Australia will ban schools from expelling gay students after a leaked report revealed the practice was enforced at some religious schools, according to Agence France-Presse.
The report, commissioned to pacify the ruling coalition’s conservative wing, focused on laws that allow private and faith-based schools in some states to discriminate against homosexual students. While the report favored writing the practice into federal law, the public revelation of such a policy sparked public fury.
Catholic organizations joined the outcry, and rejected the idea that the government should legalize discrimination based on sexuality, according to AFP.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison, an evangelical Christian who opposed gay marriage, initially tried to quell the debate by insisting the review had been “misreported.” On Saturday, as the issued continued to gain traction, Morrison promised he would introduce legislation against sexuality-based discrimination to prevent “confusion and anxiety for parents and students.”
“I will be taking action to ensure amendments are introduced as soon as practicable to make it clear that no student of a non-state school should be expelled on the basis of their sexuality,” he said.
Labor Party leader Bill Shorten also said he has offered to help Morrison remove laws allowing “discrimination against children because of who they are.”
As a father, I try and teach my kids to treat everyone with respect. I’ve written to the Prime Minister offering support to remove the current laws which allows discrimination against children because of who they are. It’s the right thing to do. pic.twitter.com/kleuyzkiV2
— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) October 12, 2018
The debate around the expulsions comes ahead of an Oct. 20 by-election that could cost the conservative government its tenuous parliamentary majority.
Last year, Australia voted overwhelmingly to legalize same-sex marriage, after years of conservative resistance.