The Catholic Weekly 23 January 2022

THE FEDERAL Government’s Religious Discrimination Bill would not introduce a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy around divorce, sexual orientation or other attributes, represent- atives from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference have told the first of two Par- liamentary inquiries into the proposed laws. Melbourne Archbishop Pe- ter Comensoli told the Parlia- mentary Joint Committee on Human Rights that Catholic employment practices focus on “conduct more than attrib- utes and character more than characteristics … which then define people into categories, which is not a good thing”. Liberal MP Celia Ham- mond, a former Vice Chan- cellor of the University of No- tre Dame Australia, said that such a view could lead to a “don’t ask, don’t tell mental- ity”, by which she meant that employees of Catholic agen- cies who did not live in keep- ing with Catholic belief would keep certain characteristics, like sexual orientation or mar- ital status, secret with the tacit assent of their employer. “Is that so, and is that actu- ally healthy or good?” Ham- mond asked. Archbishop Comensoli pushed back on the question as “problematic” and “some- what of a generalisation”, and said employment was a mat- ter for the situations of indi- vidual employees. He was joined at the hear- ing by former ACU Dean of Law Professor Rocque Reyn- olds and Jeremy Stuparich, the ACBC Deputy General Sec- retary. Reynolds added that the bill, which would allow religious employers to prefer members of their own faith as long as a publicly-availa- ble policy was referred to, was “designed specifically to get away from [don’t ask, don’t tell]”. “So, if we’re acting in ac- cordance with a public and transparent policy, it does overcome this ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ mentality,” she said. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Comensoli grilled over bill Newlawswon’t result in‘don’task,don’t tell’mentality,Archbishoptellsreligiousdiscriminationinquiry ¾ Adam Wesselinoff SUNDAY 23 January, 2022 CatholicWeekly The www.catholicweekly.com.au THE CHURCH. ALL OF IT TRUST THE SCIENCE, DON’T IDOLISE IT SYDNEY PRAYS FOR TONGA P3 $2 Archbishop Comensoli pushed back on the question as “problematic” and “somewhat of a generalisation,” and said employment was a matter for the situations of individual employees.” This new year, help build futures of hope. 1800 024 413 | www.caritas.org.au/donate/give-monthly/ Members of the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs will perform sacred music (ancient and contemporary) at this year’s Sydney Festival. PHOTO: SYDNEY FESTIVAL Gregorian chant will never die Sydney Philharmonic conductor Brett Weymark on the resurrection of sacredmusic and his Sydney Festival show, Night of the Soul. P6