DCA has made a submission in response to the Inquiry into the Religious Discrimination Bill 2021 and related bills.
DCA strongly supports individuals being protected from discrimination and harassment because of their religious belief and we proactively support our members in creating workplaces where religious belief is afforded the same dignity and respect as other attributes of a person’s identity.
However, we are concerned that the proposed legislation goes beyond protecting people from discrimination on the basis of religion and instead also extends to eroding other important anti-discrimination protections.
We believe that this legislation, as drafted, should not be passed and the structure of any laws to prevent religious discrimination should be the same as other anti-discrimination legislation, and should not provide additional positive rights that allow new discrimination against other people.