Penny Wong says marriage equality fight proves need for separation of church and state

The push against legalising marriage equality shows that applying religious beliefs to the laws of a secular society leads to “inequity”, Labor leader in the Senate Penny Wong has said.

Wong made the comments in the Frank Walker lecture on Wednesday evening, arguing that separation of church and state was necessary for equal rights and criticising the Australian Christian Lobby for campaigning against Safe Schools.

Wong said opposition to marriage equality was rooted in the conflation of religious and secular concepts of marriage. She argued the history of civil marriage in the common law showed it was more akin to a contract than a religious sacrament.

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Wong said that civil marriage is “no less a marriage” than a church one, as both existed in “different spheres”.

“I, for one, am perfectly happy to accept the sacramentality of marriage. A marriage blessed by a member of the clergy is a wonderful thing for those who believe in the sacrament,” she said. “It is no less a wonderful thing for those whose marriage is celebrated by a civil celebrant, accepting the contractual nature of the affirmation ‘I do’.”

Wong said that religious belief should not be applied to frame laws in a secular society because “in societies where church and state are constitutionally separate, as they are in Australia and the US, this leads not only to confusion but also to inequity”.

Referencing her own faith, Wong said that a secular society is not one characterised by “disregard for God” but rather “the personal freedom of its members to hold God in whatever regard they wish”.

“Religious freedom means being free to worship and to follow your faith without suffering persecution or discrimination for your beliefs. It does not mean imposing your beliefs on everyone else.”

Progress towards marriage equality in Australia has stalled after the Coalition government’s policy to hold a plebiscite on the question was rejected although efforts to create a new cross-party bill may help persistent calls for a free parliamentary vote achieve the result in this term of parliament.

Wong said the Labor opposition was fundamentally opposed to the oppression of anyone on the grounds of their sexual orientation or their religious beliefs. She called for vigilance to prevent “those on the right” moving to restrict programs to foster a more inclusive society.

“The campaign by the Australian Christian Lobby against the Safe Schools program is a case in point: knowing about and understanding difference is an essential pre-condition for an inclusive and harmonious society,” she said.

Wong accused Malcolm Turnbull of having failed to “show character and courage” and “giving in to rightwing pressure against protecting LGBTIQ children in schools”.

The Safe Schools anti-bullying program has been targeted by conservative critics who claim it promotes gender fluidity rather than simply teaching tolerance of sexual diversity.



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In 2016 the program was overhauled after a review by the Turnbull government and faces an uncertain future when its federal funding expires in some states mid-year.

In reference to backlash at a proposal to replace Safe Schools with a more politically palatable program, Wong asked why the gay and lesbian community should merely be “tolerated when the heterosexual community takes for granted ‘acceptance’ and recognition of their sexual preference as the norm”.

Wong condemned the repression of gays and lesbians in Russia and the anti-gay violence in Chechnya where authorities have rounded up more than 100 people, including local TV and religious personalities, and killed at least three.

She noted that Omar Encarnación had argued that autocratic regimes embraced anti-gay violence and homophobic legislation in order to scapegoat a socially unpopular minority to consolidate power.