Last Thursday the Government tabled the Australian Law Reform Commission report into Religious Educational Institutions and Anti-Discrimination Laws.
The report sparked a backlash from the Catholic Church and Christian and Islamic schools and other Faith Leaders, who warned it would severely limit the ability of faith-based educational institutions to operate and teach according to their ethos.
Before the Coalition had even seen the Government’s draft bill, the Prime Minister briefed his caucus and the press and said that if somehow this legislation doesn’t succeed, it will be all the Coalition’s fault.
It was disingenuous for the Prime Minister to expect bipartisan support on a piece of legislation that we had not seen and on which we had not been consulted on. But that is the hallmark of the Albanese Government – transparency is hardly of virtue for Mr Albanese and his Ministers.
I am currently consulting widely with stakeholders.
Religious schools want to educate not litigate. The guiding principle here is whether any proposal the Government puts forward actually protects people of faith, or whether it takes religious people and institutions backwards.
In my latest op-ed in the West Australian, I proposed a number of questions Mr Albanese needs to answer:
Will his changes drive school fees up for parents who choose to send their children to religious schools?
How will religious schools be able to maintain their values and ethos if they can’t act in good faith to follow their religious teachings?
Could religious schools now be sued for teaching religious doctrines if someone doesn’t like the teachings?
Can you now be sued for making comments about religion? When is a statement about religion a fair comment, and when is it “severe ridicule”?
These are serious questions which demand a serious answer.
You can read more here:
Labor’s Big Australia
Labor’s Big Australia has grown even bigger with migration to Australia reaching a new record of 548,800 in the year to September. That’s almost as many migrants arriving in Australia as the 600,000 fans who saw Taylor Swift across seven sold out concerts at the MCG and Accor Stadium.
This is 1503 new arrivals every day.
Across the September quarter, 145,200 migrants arrived which is 1578 people a day.
Australians struggling to find a place to live or pay the rent are asking the Albanese government: where will all these people live? Labor has broken its own record for the greatest number of migrants to arrive in a 12-month period, having set the record when 518,000 people arrived in the year to July.
Labor needs to cut migration to alleviate the pressures on housing, infrastructure, government services and the environment.
LABOR'S SAD IMMIGRATION MESS
What a sad, sorry mess. It's no surprise to hear the Albanese Labor Government admit that immigration detention is unravelling on their watch.
Labor’s continuing stumbles reveal they just can’t get it right. This is the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd Government all over again, when Labor’s incompetence led to 50,000 people arriving on more than 800 boats and 1200 people, including children, died at sea.
It's high time Labor came clean with Australians.
As Dan Tehan points out, the Solicitor General told the High Court on 8 November that up to 340 people in long-term detention could be released as a result of NZYQ. We don't know if this is the number of criminals that Labor will release? Or is the number now higher?
There are so many questions that Mr Albanese needs to answer and yet re refuses to do so:
Is his Labor Government giving up on deporting non-citizens who have forfeited their right to live in Australia because of their crimes?
Will Labor promise to provide weekly updates on the number of criminals being released from immigration detention on their watch?
Will Labor promise to be up front and tell us when crimes are committed?
When will Labor publish the immigration detention statistics for January and February? Why are those figures being hidden?
What is the Prime Minister’s plan?
Labor’s obfuscation is no substitute for decisive action, but it is a hallmark of this Government.
Jobs numbers can’t hide pain of cost of living crisis
The latest jobs figures are little consolation to Australians still in the grip of a crippling cost of living crisis.
Despite the unemployment rate falling to 3.7% for February 2024, Australians are still grappling with increasing costs across the board, especially with rents, power prices and grocery bills skyrocketing.
Australians’ living standards are collapsing under Labor. Australia is experiencing a GDP per capita recession and a consumer confidence recession. The only thing left driving the economy is immigration.
As the RBA has recognised, hardworking Australians are facing a highly uncertain economic future. Labor’s failures on workplace relations, energy, housing and tax are driving up the cost of living for all Australians.
Almost 1 million Australians are now working second or third jobs. Since the election, the number of multiple job holders has increased by more than 100,000 people.
Australians are working harder, for less, under Labor.
Albo’s got some serious trust issues
A fast-growing range of issues raises deep questions over the character of the Prime Minister.
As Peter Dutton underlines, how can Anthony Albanese say to the religious leaders of our country – as he did to the Indigenous leaders – that he would stand up and that he would fight for their issue on their behalf?
He said that before the election, and has done the complete opposite after.
Mr Albanese said power bills would come down, by $275. It hasn't happened, and begs the question of whether Mr Albanese ever believed it would happen when he gave his word - more than 100 times over.
He promised cheaper mortgages. The cost of an average mortgage has leapt - $2,000 extra a month out of the after-tax pay packet.
Under Labor, inflation is a problem in this country, it's home-grown because Labor has spent at least $200 billion extra of taxpayers' money over the last 22 months, which has fuelled inflation and will keep interest rates higher for longer.
Anthony Albanese is consistently proving one thing - that he cannot be trusted to keep his word.
He has failed to earn the trust of Australians - and it's costing Aussie households, families and small businesses dearly.
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