2. Who must sign the Australian Values Statement? A. All Australians B. Australian politicians
C. Australian visa applicants D. Australian job applicants
3. Identify two values the Sikh community shows by volunteering to help. 4. Name two Australian values. Do other countries share these values? Explain . 5. How can values both unite and divide us? Explain . ANALYSE AND APPLY 6. Explain why visa applicants must sign the Australian Values Statement. 7. Do you disagree with any values in the statement? Justify your opinion. 8. Are any important values missing from the statement? Justify your opinion.
EVALUATE AND COMMUNICATE 9. Compare the ýndings of the Social Progress Index and the Face Up to Racism report. 10. Create a meme for social media that celebrates diversity at a local school or community centre. Answers and sample responses for this topic are available online. LESSON 14.5 Inquiry: Will the Religious Discrimination Bill protect us?
LEARNING INTENTION By the end of this lesson, you should be able to: • understand whether Religious Discrimination Bill will protect us all • communicate either your support for or opposition to it.
Background
Australians have faced some challenging debates in recent years about how we live together as a community. From the Voice referendum in 2023 to ongoing discussions about religious freedom, we’ve seen how complex it can be to respect everyone’s rights and beliefs. One important example of these challenges happened during Scott Morrison’s time as Prime Minister, when he introduced the Religious Discrimination Bill in 2018. This bill sparked signiýcant debate because it highlighted a challenging question: how do we protect both
FIGURE1 Some members of Australia’s LGBTIQA+ community opposed then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s proposed Religious Discrimination Bill.
religious freedoms and the rights of LGBTIQA+ people? The case of a student named Skye helps us understand what was at stake. When Skye was denied the right to wear a dress at her religious school, it showed how laws like this affect the lives of real people. It wasn’t just about school uniforms; it was about
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