How the evangelicals converted Rob Hulls
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Until very recently, Victorian Attorney General Rob Hulls has not had a happy relationship with Christian groups in his state. He has a bad habit of calling the Christian far-Right “doomsdayers” and perhaps an even more fatal habit of approving laws that decriminalise abortion and improve access to IVF for lesbians and single parents. Last month, he announced (and here) that religious groups would still have the right to hire and fire on the basis of sexuality, marital status and gender under proposed changes to the Equal Opportunity Act. While the exemptions will be narrowed (it will no longer be lawful for religious groups to discriminate on the basis of things such as disability, age or race), his proposal is really a crucial concession to some key religious groups on the touchstone issue of school students and their sexual morality. Schools want their teachers to be good role models. Christian schools also want their teachers to uphold Christian values. Take for example, a school teacher at a religious school in the Victorian suburb of Box Hill, who complained this year to a legal service after being told by the principal she could not be promoted because the students knew she had divorced her husband and remarried. The school was acting lawfully, religious groups have had a blanket exemption from all of the state’s statutory anti-discrimination laws since their creation in the 1970s. An employee can be hired or fired by a religious group for just about anything — being single, having children, being a Christian, not being a Christian or for their sexual orientation. Following a strong campaign from community groups and the Equal Opportunity Commission, the state Labor government ordered a review into the controversial laws late last year. Hulls put a parliamentary committee (the Scrutiny of Act and Regulations Committee, SARC) to work and made an immediate call for public submissions. The reaction from religious groups was fierce. Immediately, the review was framed by influential religious groups as a secularist attack on core religious beliefs and launched a massive public relations campaign. Christians wrote to MPs, newspapers and each other. The unifying issue was undoubtedly schools and the moral conduct of their employees. When the SARC committee published its Options Paper in March, nearly all the submissions it received related to two of the 53 exemptions under review — those for religious groups and in particular, religious schools. Four-hundred and fifty of the 500 submissions were from Christians supporting the exemptions. Free2believe — a multi-denominational group created to lobby parliament on religious exemptions — set-up its website at the start of the year so visitors could send in an automated submission straight to the committee in a few “simple steps”. Free2believe’s director told Crikey he thinks the site was responsible for facilitating more than 200 submissions. (They have a similar function remaining on the website for sending a letter to an MP) There’s some indication that the highly organised lobbying exercise may have been — at least to a degree, a success. The usually Left-leaning Hulls jumped in before the release of the committee’s parliamentary report to announce the government’s planned changes to the act (released on the day of the AFL grand final so it wouldn’t get as much attention). The question is exactly who in the now very fractured religious-Right Hulls was trying to appease with his proposal. For starters, the ALP obviously had traditional churches in its sights, its closest adviser throughout this process has been the Catholic church and it was its Archbishop who was the first to publicly support the proposal. However, it’s probably equally fair to say Hulls is probably not terribly concerned with what the religious far-Right think of him or his government (groups such as the Salt Shakers, the Australian Family Association and Catch the Fire were not invited to the public hearing in August). But, the important third factor here is the large numbers of swinging evangelical voters who live in Victoria’s most marginal seats, the majority of whom live in Melbourne’s suburban Bible belt. According to Phillip Hughes, the director of the Christian Research Association: “The bible belt starts around Camberwell and extends out to Blackburn, Box Hill, Burwood, Mt Waverley and Mulgrave. These are places with the highest number of churches and church attendance in Melbourne.” “Christians in this area also tend to take their religion much more seriously than the average Anglican or Catholic. Christians who live in the Bible belt are more likely to have an evangelical style. “They go to church, actively recruit and practice their religion a lot more. Very high numbers attend Baptist and Pentecostal type churches in those areas.” Evangelism is often hailed as third-way for Christianity — a kind of middle-ground between fundamentalist and liberal theologies. However, on approaches to s-xual morality, evangelicals and fundamentalists are often inseparable. The data indicates evangelical Baptists and Pentecostalists are almost twice as likely as their Anglican and Catholic counterparts to believe that pre-marital sex, homosexuality and pornography are always wrong. Now, the important thing for Labor is three of its most marginal seats sit within this Bible belt. Take, for example, the marginal seat of Burwood (ALP by 2.2%) — home to Australia’s largest Baptist church — the self-branded Crossways is a massive, contemporary building and podcasts it’s sermons on its website. Like many of the churches in the area, it is entrepreneurial, it has its own unique branding and the denomination is not immediately clear. Many of these religious groups are also now starting to offer services usually provided by business or government. Their influence in their local communities should not be underestimated. Take the very-hip LOMAH (short for the Biblical reference Land of Milk and Honey) cafe in Labor’s most marginal seat of Mt Waverley. It’s linked to the Syndal Baptist church-run Karinya Services, which offers services for Christians from conflict resolution to disability