Australia’s largest Christian lobby group is mobilising to put pressure on centre-right Liberal MPs who they say are not standing up for religious freedom.
The Australian Christian Lobby on Wednesday announced its largest information campaign ahead of the federal election, which its managing director said would aim at “calling out” and preventing “ideological cancer” that has been “growing” inside the Liberal-National coalition party.
The campaign comes as a response to the shelving of the religious discrimination bill, which would allow faith-based schools to teach and employ staff on the basis of faith.
The bill faced resistance from several Liberal MPs holding key marginal seats for the government, including Bridget Archer in Bass, Trent Zimmerman in North Sydney, Fiona Martin in Reid, Katie Allen in Higgins and Dave Sharma in Wentworth.
They crossed the floor to back Labor’s changes to the Sex Discrimination Act, which would have removed some exemptions for religious schools and strengthened protections for transgender students.
In a bid to appease moderate Liberal MPs, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has shelved the package until after the election.
Iles described the Liberal MPs’ move as a drift from “a pretty basic Liberal value,” saying they have refused “to vote to protect people of faith from discrimination.”
