Religious freedom: Where Australian Political Parties Stand

Each position below is sourced exclusively from the party's own published materials — never from media coverage. Click a party for its full platform, donors and members. Individual members' own stated positions are on their record pages.

Australian Labor Party party platform

The platform states Labor will protect and promote the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion in accordance with Article 18 of the ICCPR, supports the right of religious organisations to act in accordance with the doctrines and tenets of their faith, holds that the freedom to have, adopt, change or not have a religion is absolute, and commits to ensuring Australia's anti-vilification laws are fit for purpose.

2023 ALP National Platform

Liberal Party party platform

The party's published material lists among its achievements in government the introduction of the Religious Discrimination Bill to protect Australians from discrimination on the basis of religious belief or activity.

Past Achievements in Government

Australian Greens party platform

The platform calls for removing religious exemptions from anti-discrimination and employment law that currently allow religious institutions to discriminate against or dismiss LGBTIQA+ people, while stating that people of faith should remain free to practise their religion without fear of harm or prejudice.

Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex | The Australian Greens (archived copy)

Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party party platform

The party states freedom of religion is a fundamental democratic right as important as freedom of speech, citing Section 116 of the Constitution. It opposes the repeal of section 38(3) of the Sex Discrimination Act (which removed religious exemptions for religious schools) and states its senators will work to ensure religious discrimination legislation protects Australians of faith.

Why We Must Protect Religious Freedom - Pauline Hanson's One Nation

Victorian Socialists party platform

The party's aims state that socialists uphold universal freedom and human rights, including freedom of speech, freedom to organise, and freedom of conscience and religion, and freedom from persecution or discrimination.

Our aims

The Nationals party platform

The party's published material (a leader's press conference transcript on its site) states support for religious discrimination protections, saying people must have the capacity to practice their faith and bring up children in that faith, and that "people who have a right in regards to sexualities also have a right in regards to their religion"; the party's statement of beliefs also commits to guaranteeing freedom of speech, communication and assembly for all people.

Press Conference – Tamworth, Sunday 10 April 2022

Family First Party party platform

Family First states that religious freedom is under threat and calls for the federal parliament to legally protect Australians' religious freedom, including defending the right of religious schools and organisations to employ staff in line with their faith and ethos and to provide education consistent with parents' beliefs.

Religious freedom - Family First Party Australia

Libertarian Party party platform

The party would campaign to add a clause to the Australian Constitution stating "Parliament shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," alongside protections for freedom of speech, of the press, and of peaceable assembly.

Freedom Policies - Libertarian Party

Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party party platform

The platform states that freedom of speech, freedom of association and freedom of religious belief should form the cornerstone of Australia's democracy, and that these freedoms are being continually eroded by governments and the political class.

NSW Policies

Australian Christians party platform

The party states it will defend freedom of religion, expression, worship, assembly and thought, protect religious freedom in schools by allowing them to employ staff who adhere to the school's values, and protect the right of parents to instruct and train their children according to the Bible.

Our Policies (Policy Positions) (archived copy)

Democratic Labour Party party platform

The party states it is committed to defending and protecting freedom of religion, speech and conscience, which it says are being eroded by radical ideologies attacking traditional institutions; it highlights denial of freedom of conscience within the medical profession and opposes the removal of religious organisations' ability to employ staff who share their beliefs.

What We Stand For - Democratic Labour Party (archived copy)

United Australia Party party platform

The party states freedom of religion is a basic human right and that people should not be discriminated against because of their religious beliefs, while holding that government must be separate from religion. It opposed the removal of the "Folau clause" from the religious discrimination bill, which was intended to prevent employers from sanctioning employees for religious speech.

Removal of Folau clause latest blow for freedom of speech: Kelly - United Australia Party

Recorded divisions on religious freedom · 23

Every recorded vote on a bill filed under this issue, in each parliament the site holds a division record for — second and third readings, plus any amendment listed with a reason. How each member voted is on their record.

