"We don't trust in all these things, fine as they may be and as important as the role that they play," he said. Read more

In a sermon to churchgoers at Perth's Pentecostal Victory Life Centre, Morrison said in his experience it would be a mistake to trust governments.

"We trust in Him. We don't trust in governments. We don't trust in United Nations, thank goodness.

"We don't trust in all of these things, fine as they might be and as important as the role that they play. Believe me, I've worked in it and they are important.

"But as someone who's been in it, if you are putting your faith in those things, like I put my faith in the Lord, you are making a mistake. Firstly, they are fallible. I'm so glad we have a bigger hope."

Morrison - who is still an MP - was at the Pentecostal church at the invitation of Margaret Court, the controversial former tennis champion who runs it.

The service was to mark the church's 27th birthday. Former federal Liberal MP Vincent Connelly and former WA premier Richard Court (Court's brother-in-law) also attended.

In his 50-minute sermon. Scott spoke of the Coalition's election defeat.

"Do you believe that if you lose an election that God still loves you and has a plan for you? I do. Because I still believe in miracles."

Churchgoers applauded.

For the majority of the sermon, he talked about anxiety.

"All of this anxiousness, all of this anxiety ... all of this feeling about the bills that are pouring in, all of this feeling about the anxiety - and then the oil of God, the ointment of God, comes on this situation and releases you, if you will have it, and receive His gift.

"We cannot allow these anxieties to deny us that. That's not His plan. That's Satan's plan."

Anxiety and mental illness are different, he stressed.

Mental illness has "very real causal factors" such as biological issues which require professional clinical treatment, he said.

At the end of Morrison's address, Court told the congregation: "The Lord certainly has a life for [Morrison] after politics."

Liberal MPs including acting Opposition Leader Sussan Ley have declined to comment.

Source

• The Age

After Morrison's discussions with both sectors on Wednesday, the Association of Independent Schools New South Wales has written to its members backing his position to keep schools open and noting the prime minister had warned "there were certain expectations attached to the recurrent funding provided by the Australian Government to Catholic and independent schools".

It comes as the shadow education minister, Tanya Plibersek, has written to her counterpart, Dan Tehan, suggesting that while the opposition has been "responsible and constructive" in its comments on school closures it wants assurances the government is "properly preparing for … when they do occur" including ensuring essential services workers can continue to go to work. Read more

The changes came after faith-based organisations, business leaders and LGBTTIQ+ groups were highly critical of the initial draft.

A second draft, Morrison is open to further changes and his government will work with the Labor opposition on amendments ahead of the legislation introduced early in 2020.

Draft 2 was announced on Tuesday by Morrison and Attorney General, Christian Porter.

Powerful religious groups including the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney and the Anglican Diocese of Sydney and the Australian National Imams Council all said the initial draft worked counter to the intention and would actually diminish the religious freedom of faith groups.

On the previous draft, it was an offence, for example, for a Christian campsite (if it operates "commercially") to advertise for Christian staff to run the campsite.

It is understood the Australian Government received almost 6000 submissions on the first draft of the bill, and Porter met with 100 stakeholder groups.

The Government has 11 changes to the initial draft.

"A Catholic school — we want to be utterly clear — could fill a position with a Catholic simply because their preference is it be filled by a Catholic," Porter said.

He further clarified that religious benevolent institutions such as Vinnies will be included in the definition of "religious bodies".

Porter said the changes would not "change the operation, the objectives or the overarching structure of the bill" but would "improve a range of very important clauses".

Association of Independent Schools NSW chief executive Geoff Newcombe said amendments appeared to address the original concern of faith-based schools over their right to preference the employment of teachers of the same faith.

The new draft bill also includes stronger protections for other ­religious groups and individuals, including faith-based hospitals and aged-care facilities, and provides a clearer definition of vilification as "incitement of hatred or violence".

The bill was welcomed by religious groups, condemned by the Greens and LGBTI groups, and noted by Labor reports The Guardian.

As well as the right for religious institutions to discriminate in favour of staff on the basis of religion, it plans to narrow a controversial proposal to allow medical practitioners to object to treating patients.

