Commercial surrogacy, gender self-identification on birth certificates, and the safety of women’s only spaces were forefront of a roundtable discussion of interfaith leaders with Susan Carter MLC held at Mary Immaculate parish in Bossley Park on 22 November.
Little more than a month after the passage of the Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTIQA+) Bill 2024 in New South Wales parliament, Carter urged the group to press politicians on both sides to ameliorate the effect of the reform’s implementation on families, women and girls.
The Shadow Assistant Attorney-General met with the group comprising several western Sydney faith and education leaders from Catholic, Anglican and Sikh communities in the discussion hosted by parish priest Fr Danai Penollar.
She told them that although commercial surrogacy will remain a crime in the state, the new Act—because it allows for people to apply for a parentage order for children born overseas via international surrogacy—would nevertheless facilitate a form of modern-day slavery and sex trafficking.
During debate on the bill, which the Coalition opposed, Carter said Government MPs had acknowledged risks remained for overseas surrogates engaged by Australians.
She also shared concerns that making it easier to change one’s sex on a birth certificate, existing protections for women’s sport and women’s-only spaces would be eroded.
“The strongest opposition to this legislation were actually fathers who have daughters, they want spaces protected where their daughters can flourish,” she said.
She also explained that when the laws take effect, while some protections for prostitutes will remain it will become legal to live off the earnings of a prostitute.
Fr Peter James Strohmayer OSPPE, parish priest of St Gertrude’s parish, Smithfield, said he is concerned the law, in allowing for easier self-sex identification on legal documents, has potential for conflict with requirements for marriage and ordination in the church and on the operation of single-sex schools.
“In a sense this is an attack on religious freedom, how as a church we can operate independently from state and retain our religious identity,” he said.
Former Liberal candidate for Prospect Kalvin Biag facilitated the discussion and told The Catholic Weekly the electorate is known to be home to the “quiet Australians.”
“They just go to work, they keep their family first, and they want to make sure they have a good life. It’s unfortunate to see this legislation has been allowed to go through by members of parliament who pride themselves on religious values.”
The Catholic Weekly contacted Labor member for Prospect Hugh McDermott, who said he will “continue to listen to my constituents and our faith leaders to ensure that NSW legislation does not interfere with our rights to practice our Catholic faith.”
“After extensive consultation with the Catholic Archdiocese and other faith leaders, and a Parliamentary Inquiry, I supported significant amendments to the legislation, including removing proposed changes to anti-discrimination law, including those that would impact on Catholic school employment, guidance by parents and religious leaders, safe spaces for women and the definition of gender in NSW legislation,” he said.
The proposed bill was strongly opposed by faith and education leaders including Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP and the wider community.
Just over 85 per cent of the more than 13,000 people who responded to a public survey on the proposed “equality” reforms also did not support it.