Weekend Wrap for 6 June 2026
Welcome to the NSL Weekend Wrap for 6 June 2026. The Wrap covers Australian secular politics — religious privilege and funding, religion in public schools, discrimination laws, voluntary assisted dying, and many other related issues. If someone forwarded this to you, you can subscribe on our website.
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Coming up...
For two weeks the religious right has worked two fronts: rewriting the Sex Discrimination Act, and building a grievance narrative about Christians under siege. This week it opened a third: abortion is back on the order paper in New South Wales, where Libertarian MLC John Ruddick's bill to ban sex-selective terminations went to debate in the Legislative Council. The rally outside Parliament was headlined by One Nation's Barnaby Joyce and supported by Family Voice Australia. The bill claims to fix a problem that NSW Health data says barely exists: of nearly 16,000 terminations in a year, three were recorded as sex-selective (with a further ten considered 'reporting errors'.)
The point was never the data. As Amy Remeikis sets out in this week's commentary, sex selection was chosen precisely because it sounds reasonable, and because it folds neatly into the far right's anti-migration messaging about which "cultures" value one gender over another. Win a "reasonable" ban first, then move on to the providers. It is incrementalism dressed as moderation, and it has a track record overseas.
The counter-mobilisation kept pace. Equality Australia's petition against the Sex Discrimination Act changes passed 11,000 signatures, and the Not in Our Name women's campaign cleared 4,000. Whether either shifts a single vote is another question, but the field is no longer being left to one side.
There was a genuine win too, though it arrived through a procedural brawl. NSW finally passed its Hate Crimes Bill, strengthening protections for people targeted on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and other attributes, including religion. The path there involved Labor accusing the Greens of stalling, the Greens accusing Labor of defamation, and a two-year review bolted on over concerns about over-criminalisation. A good law but an ugly process!
The week's other throughline is the machinery of hate-speech and social-cohesion law, now being tested from several directions at once. The High Court refused the neo-Nazi group White Australia an injunction against its designation as a prohibited hate group under the post-Bondi laws, which it is still trying to have struck down. The Catholic bishops lodged their own submission to the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. Different actors, same statutory ground. The secular question is rarely about any single case. It is about who gets to set the terms.
News this week
National: Secrecy, loyalty, discipline: Videos, texts blow lid on Brethren election conduct (30 May 2026)
Michael Bachelard's investigation lays out leaked videos and an internal "guidelines" document showing that the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church centrally co-ordinated its members' campaigning for the Coalition at the 2025 federal election, directing booth workers to conceal their membership, insisting "loyalty is paramount" and "confidentiality is mandatory", and warning them to leave no digital footprint — all while the church publicly denied any role. The secular sting is in the charity law: a tax-exempt religious body barred from party-political activity, caught running a disciplined electoral machine behind a wall of deniability, and now under examination by parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters.
➧ READ MORE:
The Age
National: 11,000+ sign petition against changes to Sex Discrimination Act (31 May 2026)
Equality Australia launched a petition calling on federal MPs to reject proposed changes to the Sex Discrimination Act that would narrow the definition of "sex" to biology and strip protections from transgender and gender diverse Australians. More than 11,000 people signed within the first week. CEO Anna Brown described the proposals — pursued by Nationals MP Alison Penfold and Liberal leader Angus Taylor following the Tickle v Giggle ruling — as among the most serious threats to equality protections in years, warning that limiting "sex" to biology would undermine more than 40 years of anti-discrimination law and weaken protections against sexism itself. The parallel Not in Our Name women's campaign, launched the previous week, passed 4,000 signatures over the same period. Both efforts answer an organised, well-funded push with public numbers of their own.
➧ READ MORE:
OUTinPerth
QNews
NSW: Hate Crime Laws Strengthening Protections For LGBTQIA+ People Passes NSW Parliament (3 June 2026)
The NSW Parliament passed the Minns Government's Crimes Legislation Amendment (Hate Crimes) Bill 2026, which raises the penalty for publicly threatening or inciting violence on the basis of protected attributes — including sexual orientation, gender identity and religion — from three to five years, with up to seven where violence results. It also expands "post and boast" offences and creates a new offence for luring victims under false pretences, responding to an ABC investigation into IS-inspired attacks on young gay and bisexual men lured through dating apps. Passage followed a procedural fight in the Legislative Council, with Labor accusing the Opposition and Greens of stalling and the Greens disputing the claim. Greens MLCs Amanda Cohn and Sue Higginson backed the bill while warning against an over-criminalisation approach, securing a review of the laws after two years.
