SPECIAL: Inside Australia’s Hate Speech Backflip And What It Means For Faith Communities

A roller-coaster week for religious freedom in Australia. In just days, sweeping Australian national legislation moved from deeply alarming to not great, but not terrible — after intense pressure from faith leaders across the country. In this special bonus episode of The Pastor’s Heart, we speak with Michael Stead, Bishop of South Sydney and director of Freedom for Faith, who had a front-row seat as the law was debated, amended, and finally passed late at night in Parliament. What was originally proposed? Why did faith leaders unite in an extraordinary last-minute letter to the Prime Minister? Which parts of the bill remain concerning — and which dangers were narrowly avoided? We walk through how the law was actually made — and what it now means for preaching, Bible teaching, protest, and free speech in Australia. Read the Faith Leaders letter. The Church Co is a website and app platform built specifically for churches. Advertise on The Pastor's Heart To advertise on The Pastor's Heart go to thepastorsheart.net/sponsor Support the show

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SPECIAL: Inside Australia’s Hate Speech Backflip And What It Means For Faith Communities is an episode from The Pastor's Heart with Dominic Steele by Dominic Steele.

This episode is 28:25 long.

This episode was published on Jan 21, 2026.

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