Weekend Wrap for 28 September 2025

Voices From Voluntary Assisted Dying: Episode 17 – How the NT led the world on assisted dying
"The world’s first voluntary assisted dying law to be enacted and used was passed in Australia’s Northern Territory – only to be overturned months later by the Federal Parliament. The man behind that historic legislation is Marshall Perron. As Chief Minister of the Northern Territory from 1988 to 1995, he introduced the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act, a groundbreaking and controversial step forward in end-of-life choice. The law was overturned by the Australian Federal Parliament in March 1997 through the Euthanasia Laws Act 1997, which removed the power of territories (like the Northern Territory) to legislate on euthanasia. For the first time publicly, Marshall Perron shares his thoughts on the process: the political determination it required, the national and international fallout, and the personal decision to resign before the final vote. He also shares his disappointment that the Territory – once a pioneer – remains the only jurisdiction in Australia without VAD laws." (22 Sep 2025)
Listen to this episode at OMNY

Clare Heath-McIvor: Christian extremism: An American ideological contagion in the Australian context
"We now know from research that the group of people most susceptible to misinformation and disinformation is the religio-political conservative right. We have watched as laws intended to limit public figures’ use of misinformation and disinformation have been argued down in Australia, as this same group cried out that this limited freedom of speech. The steady march of evangelicalism into political spaces, be it here in Australia or elsewhere, has brought the doctrinal scaffolding I grew up with into civic discourse. With it, thought-stopping cliches like 'the wisdom of God is higher than the wisdom of man' ... have become banner statements by which reasonable debate has been silenced. In its place, propaganda wars thrive. Empathy, a characteristic central to Jesus Christ himself, has been branded (by the likes of Charlie Kirk – a Christian) as 'damaging' and 'new age.' On 31 August, 'Jesus wins' was seen on a poster at the Canberra March for Australia rally attended by the Proud Boys, while Thomas Sewell took to the microphone at the pinnacle of the Melbourne event. Dezi Freeman’s face was held aloft on a poster in Melbourne. The collision of three movements was vividly illustrative of depth of our troubles." (24 Sep 2025)
Read more at Rationale Magazine

Natassia Chrysanthos, Paul Sakkal and James Massola: Mr Conviction: What’s behind Andrew Hastie’s new crusade?
"Hastie has thrown down the gauntlet on energy policy, threatening to quit his position if the Coalition did not abandon the net zero by 2050 emissions target – and launched his own “Australia First” campaign to bring back local manufacturing. The themes of sovereignty, national identity and Western decay – which have dominated Hastie’s reading over many years – are central to his vision for the party. ... Slick new social media posts lament a lost Australia, decry the 'radical left' as 'evil', and call for a return to family values. Much of this language echoes that of contemporary right-wing speakers and influencers in the UK and the US, while his protectionist slant mirrors Donald Trump and European populist movements. ... Colleagues say he continues to wrestle with how, as party leader, he would explain his positions on same-sex marriage, abortion and women in military combat roles to an increasingly secular Australia." (25 Sep 2025)
Read more at The Age

Nicole L. Asquith and Justin Ellis: Tasmania will compensate people for historical LGBTQIA+ convictions. Could others follow suit?
"In the coming week, the Tasmanian parliament will consider two bills that will cement Tasmania as the Rainbow Isle. The laws, which have bipartisan support, will provide compensation for those historically convicted of homosexuality and cross-dressing offences. They also expand hate crime provisions to LGBTQIA+ people. This is nation-leading reform to enforce the rights of LGBTQIA+ people. Tasmania is the first jurisdiction in the country to offer compensation for those affected by these now-abolished crimes." (25 Sep 2025)
Read more at The Conversation

Michelle Pini: Brethren and Pentecostal cults and the 'quid pro quo' for Australia's democracy
"In recent times, we have witnessed the infiltration of politics by a variety of religious groups, such as those of the Pentecostal Horizon sect, to which former PM Scott Morrison belongs and the Brethren religious group, whose considerable resources propped up the Liberal Party's 2025 Election campaign. While it could be argued that religion has always gone hand in hand with politics, dating back to the Spanish Inquisition and beyond, Australia is a secular state, and this is a fundamental tenet of our democracy. Given we purport to adhere to the separation of church and state, as our statutes indeed dictate, why do we continue to allow religious groups of any flavour to claim tax exemptions and also donate massive funds and resources to bankroll politicians of their choosing?" (26 Sep 2025)
Read more at Independent Australia

Neil Foster: Pronouns, employment and religious schools
"The complication in the action is that it seems that the school, Sacred Heart Girls College in Oakleigh, Melbourne, run by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS), has raised the fact that the Commonwealth law on this issue of “gender identity discrimination”, would allow the school to operate in accordance with its religious ethos and affirm their view that there are only 2 genders (corresponding to biological sex). So the case has the potential to require the courts hearing the matter to address the question (not so far resolved) whether an organisation can rely on a religious freedom right granted by Commonwealth law, if that right is not recognised by State law. I will explain here why I think this argument made by MACS is correct and any action against the school should fail." (27 Sep 2025)
Read more at Law and Religion Australia