anti-discrimination regime and should not support any changes to the Anti-Discrimination Act before this review is complete.
URGENT: The “Equality Bill” is scheduled for a vote by August 16.
– Contact your MP NOW!
Alex Greenwich’s “Equality” Bill ignores this fact and contains clauses that will amend the Anti-Discrimination Act:
Requires religious organisations to prove to a judge that ALL their actions (outside the appointment and training of leaders and those who engage in religious practices) are ‘reasonable and proportionate’
This will give unprecedented power over religious institutions to judges whose personal convictions on what is ‘reasonable and proportionate’ with regard to religious matters may significantly differ. At the end of the day, judges are not trained theologians. Religious organisations know better than anyone what their beliefs and doctrines require.
Subordinates religious rights to sexuality and transgender rights
It does this changing the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 to say that young people are capable of making decisions about their medical treatment and major surgery, like any adult.
The Bill grants protection from discrimination on the basis of a person’s homosexuality, but not on the basis of their heterosexuality. The exclusion of heterosexuality grants a special privilege to some sexualities but not others. If it were passed, the Bill would lawfully sanction discrimination against persons on the basis of their heterosexuality.
This Bill will erode the religious character of faith-based charities.
The Bill also subordinates religious rights to sexuality and transgender rights and does not promote true equality.
The Bill is proposed precisely when the oft-purported medical basis for gender ideology has been brought into serious question by the recently released final report of the ‘Independent Review of Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People‘ (the ‘Cass Review’) commissioned by NHS England. The Cass Review noted the limited evidence base informing the development of gender-affirming care guidelines and protocols. While some interventions were supported by evidence, others lacked robust scientific data to support their efficacy and safety, leading to uncertainty and variability in clinical practice. The Report variously describes the evidence base attending the various relevant matter of medical inquiry as ‘poor’, ‘weak’, ‘inadequate’, ‘very limited’, as exhibiting ‘troubling’ ‘gaps’ or as completely lacking or as ‘not adequately supporting claims’. It describes international clinical guidelines currently in use in New South Wales as ‘overstat[ing] the strength of evidence’. Most concerning, the Report states that ‘attempts to improve the evidence base have been thwarted by lack of cooperation from the adult gender services.’
The Report made the following specific recommendations that are relevant to the bill:
- there is no clear evidence that social transition in childhood has positive or negative mental health outcomes;
- there is no evidence that puberty blockers improve body image or dysphoria;
- the Review found that ‘evidence is weak’ and clinicians report that ‘they are unable to determine with any certainty which children and young people will go on to have an enduring trans identity.’
- there is no evidence that access to hormone treatment reduces the risk of suicide;
- outcomes for children and adolescents who experience discomfort with their gender identity are best if ‘they are in a supportive relationship with their family’; and
- in the interests of the child or young person, parents should be actively involved in decision making, unless ‘there are strong grounds to believe that this may put the child or young person at risk’.
The Bill should be completely rejected.
The time to speak up is NOW!
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