But the Prime Minister did not commit to re-attempting the laws if the Coalition retained government, instead telling faith voters: “We will see where this goes in the future.”
Mr Morrison confirmed on Friday the religious discrimination package “will not be pursued further in this Parliament” after recriminations erupted within the Coalition over the rebellion by the moderate Liberal group.
The package passed the lower house with Labor’s support in an early morning vote last Thursday after more than 10 hours of debate. But Liberal MPs Trent Zimmerman, Bridget Archer, Fiona Martin, Dave Sharma and Katie Allen crossed the floor to vote for an amendment to the Sex Discrimination Act that stripped religious schools of the ability to discriminate against gay and transgender students.
Their actions prompted the government to abandon the bill at the urging of some religious lobby groups after Liberal senator Andrew Bragg confirmed he too would cross the floor to protect the changes in the Senate. Prior to the vote, Ms Archer and Mr Zimmerman had made clear to their colleagues they did not support the bill, while Dr Martin, Mr Sharma and Dr Allen had also voiced concerns about the lack of protections for LGBTIQ students.
Defence Minister Peter Dutton and backbencher Warren Entsch said on Friday the Prime Minister had been “misled” by some MPs as to their voting intentions but declined to name them.
However, Dr Martin has borne the brunt of the internal discontent after surprising her colleagues by crossing the floor to join Ms Archer and Mr Zimmerman, prompting Mr Sharma and Dr Allen to also cross.
Striking a more conciliatory tone on Monday, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said he had spoken with Dr Martin, a child psychologist, over the weekend and acknowledged she had been in a “difficult position”.
“I was in close consultation with her ahead of that vote. It was a very difficult position for her and I obviously would like all the members of our team to stick together when it comes to votes on the floor of the house, but at the same time I want her to be re-elected in her seat,” he said.
Asked whether the moderates had lied, Mr Frydenberg “there was an understanding there would be more support than there was on the floor of the House from more members”.
“But again that’s now behind us and what we’ve got to do is go forward together.”
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Labor would ‘deal with’ religious discrimination in government: Albanese
Source: Philippines Alive
