Howard M. Friedman (LexBlog Australia)

As reported by Law and Religion Australia, the New South Wales Religious Vilification Act 2023 (full text) which was enacted in August took effect on November 11. The law provides in part: It is unlawful for a person, by a public act, to incite hatred towards, serious contempt for or severe ridicule of— (a) a...

On January 27, the Australian Law Reform Commission released a 54-page Consultation Paper on Religious Educational Institutions and Anti-Discrimination Laws (full text). The Commission summarized the Paper in a press release: The Australian Law Reform Commission seeks stakeholder submissions on proposals to change the way Commonwealth anti-discrimination law applies to religious schools and other

In Hordyk v. Wanslea Family Services, Inc., (WA SAT, Dec. 23, 2022), the State Administrative Tribunal of Western Australia held that a non-profit family services agency that contracts with the state to arrange foster care for children placed in custody of the state violated Section 62 of the Western Australia Equal Opportunity Act 1984 when...

On Aug. 16, the Law Reform Commission of Western Australia sent to Parliament its 297-page Final Report on its Review of the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 (WA) (full text). The Report makes 163 recommendations for changes in Western Australia’s anti-discrimination laws. In connection with the Act’s ban on discrimination based on religious conviction, the Report’s...

 ABC News and Hamodia report that for the first time, an Orthodox rabbi has been appointed to a Supreme Court of a state in Australia. Rabbi Marcus Solomon takes office today as the newest justice of the Supreme Court of the state of Western Australia. Rabbi Solomon, who has particular expertise in complex commercial matters, received his...

In Pell v. The Queen, (High Ct. Australia, April 7, 2020), Australia’s highest court reversed the sex abuse convictions of Cardinal George Pell, finding: there is “a significant possibility that an innocent person has been convicted because the evidence did not establish guilt to the requisite standard of proof.” The court ordered that judgments of acquittal...

In Australia, the Victoria Court of Appeal has affirmed the conviction of Cardinal George Pell for sexual offenses.  The court has published a summary of the judgment in Pell v. The Queen, (Victoria Ct. App., Aug. 21, 2019) indicating that the court , by a 2-1 vote, dismissed the appeal. (Case page.) The court’s summary says...

In In re Trust of Mary Baker Eddy, (NH Sup. Ct., June 14, 2019), held that a Christian Science church in Australia that is a potential beneficiary of a trust created under the will of Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy lacks standing to seek the appointment of an independent trustee. The New Hampshire Supreme Court...

From SSRN: John Vlahoplus, Foreign-Born Children of Disloyal Parents: Adam Muthana, Mary Arcedeckne and the Natural Born, (St. John’s Law Review, Forthcoming). Eliza Bateman, ‘His Garden a Wilderness’ – The Balance between Equality and Freedom of Religion in Australia and Canada, (March 18, 2019). Scott D. Gerber, Law and Liberty of Conscience in Colonial Pennsylvania,...

As previously reported, last December a court in Australia convicted Catholic Cardinal George Pell on five counts of child sexual offenses dating back decades. As reported by CNN, yesterday the 77-year old Cardinal who was a top Vatican advisor was sentenced by the court to six years in prison.

Get Religion published a piece today examining media coverage of the child sex abuse charges against Australia’s Cardinal George Pell, as well as the outcome of his trial.  Reporter Julia Duin begins her report as follows: I hadn’t been following the child abuse charges against Australian Cardinal Pell all that much because I assumed, based...