Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Attorney-General Christian Porter have released a second draft of their religious discrimination bill
Mr Morrison said Australians held diverse beliefs and this was "a key part of who we are as a country".
Following concerns from the Australian Medical Association, the new bill makes it clear "conscientious objection" does not give health workers the right to discriminate against patients based on gender or other characteristics. Explanatory notes accompanying the bill say "an objection must be to a procedure, not a person".
Under the old draft, religious charities were not counted as "religious bodies" - which enjoy protections under the bill in terms of staffing - if they were primarily engaged in commercial activities. Under the second draft, religious charities registered as "public benevolent institutions" will be counted as religious bodies, regardless of their involvement in commercial activities.
The new bill also provides protections for associates of religious individuals. This means, for example, that a woman who suffered discrimination on the basis that she married a Muslim man would now be covered by the proposed laws.which previously attracted criticism from the Australian Industry Group
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