Leading business figure Diane Smith-Gander has urged the Morrison government to start again on controversial religious freedom laws.
One of Australia’s leading business figures has urged the Morrison government to start again on controversial religious freedom laws, warning the divisive plan risks hurting vulnerable young people and women in the workplace.said provisions of the laws – currently stalled in Parliament and set to be a key flashpoint in the federal election campaign – will drive disharmony in Australian businesses and take corporate culture backwards.
“Pulling [the legislation] and taking a more holistic view and trying to consult on it and get some real consensus would be very positive for the nation.”The former Transfield chairman and past president of Chief Executive Women said she had a personal “dog in the fight”, praising her nephew William Smith-Gander for his advocacy for fellow same-sex-attracted young people and queer rights.“He has given me a lot of feedback on the way this debate has been playing out.
Ms Smith-Gander warned that entrenched, outdated views persisted in Australia about the role of women in the family and the workplace. Australian Retailers Association chief executive Paul Zahra is a critic of the provisions, which he believes have the potential to legalise casual racism, sexism and homophobia.
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