Unpublished Paper
Religious Free Speech After Ruddock: Implications for Blasphemy and Religious Vilification Laws
(2019)
Abstract
Questions about what can, and cannot, lawfully be said about religious topics have continued to be pressing issues
in Australia over the last few decades. The Ruddock Report, the Religious Freedom Review , made
recommendations about the abolition of blasphemy offences and, in the course of its discussion, touched on issues
around “religious vilification” laws in Australia, a matter also noted in the official Government Response to the
Report. This paper reviews the current law on “religious free speech” in Australia, and in that context discusses
the recommendations of the Report and their likely implementation.
Keywords
- Ruddock Report,
- Religious Vilification,
- Blasphemy,
- Religious Freedom
Disciplines
Publication Date
April 6, 2019
Comments
Paper prepared for “Religious Freedom After Ruddock” conference,The University of Queensland, St Lucia
(April 6, 2019)
Citation Information
Neil J Foster. "Religious Free Speech After Ruddock: Implications for Blasphemy and Religious Vilification Laws" (2019) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/neil_foster/131/