➧ READ MORE:
Star Observer
QNews
National: Neo-Nazi group White Australia loses bid for temporary immunity from hate laws (4 June 2026)
The High Court dismissed an injunction sought by the neo-Nazi group White Australia, which had asked to block its designation as a prohibited hate group under the anti-hate laws passed after the December 2025 Bondi Beach attack. Chief Justice Stephen Gageler rejected the bid; the group, which claims the listing will render it "extinct", is separately challenging the constitutionality of the laws, with a two-day hearing set for September. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke declared the organisation prohibited in May on ASIO advice, after its predecessor, the National Socialist Network, "phoenixed" under a new name with largely the same members. Under the declaration it is a crime to support, fund or join the group. The case is the first major test of how far the post-Bondi hate-speech regime reaches, and of whether a secular state can proscribe an organised hate movement without the courts reading down the law — the mirror image of the religious-freedom challenges being run against the same statutory framework.
➧ READ MORE:
The Guardian / AAP
National: Bishops condemn 'antisemitism in all its forms' (5 June 2026)
Australia's Catholic bishops lodged a submission to the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, the inquiry established by the Albanese Government after the December 2025 attack on Jewish Australians at Bondi Beach. Prepared by two bishops commissions and signed by Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli and Maitland-Newcastle Bishop Michael Kennedy, the submission condemns the "recent explosion of explicit antisemitism" and states that concerns about foreign governments can "never be used to excuse or justify hostility, intimidation or violence towards any group on account of their ethnicity or religion". The submission marks a major faith body engaging directly with a Commonwealth inquiry whose remit — antisemitism and "social cohesion" — sits at the contested intersection of hate-speech law, religious freedom and free expression that the Wrap has tracked since the federal hate-speech laws passed earlier this year.
➧ READ MORE:
CathNews
NSW: Anti-abortion fight evolves into 'noxious brew' (6 June 2026)
Libertarian MLC John Ruddick's Abortion Law Reform Amendment (Sex Selection Prohibition) Bill went to debate in the NSW Legislative Council, the first attempt to restrict abortion access in the state since decriminalisation in 2019. An anti-abortion rally outside Parliament, supported by Family Voice Australia, was headlined by One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce, who told the roughly 1,500-strong crowd that politicians fear losing their jobs. Introducing the bill, Ruddick drew on research about Chinese and Indian communities to claim sex-selective abortions were occurring, a framing critics including independent MP Alex Greenwich and Greens health spokesperson Amanda Cohn called a racist trope. Cohn noted that sex-selective abortion is already prohibited under NSW Health policy and that the bill forms part of a longer strategy to incrementally re-criminalise abortion. The AMA, the NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association and RANZCOG oppose the ban. A vote is expected later in June.
➧ READ MORE:
Newcastle Herald / AAP
NSW: Faith committee stacked with 'religious freedom' advocates again turns back on rights for non-religious people (6 June 2026)
The NSW Faith Affairs Council — a 19-member religious advisory body to the Minns government, chaired by Anglican Bishop Michael Stead — has told the Rationalist Society it will not act for non-religious councillors who are forced to leave meetings when councils impose Christian prayers, as has happened at Oberon. Stead said the council's consultative remit covered only "people of faith" and that the matter belonged with the government instead. Many of its members are prominent religious-freedom campaigners; Stead co-hosts a podcast with the council's Catholic representative, Monica Doumit. The body, which rejected a non-religious applicant when it was created in 2023, still professes support for a "secular democracy" that "makes space for people of all faiths and none".
➧ READ MORE:
Rationalist Society of Australia
Commentary and analysis
David Heilpern: Tickle, Giggle and Bathroom Shenanigans: The Great Toilet Debate (1 June 2026)
Former magistrate and Southern Cross University law dean David Heilpern takes apart the "great toilet debate" that has grown out of Tickle v Giggle, pointing out that it has never been an offence for anyone to enter a toilet of either sex, that there is no evidence assaults in women's toilets rose after the 2013 recognition of trans rights, and that the violence women actually face overwhelmingly comes from men they know. He reads the case as a deliberately funded culture-war vehicle that pointedly declined to rely on the Sex Discrimination Act's existing exemptions — including the one for religious schools — because winning on an exemption would not have served the outrage. He ends by arguing that exemption, allowing faith-based schools to refuse to hire gay and lesbian staff, should be removed outright.
➧ READ MORE:
Sydney Criminal Lawyers
Amy Remeikis: Don't be fooled, there's nothing 'reasonable' about these rebooted abortion battles (3 June 2026)
Remeikis, a contributing editor at The New Daily and chief political analyst for the Australia Institute, argues that the NSW sex-selection bill is a deliberate wedge: a measure that sounds moderate, addresses a non-existent problem, and opens the door to harder restrictions on providers down the line. She traces the tactic to the US campaign that ended in the fall of Roe v Wade, and links the current Australian push to the normalisation of One Nation and a far-right strategy that ties abortion to anti-migration messaging about other "cultures". A clear read on why "reasonable" is the most dangerous word in this debate.
