Weekend Wrap for 23 March 2025
Welcome to the NSL Weekend Wrap for 23 March 2025, where you can catch up on the latest secular-related news from around the country.
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At the National Level
The Islamophobia Register Australia officially launched its latest report, Islamophobia in Australia Report 5, on Thursday 13 March 2025 in Sydney to mark the International Day to Combat Islamophobia. The report unveils a sharp rise in Islamophobic incidents, with attacks on Australian Muslims more than doubling in recent years. Lead researcher Dr Susan Carland emphasised the disproportionate targeting of Muslim women, who accounted for 75% of all victims. The data reveals that 95% of incidents on public transport were directed at Muslim women and girls, and 100% of spitting cases targeted them. Schools have also emerged as hotspots, with Muslim boys experiencing 63% of reported Islamophobic incidents in educational settings. (15 Mar 2025)
Read more at Australian Muslim Times
Coalition senators who addressed last year’s Australian Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) billed taxpayers thousands of dollars in flights, accommodation and car expenses on the weekend of the event. Politicians are permitted to charge taxpayers for travel expenses if the dominant purpose is parliamentary business. Shadow ministers Bridget McKenzie and Barnaby Joyce and Coalition backbenchers Alex Antic, Matt Canavan and Keith Pitt were invited to speak at October’s CPAC Australia conference, the annual showcase of rightwing political activism. (16 Mar 2025)
Read more at The Guardian
Around the Country
QLD: The Queensland government has been criticised after suddenly delaying the implementation of anti-discrimination law reforms. The changes were aimed at offering stronger protections against discrimination based on attributes such as sexuality and gender identity. The delay has sparked concern among supporters who argue that timely legal reforms are crucial for safeguarding rights and providing essential protections for marginalized groups. The Queensland government has yet to provide a clear timeline for when these much-anticipated reforms will be enacted. (15 Mar 2025)
Read more at QNews
TAS: A civil case filed against the Christian Brothers for alleged sexual and physical abuse at St Virgil's College in Hobart during the late 1970s and early 1980s has been settled mid-trial. The claimant, referred to as Callum, accused several figures including sports coach Stephen Randell and priest Phillip Green of sexual abuse, while also alleging physical abuse by a lay teacher and three Christian Brothers. The Christian Brothers, deemed vicariously liable, opted to settle the case, the details of which remain confidential. Lawyer Angela Sdrinis emphasized the challenges historical abuse survivors face in the legal system, advocating for alternatives to the current adversarial process. (17 Mar 2025)
Read more at ABC News
NSW: There is increasing pressure on the New South Wales government to ensure that all public hospitals provide access to abortion services. Despite the decriminalization of abortion in NSW five years ago, access to these services remains inconsistent across the state. A recent temporary suspension at hospitals in Orange and Queanbeyan highlighted systemic issues, including a "misinterpretation" of guidelines and conscientious objections by medical staff. Greens MLC Amanda Cohn criticized NSW Health for its slow response and lack of transparency regarding policy reviews intended to improve abortion access. Health Minister Ryan Park announced an "urgent review" commencing in March, but details remain sparse, drawing criticism from advocates for more immediate and decisive action. (17 Mar 2025)
Read more at ABC News
NT: Independent Northern Territory member Justine Davis's motion to introduce voluntary assisted dying (VAD) legislation in the NT has temporarily stalled. Despite her notice to compel the ruling Country Liberal Party to act on VAD laws, she plans to delay the motion until May to garner broader political support. Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has not committed to backing the motion or allowing a conscience vote, and has stated that VAD is "not a priority" for her government, despite evidence of public support. The motion's delay aims to align the Territory's laws with other Australian jurisdictions -- NT was the first to legalize euthanasia in the world over three decades ago but currently stands as the only region in Australia without such legislation. (18 Mar 2025)
Read more at CathNews (originally published in NT News, which is paywalled)