and corporate services and psychotherapy. The Syndal Baptist church is known for its strong sense of social justice and conservative approaches to sexuality. One working group of the church focuses on issues such as “poverty, slavery, fair trade and the Millennium Development Goals.” Yet its counseling service still treats homosexuality as a mental illness and encourages gay conversion therapy. The Bible belt is also home to two marginal Upper House electorates. Labor holds just 19 of 40 seats in the Legislative Council. Ten of those sit within and around the belt — currently seats divided evenly between them and Liberal. As far for the anti-discrimination exemption, in the fragmenting world of the Christian Right — matters of sexuality still have the power to unite and politicians know it. Labor may not have specifically targeted the evangelicals with its decision to keep key exemptions in the act, but the spin-off approval was surely in their sights. Evangelicals have traditionally been swinging voters who tend to vote on moral issues. While they swung to Liberal during the Howard years, the evidence now shows large numbers swung to Labor at the last federal election. “There are a number of evangelicals who have a strong social justice bent on their Christianity.” said Hughes. “More and more of them are developing Left-wing approaches to social issues like poverty and the environment, while remaining conservative on moral issues like abortion, pornography, pre-marital sex and the like.” It could even be the sign of a new progressive evangelical movement better adapted to a changing global-political landscape and the ideology of the ALP. And if you’re an evangelical who believes that sex outside heterosexual marriage is a potential path to hell, you don’t want it condoned or even mentioned in schools. If anything, some Christians still believe students should be taught that homosexuality and pre-marital sex are never OK. Take Adrian Rowse, a young Evangelical who runs his own ministry. He tours schools, youth seminars and runs support groups for “sexually broken” young people. His main message is that homosexuality is a mental illness and it therefore can be treated and overcome. He does much of his work around the marginal Liberal seats of Kilsyth, Ferntree Gully and Box Hill. Recently, as a role model, he gave a talk to 12,000 high school students at a Christian conference. Take this testimony from one 17-year-old, who now feels he can overcome his gay feelings with a combination of therapy and prayer:
Role models, it seems, should really make the big difference in who you and do not sleep with — a probable vote decider for a crucial bloc of voters in some very marginal seats. Luke Williams is a former ABC JJJ Hack presenter. |
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24 Comments
Proposed amendments/additions to the new religious bigotry concessions:
1. It cuts both ways. I reserve the right to not hire anyone on the basis of their being Christian.
2. Religious businesses are barred from bidding on government contracts - after all, state & federal governments have very strict anti-discrimination policies.
3. Government funding to religious schools should be forfeited, as should tax exemption.
4. A government funded school tour and support group should be established to aid ‘intellectually broken’ students who have been conned into believing in sky fairies.
Can Crikey clarify: what other excemptions will there still be under the revised law? Will men be able to go to women only gyms? Will women be allowed to be in the AFL? Will single sex sports be banned totally? I am curious to hear about the OTHER excemptions will continue into the future, not just the religious stuff.
I agree with Gibbot, especially on 2 and 3. If Christian schools want to discriminate, then why should they get any government money?
Still waiting for Hulls to take on a really serious male bastion — the Freemasons!
That mob really do discriminate against women.
See Gibbot intends to discriminate, but probably not be honest about it. He/She doesn’t want to hire christians and probably would “avoid” hiring them. This is fairly common and happens more than anyone likes to admit (lots of industries have a strong anti-christian bias).
However Christian schools just want to be honest and upfront and say we only want to hire people who subscribe to our worldview/beliefs/morality. E.g. You can’t work there in good conscience if you believe the Bible is a fairy tale. Kind of like how you can’t work for Greenpeace if you like eating whales and chopping down native forests.
I’m not sure how its a revelation to anyone that most evangelical Christians hold progressive positions on social morality, but conservative positions on personal morality. That has always been the case here (don’t get confused with the US which is totally different on social justice), it just depends which aspect is getting the most public emphasis.
@Energypedant - I was deliberately being a bit OTT. I really don’t think a person’s religious beliefs have any bearing on their suitability in most instances.
What does trouble me deeply is when these beliefs start getting taught as fact in class. Intelligent design is not an alternate theory to evolution. Homosexuality is not a mental illness. This is not a matter of opinion. It is fact.
Many of the religious far right have views that I personally regard as an affront to equality and what we like to believe is the the Australian way of life therefore I find it offensive that they are receiving financial assistance from me via taxes. It is also disturbing that a small minority can be so loud. The danger as is illustrated in the US is their ability to bombard our pollies with their views and naturally the pollies go to water.
Some of these out of mainstream religious groups are actually businesses who are doing very well and yet despite their profits and little evidence of input into the general community they still get financial benefits. It appears that to get my share of the honeypot I will have to start a religion, anyone want to join?
Hulls amendments also empowered other religious groups (including those with a well documented hatred for homosexuals) to choose who they employ.
