Kathmandu (Pahichan) July 18 – The new Australian Labor Party (ALP) leader Anthony Albanese pledged this week to protect LGBTI Australians.<\/p>\n
Following election defeat for the ALP in May, leader Albanese weighed in on the government\u2019s controversial plan to change laws in the name of\u00a0\u2018religious freedom\u2019<\/a>, in an interview with local media\u00a0Out in Perth.<\/a><\/p>\n He said his track record as a politician proved he stood up for LGBTI rights.<\/p>\n A draft of Prime Minister Scott Morrison\u2019s government Religious Discrimination Bill released earlier this month revealed it would weaken anti-discrimination protections for LGBTI people and make changes to equal marriage laws.<\/p>\n But, Albanese promised. \u2018we [the ALP] won\u2019t accept any discrimination on the basis of \u2013 for example \u2013 people\u2019s sexuality or gender identity\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018We don\u2019t think it\u2019s okay to discriminate against people on the basis of faith either, but it\u2019s not okay to discriminate of the basis of sexuality or anything else\u2019 he told out in Perth.<\/p>\n He said Catholic priests have a right to not conduct certain marriage ceremonies if they want, but cases of people refusing to bake cakes for same-sex couples was \u2019nonsense\u2019.<\/p>\n It is \u2018all about bloody discrimination\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n LGBTI rights groups warn the new religious discrimination rules could be used to harm LGBTI people.<\/p>\nIsrael Folau<\/strong><\/h2>\n