That is absolutely correct. It has nothing to do with religion and
everything to do with what is a Christian value. Tony Pitt
-----Original Message-----
From: Trudy Bray [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Tuesday, 31 October 2000 2:25
To: news-clip; news-clip
Subject: The Australian: Churches angered by attack
on rights
The churches' position on this is akin to John Howard's love
of
democracy - it's great until people's rights start
interfering with what
you want to do. --- Trudy
=================================================
The Australian
Churches angered by attack [sic] on rights
By Benjamin Haslem
30oct00
CHURCH groups have
demanded the Human Rights
and Equal Opportunity
Commission scrap its
guidelines on religious
discrimination in employment
because they attack the
freedom of religion.
The churches' anger comes
as a showdown looms
between the federal
Government and the human
rights commission, with
Attorney-General Daryl
Williams expected to conclude
the guidelines are wrong in
law.
Anglicare NSW, the Wesley
Mission, Baptist Community
Services and the Salvation
Army have told the
commission its second-draft
guidelines attack the
churches' freedom of religion.
The commission withdrew its
original draft guidelines earlier
this month, saying it wanted
to clear up
misunderstandings, after
howls of protests from
churches and Employment
Services Minister Tony
Abbott.
The commission drew up the original guidelines in response
to
religious groups' participation in the Government's Job
Network
after some church agencies were accused of refusing to
employ
non-Christians.
In a letter to the commission, the groups argue that the
guidelines put individual rights ahead of the churches'.
"You say
that: The right of religion and belief ... includes the
right of
religious organisations to practise and express their
religion. It
also includes the right of individuals not to be
discriminated
against because of their religion," the letter says.
"However ... you simply assume that where the two human
rights come into conflict, the individual right must
prevail. You
have no justification in doing this."
A senior government source said Mr Williams had reviewed the
commission's first-draft paper, released in August, and
concluded it was not entirely legally exacting and was
misleading
of the law.
"And because the second draft doesn't really change very
much,
except the tone, he would have similar problems with the
second
draft," the source said.
Mr Williams refused to comment on whether the latest draft
was
wrong in law.
"He is pleased to note that the commission's been meeting
with
interested people who made submissions on the first
guidelines
... and that they are likely to take into account further
submissions," a spokeswoman for Mr Williams said.
Mr Abbott previously said the guidelines failed to protect
freedom of religion and would have the effect of
disqualifying
religious organisations from running schools, hospitals and
nursing homes.
"I'm far from convinced that all of those concerns have been
addressed in the latest document," Mr Abbott said yesterday.
The human rights commission paper outlines exceptions under
its act where religious organisations may discriminate, such
as
where the need for a person with the same beliefs as the
employer is an inherent requirement for the job.
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