Predictably no mention of that here with the brave Gibbot, et al. tackling the low-hanging fruit of the Christian faith.
“…I really don’t think a person’s religious beliefs have any bearing on their suitability in most instances…”
Suitability for what?
“…What does trouble me deeply is when these beliefs start getting taught as fact in class. ..”
You mean like “death to the infidel”?
Can anyone tell me how these new exemptions could possibly work when my political beliefs are protected but not my sexuality or my religious beliefs. How many gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender and intersex (GLBTI) people will have politically beliefs that it is OK to discriminate against them on the basis of their sexuality or gender? Those that vote National? I guess the reality is that the group with the power will continue to have the power and that is not minorities like GLBTI.
Frank re your invite to set up a religion - You have your religious beliefs of some sort so why do you need anyone else? For the power of organised religion that trashes anyone else’s religious beliefs. That is what this is really about, not maximising everyone’s freedom of religious belief. Politics!
@Most Peculiar Mama - Do you think Hulls bowed to pressure from Muslim lobbyists? No? Then Muslims aren’t really the issue, are they? I don’t agree with their kids getting brainwashed either, but I can’t remember reading about Muslim groups campaigning to censor what I can watch, or who should be allowed to marry whom. Regardless of their views they simply don’t have the political weight to impose them on the community at large. When was the last time $150 million of tax payer money was donated for a Muslim recruitment junket?
“Suitability for what?”
For most forms of employment. A far bigger danger than an English teacher who doesn’t believe the bible, however, is a science teacher who chooses to be ignorant of science.
“You mean like “death to the infidel”?
Absolutely. Anyone caught teaching it should be charged with child abuse. Same as “Believe and do what you’re told or you’ll be tortured for eternity” and “homosexuality is a mental illness”.
Organised Christian religion (and probably so for most of the others) is an oxymoron. It never ceases to amaze me that the very things that (according to the New Testament), Jesus preached: love, tolerance, social inclusion, being non-judgemental etc. are the very things these so-called Christian organisations try hardest to deny and destroy. If Jesus had been on a tour for an organised church, he would never have had to feed the multitudes with a few loaves and fish… because the church would have excluded most of the people who turned up from even getting in the place.
I question the assertion that sucking up to evangelicals is politically worthwhile in suburban Melbourne. In my experience of living among outersuburban fundamentalists in my suburb in Adelaide, I don’t believe that what church reckons counts for that many votes and the Victorian Family First vote would suggest this is truer again in a bigger city. Working families go for the deal which they feel will be best for their situation, and that’s exactly what many bible-belt families will do. Whether the laws are being loosened or tightened, there aren’t many votes in discrimination amendments, no matter what the heads of these churches reckon when they’re lobbying governments.
MPM, don’t worry, we’re not just picking on your particular religion. They’re all ridiculous. I don’t care if they’re Muslim, Christian, Wiccan or Pastadelphian, if an essential criterion of the job is:
(a) ability to assess evidence, understanding of principles of legal and logical proof, difference between fact & conjecture etc (eg lawyer)
(b) understanding of scientific method, probability, causality, theory etc (eg scientist, doctor)
(c) strong ethical foundations, acceptance of human rights principles such as gender equality, understanding of range of normal human sexuality, rejection of all forms of child abuse & psychological torture (eg teacher, social worker, pyschologist, politician)
then, yes, I do have concerns about the suitability of a person who genuinely believes in any religion.
Fortunately, most of them cherry-pick and either ignore, or have never read, most of the contents of their respective holy book, so they are probably mostly harmless in mainstream society.
Crikey, how about setting up an equally easy easy to use site to send submissions countering this? There’s no good reason for a noisy minority to have things all their own way.
Try being a Christian teacher at at Islamic School and see how far you will get.
Every religion tries to exclude those who do not support the faith from teaching their young.
God alone knows, the faculties of some of the nation’s top universities seem to have an almost religious bias against employing those of conservative bent, can’t have those heretics from the prevailing left-wing orthodoxy teaching the young and impressionable can we…
If religious organisations be they churches, schools or businesses like Sanitarium want to be to discriminate on various grounds then it really is time for their tax and rates exemptions to be removed. I also object to part of my taxes going to religious schools - something that should never have happened in the first place.
What is wrong with the state education dept that it allows religious nutters, and that’s what they are, into schools to teach things such as homosexuality is a mental illness.
Kate I love the way your mind works. My comment is ‘Yeah! What Kate said.’
And would add:
It must make senior Biology classes fun in those Christian Schools “I *have* to teach you evolution, because it’s covered in the exam.”
Bring on the state election and let’s see where this stance gets the Labor part in inner northern and western suburbs of Melbourne. The cynicism of keeping a whole bunch of marginals at the cost of ‘rusted on’ labor turning green.
