Australia’s Attorney-General has failed to outline what actions the Albanese government will take to address the ongoing discriminatory treatment of non-religious people in government institutions and programs that is at odds with the country’s international human rights commitments.
In a letter to the Rationalist Society of Australia last month, Michelle Rowland said the government was “committed to its international human rights obligations and ensures that its laws accord with those obligations”.
Ms Rowland said the government was committed to expanding Australia’s federal anti-discrimination framework to ensure people would not be discriminated against on the basis of their “religious beliefs or activities”, but said this would require bipartisan support.
She did not, however, provide any detail on how the government would address the numerous examples of continued discriminatory and unfair treatment against non-religious people, as raised in a joint letter to her in November.
Read the letter from Ms Rowland
In their joint letter, the RSA and a coalition of non-religious, ex-religious and pro-secular organisations had argued that Australian governments, including the federal government, were not complying with international human rights obligations that protect the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and provide for equal treatment of religion and belief.
Supporting the letter were the RSA, Humanists Australia, Atheist Foundation of Australia, Recovering From Religion Australia, National Secular Lobby, Sydney Atheists, Fairness in Religions in Schools NSW, and Queensland Parents for Secular State Schools.
The examples of discriminatory and unfair treatment raised with Ms Rowland were also included in a joint submission in July to the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) (Fourth Cycle) into Australia’s human rights.
Australia’s delegation to the UPR will appear at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 26 January.
The joint letter to Ms Rowland also noted that her own department’s website recognises that such international commitments – including International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – apply equally to religious and non-religious beliefs. The letter also pointed out the department’s website explains that the government: must ensure that legislation, policies and programs “respect the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief”; may not impose religious or other beliefs; and “may also be obliged to take positive steps, where necessary and appropriate to protect this right”.
In her response, Ms Rowland said the government commended the coalition of non-religious, ex-religious and pro-secular groups for making a joint submission to the UPR.
“Such submissions offer an important opportunity for Australian civil society organisations to provide their views on Australia’s human rights situation to participating Member States,” she said.
“The Australian Government is committed to its international human rights obligations and ensures that its laws accord with those obligations, including those rights that are enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
“Rights are recognised and protected across Australia through a range of laws at the federal and state and territory levels, the Australian Constitution, and the common law.”
Find here all the updates about out joint submission to the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) (Fourth Cycle) into Australia’s human rights.
Si Gladman is Executive Director of the Rationalist Society of Australia. He also hosts ‘The Secular Agenda’ podcast.
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Photo: Michelle Rowland MP (Facebook)