QLD: The Queensland government will continue to stand by and allow local governments to engage in the likely unlawful and discriminatory practice of imposing Christian worship in formal government meetings. Minister for Local Government, Ann Leahy, said the government would “respect the diversity of approaches” taken by councils regarding the observance of religious prayers and sermons. A number of Queensland councillors have been calling for removal of religious prayers from formal meetings in recent years, publicly raising concerns about the human rights impact of imposing prayers. (20 Mar 2025)
Read more at the Rationalist Society of Australia
TAS: Tasmania's Anglican Bishop Richard Condie will apologise to the Deloraine community for the actions of Louis Daniels, a notorious paedophile priest who abused children while serving as rector in the 1980s. This apology is part of broader efforts by the church to acknowledge and address past failures in handling child sexual abuse cases. Some victim-survivors and advocates argue that the church needs to fully own its role in facilitating abuse (by moving offenders like Daniels and not acting on allegations), instead of merely issuing apologies. Dr Condie highlighted that the church has paid $17.5 million in redress to survivors since 2018, with plans for continued financial compensations. Discussions are also ongoing regarding the inclusion and modification of church honour boards bearing names of offenders. (21 Mar 2025)
Read more at ABC News
Commentary and Analysis
Dominic Giannini: Mother's hopes for trans daughter dashed by school
"[Former Catholic school teacher] Evie says she felt a sense of hope where there had been none when Labor Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus assumed office and promised greater LGBTQI protections. However the party later abandoned the pledge after failing to strike a deal with the coalition over legislation to offset stripping carve-outs for religious schools in anti-discrimination laws. The protections could have stopped what happened to her and her daughter, and she would have had some recourse to stop the discrimination, Evie believes. It's why she feels her [discrimination] complaint fell flat, as the priest 'was freely able to say what he said without any recourse or accountability.'" (15 Mar 2025)
Read more at The Canberra Times
Lucy Hamilton: The Australian: tool of the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship?
"The Australian has made itself the newspaper of the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship. This reflects the fact that Australia’s Right is part of a transnational network of networkers. It also conveys that these figures aim to shape the thinking of Australia’s 'conservative' leaders in troubling directions. ARC is one of the conference circuits that conveys, broadly-speaking, National Conservatism (NatCon) ideology. Like NatCon itself, ARC feigns intellectual credibility for its messaging. NatCon is a form of nationalism where religion acts as a placeholder for “race”. Christian Nationalists fight alongside Israeli-Jewish and Hindutva nationalists for their ethnostates. Religion is intended to pervade government, whether culturally or as an unfalsifiable justification for policy built on prejudice." (17 Mar 2025)
Read more at Pearls & Irritations
Andrew West/Reverend Chris Bedding: What does a high court ruling mean for the employment conditions of the clergy?
"Australia’s High Court recently upheld a long-standing law that says priests are not employees of their churches. They are 'office holders'. So where does this leave the large majority of clergy, denied the rights of employees? The Reverend Chris Bedding is an Anglican priest in Perth and the Faith Workers Alliance executive officer." This piece explores the historical legal context of the recent High Court decision which, among other things, had the effect of limiting the ability of abuse survivors to claim compensation from churches. (19 Mar 2025)
Listen to this piece at ABC Radio National
Events and Campaigns
The Australian Education Union is seeking volunteers to letterbox flyers on their block in the lead-up to the federal election, encouraging people to support Labor's promise to increase funding for public schools. Read more at the Do Your Block campaign website
The full videos of presentations and panel discussions from the 2023 Secularism Australia Conference are freely available for viewing on the Secularism Australia website and on YouTube!
The Australia Institute are calling on federal parliament to pass truth in political advertising laws that are nationally consistent, constitutional and uphold freedom of speech. View the petition at The Australia Institute
The Human Rights Law Centre are running a website for those who want to support an Australian Charter of Human Rights & Freedoms. Visit the Charter of Rights website here
The Australian Education Union is running a campaign calling for “every school, every child” to receive fair education funding. Support the campaign here.
The Human Rights for NSW alliance is running a campaign calling for NSW to pass a Human Rights Act.
That's it for another week!
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