Dear Dave
I don’t believe that what church reckons counts for that many votes
I agree but the problem is they only need to convince the politicians that they have power.
Once again the Brumby government looks after whomever has a feed trough for them(Crown, Greek lottery companies, property developers etc. Is there a bigger trough than the churches?
In response to Jim Reiher’s question, the religious exemptions are the only proposed changes announced by Hulls.
SARC is due to table it’s report to parliament later this month and we may see an announcement then on the other issues.
Judging by his rhetoric, I would expect Hulls to hit some easy targets - men’s only clubs may lose their exemption. But I would expect things like ladies-only gyms etc to remain.
Interestingly, gay lobbyists were accused of hypocrisy by a few Liberal MP’s at the public hearings in August because several gay clubs have VCAT (not statutory) exemptions to operate as gay-male only clubs. Of course - the gay community is divided on whether places like the Peel and the Laird should be allowed to discriminate.
So watch this space, but I think the most contentious part of his proposal has already been announced.
In response to Eric Glare’s question, it is difficult to say for certain because we have not seen the details or the SARC report or any legislation yet.
However, it appears it will certainly not be ok for religious organisation to discriminate on the basis of political belief or activity when the Equal Opportunity Act is amended.
Perhaps your question is about how ‘political belief or activity’ will be defined and interpreted within the act. If an employee at a Christian school, for example, is discriminated against for being a member of a gay rights group they will argue this is a ‘political belief’ and therefore unlawful discrimination. The school, however, may argue the issue is about sexual orientation and therefore the discrimination is permitted.
Grey areas like the one above are the tricky ones. Just being discriminated against for say, being a member of Greenpeace or belonging to the ALP will clearly be unlawful
(Unless of course you work for the ABC and any sort of political activity outside of work will result in pay cuts and possible dismissal
)
Does that answer your question?
To Heath and Dave,
I guess it is possible to overstate the impact of religious groups on politics.
Certainly, we do not want to fall into the trap of believing the Christian lobby’s own publicity.
I do not want to restate the argument I developed in the article, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest there are significant tracts of highly religious voters who vote on moral issues.
It does, however, seem a bit reductionist to suggest all people simply vote on economic and ‘family’ issues.
Here in Victoria there are no real divisive state economic issues.
A few years back we had a big issue on tollways in the South East suburbs which would have had a bigger effect on voting patterns than religious affiliation. However, in these areas as much as 30% of the population go to church once-a-week and unless another economic/health/education issue comes along - moral issues will make a difference to how and why they vote.
Dear LukeJohn
I only agreed with the bit I copied.
I do believe that a lot of people have been trained by Mr Howard that the most important thing is their own pocket.
Is there any data on the seats in the south eastern arterial last election and what the local religious groups did in the lead up, What they threatened and what actually happened?
I believe the big issue in Victoria will be that Mr Brumby the unelected PRemier seems to serve the big end of town more than the Liberals, again and again his party has rushed through legislation apparently against the publics wishes. Tollroads, Pipeline, dredging, St Kilda development, the Justin Madden straight from Brimbank disgrace to development approval one stop shop and so on and so on.
Dear Heathdon,
The biggest swings against Labor in the 2006 state election were in country areas around concerns of water and sustainability.
The loss of seats throughout the South East for Labor were probably more due to Bracks reneging his promise not to put tolls on the freeway.
However, one of the most revealing stats from the 2006 state election is Labor’s voted declined by 4.90% and they lost seats in the outer South East (Bayswater thru to Kilsyth area). While Libs picked up less than 1% of the vote, while Family First polled 4.30% at their first ever election (only marginally less than the primary vote for Nationals).
Family First campaigned heavily on drug issues.
There were several fringe Christian groups who had a bit to say around the state election in 06, although they were scattered around the state.
People like Danny Nalliah from Catch the Fire Ministries told people not to vote Labor - I think his main concern, along with several others, was the religious vilification act (Nalliah was charged under this act because of his comments about Islam).
Other religious groups had a go at the Greens for ‘promoting homosexuality’ in the lead-up to the election.
The swinging Evangelical voters tended to become Liberal voters towards the later end of the Howard years, this includes state elections. Now it’s swinging back the other way.
There of course groups like Salt Shakers in the South Eastern Arterial, but they will probably never vote Labor anyway - although they will always be vocal.
But really I don’t think religion or moral issues were a particularly big factor in the marginal seats in 2006.
Dear LukeJohn
Thanks for the info.
I believe that this Labour Vic government is going to face a backlash at the next election like Mr Kennett did. I hope it is not big enough to bring the libs in. I believe everytime theykowtow to special interests, financial,religious or social they are closing in on the end of the tether.
Hope I’m wrong
From the evidence you have provided I take it that religious groups promise votes but really dont deliver them unless the voters felt the same way originally.
Is that what you see?