ACL: Religious Freedom on the Line: NSW’s Anti-Discrimination Review
Michael Barnett OAM
News Item
Religious Freedom on the Line: NSW’s Anti-Discrimination Review
This week, the NSW Law Reform Commission released its second major consultation paper as part of its review of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977.
How this Act is written matters because it impacts protections for religious freedom in our state for both Christian organisations and individuals. This is especially true for our Christian schools, churches, and charities, which need protection to operate as communities of faith. And the ability to govern and teach in accordance with their biblical beliefs about sex and sexuality.
Our advocacy throughout the process has helped ensure that the Commission is considering essential safeguards for freedom of religion, speech, and expression.
Among the paper’s proposals are broader powers to begin complaints, investigate organisations, and enforce potential positive duties on organisations to eliminate discrimination and vilification. These powers could significantly affect the Christian community. In practice, they can often end up looking like requiring Christian organisations to affirm beliefs about gender and sexual relationships that are unbiblical, like being required to use preferred pronouns or allowing boys who identify as girls to access girls-only bathrooms.
ACL has contributed throughout this review through two written submissions and direct consultation with the Commission. Encouragingly, ACL is named 18 times in the new paper, including 15 substantive citations to our preliminary submission.
We are now carefully considering the paper and will continue to advocate for laws that protect people from genuine discrimination without sacrificing freedom of religion, speech, and expression.
Submissions close on 2 October 2026.
State Director | NSW/ACT