Local Government and Other Legislation Amendment (Places of Public Worship) Bill 2026Lets councils ask the Land and Environment Court to order water, gas and electricity to be cut off to premises used as an unauthorised place of public worship that ignore a stop-use order, and doubles the penalties for ignoring stop-use orders to $6,000 for individuals and $12,000 for corporations.Second reading · New South Wales · Legislative Council · Motion agreed to. 31–619 Mar 2026 ↗
Fighting Antisemitism and Keeping Guns out of the Hands of Terrorists and Criminals Amendment BillMakes it an offence to use the phrases "globalise the intifada" or "from the river to the sea" in a way that might reasonably cause a member of the public to feel menaced, harassed or offended (the two phrases set in the Act by amendment), and lets the minister prescribe listed terrorist organisations for the prohibited symbols offence. Creates an offence of obstructing or intimidating people entering or leaving a place of worship and raises penalties for attacks on ministers of religion. Raises firearms penalties (life imprisonment for trafficking), creates offences of reckless discharge at a building or vehicle and of possessing 3D-printing blueprints for guns, and strengthens firearm prohibition orders.Second reading · Queensland · Legislative Assembly · Resolved in the affirmative under standing order 106(10). · names not recordedFewer than five members voted on one side, so under standing order 106(10) the record prints only the result, not the names.5 Mar 2026 ↗
Fighting Antisemitism and Keeping Guns out of the Hands of Terrorists and Criminals Amendment BillMakes it an offence to use the phrases "globalise the intifada" or "from the river to the sea" in a way that might reasonably cause a member of the public to feel menaced, harassed or offended (the two phrases set in the Act by amendment), and lets the minister prescribe listed terrorist organisations for the prohibited symbols offence. Creates an offence of obstructing or intimidating people entering or leaving a place of worship and raises penalties for attacks on ministers of religion. Raises firearms penalties (life imprisonment for trafficking), creates offences of reckless discharge at a building or vehicle and of possessing 3D-printing blueprints for guns, and strengthens firearm prohibition orders.Third reading · Queensland · Legislative Assembly · Resolved in the affirmative. 54–335 Mar 2026 ↗
Justice Legislation Amendment (Police and Other Matters) Bill 2025Lets police direct people to remove face coverings at protests (with a fine for refusing), creates offences for locking on at a public protest and for publicly displaying symbols of terrorist organisations, and replaces the offence of disturbing religious worship with modernised offences. It also widens police weapons search powers and adds offences for new weapons such as 3D-printed guns.Second reading · Victoria · Legislative Council · Question agreed to. 30–82 Dec 2025 ↗
Justice Legislation Amendment (Police and Other Matters) Bill 2025Lets police direct people to remove face coverings at protests (with a fine for refusing), creates offences for locking on at a public protest and for publicly displaying symbols of terrorist organisations, and replaces the offence of disturbing religious worship with modernised offences. It also widens police weapons search powers and adds offences for new weapons such as 3D-printed guns.Third reading · Victoria · Legislative Council · Question agreed to. 30–82 Dec 2025 ↗
Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Amendment (Places of Worship) Bill 2025Lets police give a move-on direction to a person taking part in an unauthorised demonstration, protest or assembly in or near a place of worship who is intentionally blocking people entering or leaving it, or harassing, intimidating or threatening them.Second reading · New South Wales · Legislative Council · Motion agreed to. 29–627 Nov 2025 ↗
Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Amendment (Places of Worship) Bill 2025Lets police give a move-on direction to a person taking part in an unauthorised demonstration, protest or assembly in or near a place of worship who is intentionally blocking people entering or leaving it, or harassing, intimidating or threatening them.Third reading · New South Wales · Legislative Council · Motion agreed to. 27–527 Nov 2025 ↗
Justice Legislation Amendment (Police and Other Matters) Bill 2025Lets police direct people to remove face coverings at protests (with a fine for refusing), creates offences for locking on at a public protest and for publicly displaying symbols of terrorist organisations, and replaces the offence of disturbing religious worship with modernised offences. It also widens police weapons search powers and adds offences for new weapons such as 3D-printed guns.Second reading · Victoria · Legislative Assembly · Question agreed to. 76–320 Nov 2025 ↗
