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The Forum > Article Comments > Peter FitzSimons: it may come back to bite you > Comments

Peter FitzSimons: it may come back to bite you : Comments

By Spencer Gear, published 6/8/2019

Who wants freedom of speech folks taking a stand for Israel Folau's cousin, Josiah, who lost his job at a Roman Catholic College over his anti-Catholic rants?

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Peter FitzSimons has always been one of the fruitier specimens from the radical left, and I have always taken his utterings with a decent spade of salt.

The issue of Josiah Folau's sacking has only 2 things in common, christianity and the name Folau. Any employee of any company that rubbished the company to clients would be in serious trouble.
Posted by Shadow Minister, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 2:06:53 PM
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Dear Shadow Minister,

You write;

“The issue of Josiah Folau's sacking has only 2 things in common, christianity and the name Folau. Any employee of any company that rubbished the company to clients would be in serious trouble.”

What? Are you serious? Where has he rubbished the 'company's clients'? His letter was to the parent of someone who had attended the 30 member church his father runs. The only reason this came to light was that the SMH got hold of it and printed the story.

This case certainly does have bearing on the Falou matter and of religious freedom in general and for you to dismiss it is churlish.

And when is a school taking government money deemed a 'company' and the students 'clients'? You have actually attempted, as did the author of this article, to reverse the onus. Josiah did not put his beliefs up on social media rather they were delivered in a private exchange. Are you seriously now defending the school for sacking him?

Unbelievable.
Posted by SteeleRedux, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 3:40:53 PM
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Steele, maybe he wasn't sacked. Maybe he resigned. If I had an employee who wrote a letter like this to someone about the core values of my organisation, I'd be asking them whether in good conscience they should continue to work for me. And an honest employee would most likely say "No". Which is what this article suggests probably happened: http://cathnews.com/archives/cath-news-archive/35666-folau-s-cousin-exits-job-over-catholicism-comments

But this is about core values. A core value of football is not about being a non-Christian, or non-Muslim, or non-Buddhist etc, all of whom have views on the legitimate role of sexual conduct. There is a case for viewing a community organisation like a football code as a utility. Just as electricity companies can't cut people off because they don't believe in gay marriage, neither should a sporting code.
Posted by GrahamY, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 9:34:27 PM
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I wonder that if I was employed by the Labor Party and I told people to vote Liberal, would I get the sack?
Posted by Is Mise, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 9:49:35 PM
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I wonder that if I was employed by the Labor Party and I told people to vote Liberal, would I get the sack?
is Mise,
Instantly ! But those Labor supporters who make up 95% of the Public Service aren't sacked by the LNP despite working against the Govt !
Posted by individual, Wednesday, 7 August 2019 6:22:48 AM
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Dear GrahamY,

I'm sorry but I am enjoying the knots people are tying themselves into in order to claim the cases have little in common, you are no exception I'm afraid.

Just to be clear, I don't think either should have been shown the door. Israel because Rugby Australia is a governing body for a sporting code and as such should not be beholden to sponsorships when deciding the make up of the national team. Josiah because the Catholic School is receiving a good proportion of its funding from the Australian people and as such should not be requiring adherence, token or otherwise, to the Catholic faith from its teaching staff.

Indeed should any teacher coming out of graduate school have to accept the fact that one third of the jobs in the profession are closed to him or her in this country because of their religious beliefs? Aren't we very much in danger of returning to the sectarian nonsense we once experienced? 'non-Catholics need not apply'?

If some whackjob independent school that isn't receiving a cent from our taxes then they can set all the rules they want, but not the Catholic sector which receives grants in the billions.

Josiah was not airing his views within the confines of his employment, nor did he do so on open social media, yet you are seemingly happy to cut him loose.

You certainly are being inconsistent on the religious issue although I'm not sure why you can't see it. But more than that you appear to be ready to forego what once was a cornerstone of the Australian identity, the very egalitarian 'a fair bloody go'.

Cont..
Posted by SteeleRedux, Wednesday, 7 August 2019 9:19:10 AM
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