Dametto: New Laws are a Threat to Religious Freedom and Free Speech

Nick Dametto in State Parliament.

13 September 2024

Hinchinbrook MP and Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Deputy Leader Nick Dametto has expressed his sincere concerns about the recently passed Respect at Work Bill, warning that it will inevitably lead to significant restrictions on religious freedom and free speech in Queensland.

The new laws expand the list of protected attributes, under the Anti-Discrimination Act, to include ‘sexual orientation’ in addition to ‘gender identity,’ and force religious schools to take active steps to change their workplace culture to fit in with these rules, even if it goes against their core beliefs.

On top of this, the new anti-vilification rules make it even harder for people to speak openly about sensitive topics like sexual orientation and gender identity, especially in religious contexts.

Mr Dametto said the bill had been promoted as a way to tackle discrimination and harassment in the workplace, but in reality, it was a direct threat to how religious schools and organisations operate.

“This new legislation makes it much easier for religious employers to be accused of discrimination and by doing so, has left the door wide open for religious freedoms to be chipped away in the future,” he said.

“Religious schools will now face massive pressure to change how they do things, despite their values. It’s asking them to act in ways that simply cannot align with their faith.

“We’re heading into a time when sharing religious beliefs or discussing these issues could land you in trouble for simply expressing an opinion and this is a really big step backwards for basic freedoms in this state.

“It’s also important to recognise that the Queensland Human Rights Commission will serve as the arbiter of religious thought and expression when dealing with cases under this legislation in the future. As a largely unaccountable body, appointed by the government, it is inevitable that outcomes will lean towards the left, with the impartiality of the process undermined by inherent political bias.

“At a time when people are grasping onto what little autonomy and freedoms they have, it is disheartening to see the government pushing through laws that will make the day-to-day operations of our religious schools and organisations difficult.

“Our government is fuelled on wokeism and pushing their own agenda is more important than protecting people’s freedoms, and that’s something that we at the KAP cannot stand by.”

Parliamentary debate of the bill was truncated and only two members of KAP had the opportunity to speak against the Bill, the members for Hill and Mirani. The Respect at Work Bill passed with support from the Labor Party and the Greens, while KAP and the LNP voted against it.[1]

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[1] Pages 2924 and 2943 https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/events/han/2024/2024_09_10_DAILY.pdf