Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I received a text message from a trans woman this morning. She said:

Thoughts with you today as this hideous bill goes to debate. To be honest—

she said—

I'm scared. I'm scared of the already tenuous access to healthcare and support I have being further eroded. I'm scared of the increased abuse I will face for just walking down the street. Being trans is an ever present reality of having to be always on guard, always wondering if that next person will abuse you or attack you. We are so scared we are seriously thinking of leaving Australia. That is the reality of this divisive, hate-filled religious discrimination bill. It will increase discrimination …

And it will increase hate speech. She went on:

It will allow hurtful and harmful statements to be made against LGBTQA+ people, against women, against people with disabilities, against people with minority faiths. And it's not what the Australian community want. We saw the backlash last week when Citipointe Christian College wanted to impose appalling discrimination and … homophobic and transphobic attitudes on their communities.

Yet, in response, our government isn't proposing anything to address that. All Prime Minister Morrison is going to do, she said, is:

… remove the ability of schools to expel same sex attracted students, throwing trans kids under the bus. Prime Minister, this isn't 'fixing it' … trans kids will still be able to be expelled on the basis of their very identity … and schools will still be able to make the lives of same sex attracted and bisexual students hell.

Let alone queer … staff. Let alone workers in other workplaces who could be discriminated against in finding work …

And let alone people of minority faiths, who will be discriminated against. She concluded:

For the sake of protecting all people's rights, for the wellbeing of all Australians this bill must not pass.