Philip Ruddock

Ruddock religious freedom review shows fight for LGBTI equality not over

A review into religious freedom, headed by former Coalition attorney-general Phillip Ruddock, turned into a political bombshell for the Coalition government, following the leaking of its recommendations on October 6.

The review was a sop to the right wing of the Liberal Party after the overwhelming result of last year鈥檚 marriage equality postal survey. The government had kept the final report under wraps since May.

Protest against Ruddock

In a moment of devastating irony, former immigration minister Philip Ruddock, the man responsible for 鈥渃hildren overboard鈥 and the architect behind what became the anti-terror laws, has been nominated as Australia's UN Special Envoy for Human Rights. On July 12, Ruddock was given a platform at the Wheeler Centre 鈥 which claims he has 鈥渂een a vocal advocate on several human rights issues鈥 鈥 to talk 鈥渉uman rights, the death penalty, and the changing Australian political landscape鈥.