Voluntary Assisted Dying Amendment (Residential Facilities) Bill 2025A private member's bill from Susan Carter (Liberal) that would let residential aged care facilities, such as faith-based ones, decline to have voluntary assisted dying carried out on their premises, aligning them with hospitals. The existing duty to make alternative arrangements would remain.Second reading · New South Wales · Legislative Council · Motion negatived. 16–2319 Nov 2025 ↗
Justice Legislation Amendment (Anti-vilification and Social Cohesion) Bill 2024Extends vilification protections beyond race and religion to disability, sex, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity and personal association. Serious vilification offences move into the Crimes Act. Civil protections move into the Equal Opportunity Act and cover public conduct 'likely to' incite hatred, serious contempt, revulsion or severe ridicule. The civil exceptions are kept, with amendment.Second reading · Victoria · Legislative Council · Question agreed to. 22–171 Apr 2025 ↗
Justice Legislation Amendment (Anti-vilification and Social Cohesion) Bill 2024Extends vilification protections beyond race and religion to disability, sex, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity and personal association. Serious vilification offences move into the Crimes Act. Civil protections move into the Equal Opportunity Act and cover public conduct 'likely to' incite hatred, serious contempt, revulsion or severe ridicule. The civil exceptions are kept, with amendment.Third reading · Victoria · Legislative Council · Question agreed to. 22–171 Apr 2025 ↗
Justice Legislation Amendment (Anti-vilification and Social Cohesion) Bill 2024Extends vilification protections beyond race and religion to disability, sex, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity and personal association. Serious vilification offences move into the Crimes Act. Civil protections move into the Equal Opportunity Act and cover public conduct 'likely to' incite hatred, serious contempt, revulsion or severe ridicule. The civil exceptions are kept, with amendment.Second and third reading · Victoria · Legislative Assembly · Question agreed to. 50–2520 Feb 2025 ↗
Crimes Legislation Amendment (Racial and Religious Hatred) Bill 2025Creates an aggravated offence, with up to two years' prison, of displaying a Nazi symbol on or near a synagogue, Jewish school or the Sydney Jewish Museum, confirms that graffiti is a 'public act' for these offences, makes hatred of a group an aggravating factor in sentencing, and makes graffiti on any place of worship an aggravated offence.Second reading · New South Wales · Legislative Council · Motion agreed to. 30–720 Feb 2025 ↗
Crimes Legislation Amendment (Racial and Religious Hatred) Bill 2025Creates an aggravated offence, with up to two years' prison, of displaying a Nazi symbol on or near a synagogue, Jewish school or the Sydney Jewish Museum, confirms that graffiti is a 'public act' for these offences, makes hatred of a group an aggravating factor in sentencing, and makes graffiti on any place of worship an aggravated offence.Third reading · New South Wales · Legislative Council · Motion agreed to. 30–720 Feb 2025 ↗
Crimes Amendment (Places of Worship) Bill 2025Makes it an offence, with up to two years' prison or a $22,000 fine, to intentionally impede people entering or leaving a place of worship, or to intimidate, harass or threaten them, and lets police use move-on powers against demonstrations, protests and assemblies outside places of worship.Second reading · New South Wales · Legislative Council · Motion agreed to. 28–720 Feb 2025 ↗
Crimes Amendment (Places of Worship) Bill 2025Makes it an offence, with up to two years' prison or a $22,000 fine, to intentionally impede people entering or leaving a place of worship, or to intimidate, harass or threaten them, and lets police use move-on powers against demonstrations, protests and assemblies outside places of worship.Third reading · New South Wales · Legislative Council · Motion agreed to. 23–620 Feb 2025 ↗
Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTIQA+) Bill 2023A private member's bill from Alex Greenwich (independent, Sydney) that would widen the Anti-Discrimination Act to cover sexuality, variations of sex characteristics and sex workers, remove exemptions for private schools, limit religious bodies' employment exemptions to roles relevant to religious practice, and change trans people's access to updated documents, among many other changes.Second reading · New South Wales · Legislative Council · Motion agreed to. 17–1317 Oct 2024 ↗
Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTIQA+) Bill 2023A private member's bill from Alex Greenwich (independent, Sydney) that would widen the Anti-Discrimination Act to cover sexuality, variations of sex characteristics and sex workers, remove exemptions for private schools, limit religious bodies' employment exemptions to roles relevant to religious practice, and change trans people's access to updated documents, among many other changes.Third reading · New South Wales · Legislative Council · Motion agreed to. 15–1217 Oct 2024 ↗
Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTIQA+) Bill 2023A private member's bill from Alex Greenwich (independent, Sydney) that would widen the Anti-Discrimination Act to cover sexuality, variations of sex characteristics and sex workers, remove exemptions for private schools, limit religious bodies' employment exemptions to roles relevant to religious practice, and change trans people's access to updated documents, among many other changes.Third reading · New South Wales · Legislative Assembly · Motion agreed to . 50–3016 Oct 2024 ↗
Respect at Work and Other Matters Amendment BillAmends the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 to prohibit harassment on the basis of sex and hostile work environments, and adds a positive duty to take reasonable and proportionate measures to eliminate discrimination and sexual harassment, which applies to religious organisations only to the extent they already have a duty under the Act, whose religious exemptions it leaves in place. Adds protected attributes including homelessness, physical appearance and subjection to domestic or family violence, and extends vilification law to electronic communications with a new harm-based prohibition on public acts a reasonable person would consider hateful, reviling, seriously contemptuous or seriously ridiculing.Second reading · Queensland · Legislative Assembly · 57th Parliament · Resolved in the affirmative. 51–3810 Sep 2024 ↗
Respect at Work and Other Matters Amendment BillAmends the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 to prohibit harassment on the basis of sex and hostile work environments, and adds a positive duty to take reasonable and proportionate measures to eliminate discrimination and sexual harassment, which applies to religious organisations only to the extent they already have a duty under the Act, whose religious exemptions it leaves in place. Adds protected attributes including homelessness, physical appearance and subjection to domestic or family violence, and extends vilification law to electronic communications with a new harm-based prohibition on public acts a reasonable person would consider hateful, reviling, seriously contemptuous or seriously ridiculing.Third reading · Queensland · Legislative Assembly · 57th Parliament · Resolved in the affirmative. 51–3810 Sep 2024 ↗
Conversion Practices Ban Bill 2024Makes it an offence, with up to five years' prison, to carry out a practice directed at changing or suppressing a person's sexual orientation or gender identity that causes substantial mental or physical harm, and creates a civil complaints scheme for other conversion practices. General statements, and parents discussing sexuality, gender or religion with their children, are not covered.Second reading · New South Wales · Legislative Council · Motion agreed to. 28–621 Mar 2024 ↗
Sexuality and Gender Identity Conversion Practices Bill 2020Prohibits conversion practices, those directed at changing a person's sexuality or gender identity, and gives the ACT Human Rights Commission a complaints jurisdiction over them; only the aggrieved person or their agent may complain. Presented by the Chief Minister, Andrew Barr, with Shane Rattenbury as co-sponsor; Mr Barr said religious individuals and institutions could still teach their faith.Third reading · ACT · Legislative Assembly · 9th Assembly · Question resolved in the affirmative. 12–927 Aug 2020 ↗

Votes are shown as the official record lists them — Hansard federally and in New South Wales; Votes and Proceedings, Minutes of the Proceedings and Hansard in Victoria; the Record of Proceedings in Queensland; the Votes and Proceedings and Minutes of Proceedings in Western Australia; the Votes and Proceedings (House of Assembly) and Hansard (Legislative Council) in South Australia; the Votes and Proceedings of both chambers in Tasmania. "Did not vote" means the member held the seat that day and is on neither list — the record says who was in the chamber, not why, so it is never an abstention. Western Australia’s record prints no pairs, so a member paired there shows as did not vote. Nothing is shown for a presiding officer who by law gives only a casting vote (the Speaker and the President in South Australia, the President in Tasmania), nor for the member presiding at a Tasmanian division, which Tasmania’s journals record. Which bills sit under which issue is an editorial choice, made bill by bill with a reason read from the second-reading speech. A bill decided by an earlier parliament (Queensland’s 2018 abortion law reform, for one) is shown with that parliament named, read from the official record of the day. For Queensland and the federal parliament “did not vote” there means the member held a seat that day, as their service is recorded; for the other earlier parliaments the record of who held a seat could not be read, so only the printed Aye, No and paired votes are shown.