Anne Ruston voted very strongly for prioritising religious freedom

The majority voted against a motion introduced by National Party Senator Barry O'Sullivan (QLD), which means it failed.

Note that only five Liberal Party Senators attended the vote, which is only 23% of the party, with four voting in favour of the motion and one - Liberal Senator Jane Hume (Vic) - crossing the floor to vote 'No' against the rest of her party.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) acknowledges that:

(i) the internationally-recognised Day of the Unborn Child is observed on 25 March as 'a positive option in favour of life and the spread of a culture for life to guarantee respect for human dignity in every situation',

(ii) religious observers attending Day of the Unborn Child services are continuously disrupted and harassed at annual protest rallies organised by pro-abortion groups, such as the University of Sydney Women's Collective, the University of New South Wales Women's Collective and Labour for Choice,

(iii) these protest rallies feature speakers who insult church-goers and accuse the church of supporting violence against women, and

(iv) then Bishop of Broken Bay, Peter Comensoli, has advocated for exclusion zones around religious activities, stating "if they're (activists) determined to have a safety zone, why not a safety zone around any activities that could be personally intimidating for those involved"; and

(b) calls on all senators to:

(i) protect religious freedom in Australia,

(ii) note the hypocrisy of pro-abortion activists complaining about pro-life group activities near abortion clinics, while, at the same time, carrying out their own protest rallies against religious observances, and

(iii) support calls for pro-abortion activists to be banned from disrupting Day of the Unborn Child services across the nation.

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Justice Party Senator Derryn Hinch (Vic), which means the motion failed.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) acknowledges:

(i) the recent partial release of the 'Ruddock Report' into religious freedoms in Australia, and

(ii) that, in response, both the government and the opposition have now committed to repealing sections of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984, which allow independent schools to sack teachers and expel children on the basis of their sexual orientation; and

(b) calls on the Federal Government to:

(i) work with the states and territories to achieve consistency in anti-discrimination laws,

(ii) withhold federal funding to any schools which engage in discrimination against teachers or students on the basis of sexual orientation, and

(iii) deny charity tax concessions to any organisation or commission responsible for a school that engages in discrimination.

The majority voted in favour of motion introduced by Labor Senator Penny Wong, which means it succeeded.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) Australia is a tolerant and accepting nation and discrimination against LGBTI Australians has no place in our national laws,

(ii) the Government has had the Review into Religious Freedoms since May 2018, and has so far refused to release it so Australia can have a proper debate about these important issues,

(iii) repeated leaks over the last week have suggested that the review will recommend changes to exemptions from anti-discrimination legislation in relation to LGBTI students and staff,

(iv) many religious education institutions have made clear that they do not use, nor do they want, these exemptions, and

(v) these exemptions are out of step with the views and beliefs of most Australians; and

(b) calls on the Federal Government to:

(i) immediately introduce legislation which would abolish the current exemptions that permit discrimination against LGBTI students and staff in religious schools, and

(ii) immediately release the Review into Religious Freedoms so the Australian people can have a mature debate about how we can best balance protection of religious freedom with the rights of people to live free from discrimination, in compliance with the orders of the Senate of 19 September and 20 September 2018.