Weekend Wrap for 14 November 2021

Equality advocates are mobilising against the Coalition’s revived religious discrimination bill and urging changes to ensure minority groups are not harmed by the legislation. (The Guardian)

In a webinar hosted by the Institute for Judaism and Civilisation at the end of October, conservative senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells stated that she would prefer no Religious Discrimination Bill at all if the government fails to meet religious leaders' expectations. (RSA)

Catholic dioceses and religious orders have injected almost $170m into the Church’s insurance company to help pay reparations for abuse carried out by priests, religious and lay people. (Catholic Leader)

A former senior Catholic Church adviser has backed a special tax to plug financial holes caused by the abuse crisis and declining attendances. (The Australian)

Rodney Croome writes on Tasmania's "comprehensive discrimination laws [that] have also helped create safe, faith-based working environments for LGBTIQ+ staff" in light of Victoria's attempts to update their discrimination laws. (The Age)

Andrew P Street suggests that the Morrison Government could use the proposed Religious Freedom Bill as a political weapon against Labor in the upcoming election. (Independent Australia)

Meredith Doig of the Rationalist Society of Australia writes that as the number of Australians identifying as “spiritual but not religious” has grown in recent times, so too have attempts to add such people in with counts of the religious. (ABC)

Dr Bernadette Tobin argues that to legalise voluntary assisted dying is to legalise a practice that predictably and inevitably expands. (Catholic Weekly)

Bernard Keane: "The claim that Hillsong figure Brian Houston was invited to the Trump White House by Scott Morrison and was rejected was dismissed by the prime minister as 'gossip'. But eventually he was forced to tell the truth." (Crikey)

Parnell Palme McGuinness writes that while she supports VAD, the removal of those who conscientiously object means there is less ongoing challenging of safeguards. (The Age)

Mehmet Ozalp writes that the Islamic ideal of "care of creation" means that taking action on climate change is an Islamic obligation. (The Conversation)

John Sandeman and Wendy Francis (of the ACL) draw links between NT laws that increase access to late term abortions and NSW's "Zoe’s law", which seeks to punish crimes that cause loss of an unborn foetus. (Eternity News)

Archbishop Anthony Fisher puts forward an argument against a VAD lobby claim that 20 per cent of suicides in people aged over 40 are associated with a terminal illness. (Catholic Weekly)

Sign up for a webinar presented by the Rationalist Society of Australia on 24 November -- guest speakers Dr Nick Carr and Penny Hackett will present on the journey of reform since the Victorian parliament legalised VAD in 2017 and on the path ahead, with final hurdles remaining in New South Wales and the territories.

Watch a reply of the Rationalist Society of Australia webinar featuring Rev. Dr Elenie Poulos and Professor Marion Maddox, "Unpacking the religious freedom agenda".

Sign up to the #DontDivideUs campaign currently being run by a group of pro-secular groups including the NSL, to act against the proposed Religious Discrimination Bill.

Minister for Human Rights, Tara Cheyne, is running a petition calling on the Australian government to restore the right of Territories to pass laws on VAD. She also recommends people email the Commonwealth Attorney-General with their views, at attorney@ag.gov.au.

Dying With Dignity NSW are petitioning the NSW Parliament to work together to deliver voluntary assisted dying laws.

Dying With Dignity NSW has a tool that makes it easy for people to contact their federal MPs and senators to request help in repealing the "Andrews Bill", the 1997 legislation which denies the Territories the right to pass legislation on Voluntary Assisted Dying.

The Human Rights for NSW alliance has launched a campaign calling for NSW to pass a Human Rights Act.