Federal Government plans to introduce a freedom of religion bill after the Israel Folau saga have been criticised by elite sports codes.
The major codes, who are now essentially beholden to large sponsors for much of their income stream, fear that the bill would leave them powerless to sack a player for making comments that aligned with their religious beliefs.
This follows Rugby Australia’s lengthy legal battle against Folau after he posted that homosexuals, as well as well other “sinners” would go to hell if they did not repent.
Under the draft proposal for the new laws, sports would not be able to stop athletes from expressing their religious beliefs outside work. The proviso in the draft bill states that the sport would have to prove an athlete’s views would cause “unjustifiable financial hardship’’ to the organisation.
One of Rugby Australia’s stated reasons for sacking Folau was that large corporations opposed to his views had threatened the financial viability of the debt-ridden code if they did not sack Folau.
The National Rugby League refused to entertain Folau returning to the game at which he first showed his athletic prowess with the former Kangaroo and Wallaby star eventually signing with French side, Catalans in the British Superleague competition.
The Superleague opposed the signing but were unable to stop it, instead making one of those sombre statements with platitudes about “equality, diversity and inclusion” that most major sports now seek to clothe themselves.
That this noble commitment to “equality, diversity and inclusion” does not include views of conservative Christians, is one reason for the Government’s commitment to this issue, conservative commentators have noted.