The new bill makes it clear "conscientious objection" does not give health workers the right to discriminate against patients based on gender or other characteristics. Explanatory notes accompanying the bill say "an objection must be to a procedure, not a person".

Mr Morrison said Australians held diverse beliefs and this was "a key part of who we are as a country".

"This is a bill for all Australians," he told reporters in Sydney. "

Australia is a country of respect and of tolerance."

Public comment on the bill is open until the end of January

Sources

• The Australian
• The Guardian
• SMH
• CathNews

Speaking with ABC Adelaide on Tuesday, Mr Morrison was pressed on whether he thought the outcome of Saturday's election would be God's will.

"I believe it's the Australian people's will," Mr Morrison said.

When asked how his faith would help him interpret the election outcome, Mr Morrison said: Read more

Housed in a 1200-seat auditorium, Horizon is a Pentecostal Christian church where pastors give rousing sermons, and followers can sometimes speak in tongues and engage in "divine healing". Read more

Nick and Sarah Jensen believe that widening the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples would threaten the sacred nature of the union.

They also fear it would leave the door open for polygamy.

The Jensens have been happily married for more than 10 years.

They have no intention of separating and hope to have more children.

Mr Jensen is director of the Lachlan Macquarie Institute, which partners with the Australian Christian Lobby to offer scholarships designed to develop a Christian worldview and foster leaders in government policy.

Mr Jensen told Fairfax that he and his wife entered into their marriage "as a fundamental order of creation, part of God's intimate story for human history, man and woman, for the sake of children, faithful and for life".

"And so, if later on in the year the state does go ahead and changes the definition of marriage and changes the terms of that contract then we can no longer partake in that new definition unfortunately," he said.

Former Wallabies captain David Pocock and his partner Emma Palandri pledged in 2011 not to get married until same-sex marriage was legalised in Australia.

Calls to legalise same-sex marriage in Australia have intensified in the wake of Ireland's referendum on the subject.

Australian federal social services minister Scott Morrison has suggested the state only deals with civil unions, leaving marriages to churches.

He hoped same-sex marriage wouldn't be "a thing which tears the country apart", as he called for a "breather" in debate to consider options.

On Tuesday, 38 religious leaders signed a letter to Prime Minister Tony Abbott against same-sex marriage.

Signatories included the Sydney Anglican Archbishop Glenn Davies, Catholic Archbishop Anthony Fisher, heads of Pentecostal and Orthodox churches, senior rabbis and leaders from the Sunni and Shia Islamic communities.

Sources

• Sydney Morning Herald
• The Guardian
• Image: Stuff.co.nz

The group were held at sea for a month after their boat, which set sail from Pondicherry in India, was intercepted in June.

They were moved to Australia's mainland, to the remote Curtin Detention Centre, to meet Indian officials, but refused to speak with them.

India had promised to take back its nationals.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said the group would either be resettled in Nauru or deported to Sri Lanka, where they are thought to come from.

Last month, the Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce blasted the nation's border security policy over its treatment of minors.

The policy was called "state-sanctioned child abuse" in a report by the religious leaders.

The task force called for a royal commission into the plight of child migrants who suffer "terrible" abuse before being "dumped" offshore.

It also called on Mr Morrison to renounce his legal position of guardian of all unaccompanied minors.

"The minister forsakes his guardianship duties when he sends unaccompanied children to the detention camp in Nauru," the report said.

Australia changed its policy on unauthorised boats in December to crack down on people-smuggling.

Under the new policy, all asylum-seekers arriving by boat are sent to Nauru or Papua New Guinea for processing and resettlement, even if they are found to be refugees.

The Australian government says its aim is to save lives by preventing people getting on dangerous boats.

The most recent arrivals are the first to test the new policy.

In 2012, legislation was passed to allow offshore processing of asylum seekers in Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

The legislation stripped away legal safeguards for asylum seekers subject to offshore processing.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott defended the latest transfer, saying he was confident it was safe to send people to Nauru.

Sources

• BBC
• Al-Jazeera
• Refugee Council of Australia
• Image: Sydney Morning Herald