➧ READ MORE:
The New Daily
Van Badham: One Nation's lurking attachment to the fringe anti-abortion movement sounds like the start of a horror movie (4 June 2026)
Badham makes the political case that the Wrap's lead story is not a one-off: One Nation, riding a poll surge, carries a formal policy to "seek every opportunity to roll back brutal and extreme abortion law", and its representatives are already moving — the now-independent former One Nation SA MP Sarah Game has proposed banning abortion after 25 weeks even for severe foetal abnormality, with three One Nation upper-house members behind her. Pauline Hanson appears alongside anti-abortion activists and Barnaby Joyce headlined this week's Sydney rally. Drawing the parallel to the post-Dobbs United States, Badham argues Australians underestimate how organised the rollback is at their peril.
➧ READ MORE:
The Guardian
Opportunities for action
CURRENT
NSW: John Ruddick's Abortion Law Reform Amendment (Sex Selection Prohibition) Bill is before the NSW Legislative Council, with a vote expected later in June. Medical bodies and reproductive-rights advocates argue it would insert criminal penalties into abortion care to address a problem NSW Health data shows does not meaningfully exist. NSW residents who support retaining decriminalised abortion access can contact members of the Legislative Council to register their view before the vote.
National: Equality Australia has launched a "Hands off our protections" petition calling on federal parliamentarians to reject any narrowing of the Sex Discrimination Act, after bills and statements from Nationals and Liberal MPs seeking to redefine "sex" in law. Sign the petition at Equality Australia.
National: Not in Our Name (NION) Women Australia continues to invite women across the country to sign an open letter in solidarity with the trans community and in defence of the Sex Discrimination Act. Sign the open letter via Action Network.
VIC: The Victorian Law Reform Commission is reviewing the Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Act 2021. Faith leaders have lodged a submission urging the Act be narrowed. Secular voices that support retaining strong conversion practices protections should not leave this consultation to religious organisations alone. Details of the VLRC review are on the Commission's website.
National: Nationals MP Alison Penfold has called on the Prime Minister to establish a joint select committee to review the Sex Discrimination Act, including her bill to insert a biological definition of "sex." If such a committee is established and opens submissions, secular and human rights voices will be needed to counter the religious lobby's input. Contact your federal member or senator to register your view on any review of the Act.
NSW: The NSW Human Rights Bill 2025 has been referred to a parliamentary inquiry and submissions are now open. The Australian Christian Lobby is actively mobilising its networks to oppose the Bill. Secular, humanist, and human rights voices are needed to counterbalance the religious lobby's input. Visit the NSW Parliament website to find the inquiry and submission details. Submissions close 3 July 2026.
TAS: The independent statutory review of Tasmania's End-of-Life Choices (Voluntary Assisted Dying) Act 2021 is underway. Community members, particularly those with experience of the VAD system, are encouraged to make written submissions, with public consultations scheduled at the University of Tasmania Law School (Sandy Bay) and Cygnet Town Hall. The review is also conducting a public survey. Do not leave this space to the ACL alone: secular voices supporting VAD access and adequate safeguards must be heard. Contact VADReview@health.tas.gov.au for submission details. More details about the review can be found at the Tasmanian Department of Health's website.
TAS: Tasmania: Equality Tasmania, Women's Health Tasmania, and Working It Out have formally written to the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner requesting an inquiry into the proposed sale of Hobart Private Hospital to Calvary Health Care. If you are a Tasmanian who supports continued access to gender-affirming and other healthcare services that Calvary's Catholic ethical guidelines would prohibit, consider contacting the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner's office to support the call for an inquiry or following Equality Tasmania's campaign.
National: Dying With Dignity NSW has an opportunity for people to send a message to Attorney-General Michelle Rowland and ask her to make changes to improve VAD availability (by using telehealth). For people in regional areas and those who are unable to travel it is more difficult, or even impossible, to access VAD. This could be easily fixed by excluding VAD from telehealth prohibition. Visit their campaign here.
National: Go Gentle Australia's 2026 State of VAD Report made a compelling case for a straightforward amendment to the Commonwealth Criminal Code: remove the restriction that treats electronic communication and telehealth discussions about voluntary assisted dying as potential facilitation of suicide. This one-line fix would allow dying people — particularly those in regional and remote areas — to consult with VAD practitioners via telehealth rather than being required to travel repeatedly for in-person appointments. A central Queensland man died waiting for VAD access because of bureaucratic prescription mail rules. This is a discrete, fixable federal legislative problem. Contact your federal member or senator to call for the amendment.
ONGOING
The Rationalist Society of Australia is running a Change.org petition calling on the Australian War Memorial to take direct responsibility for the Anzac Day Dawn Service and end the imposition of Christian worship on a national commemoration. Read and sign the petition at change.org.
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.
Our activities
NSL is involved in the joint 2026 Census - Not Religious? Mark 'No Religion' campaign aiming to improve the accuracy of census religion data. Visit the campaign website to learn more.
As always, the full videos of presentations and panel discussions from the 2023 Secularism Australia Conference (co-organised by NSL and other groups) are freely available for viewing on the Secularism Australia website and on YouTube!
More coming soon!
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