Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Mr Porter unveiled 11 key changes to the bill after receiving about 6000 written submissions about the government's first effort,including criticism from church,business and community groups.
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."
The initial bill,released in August,did not clearly define"conscientious objection"when setting out provisions for health professionals,raising concerns for the Australian Medical Association (AMA). The new version makes it clear health workers will not have the right to discriminate against patients based on gender,sexuality or other characteristics.
Mr Porter used the example of a GP who did not want to"engage in hormone therapies"for a trans person. "That's fine,but you have to exercise that in a consistent way,so you don't engage in the procedure at all,"he toldThe Sydney Morning Herald andThe Age.
The AMA said it was considering its response to the new draft bill,while Equality Australia warned it"still allows for adverse impact on patient health". "Laws that privilege religious views over patient health are unacceptable,"chief executive Anna Brown said.
The so-called"Folau clause",which was heavily criticised by business and LGBTIQ groups,remains in the new bill. This prevents companies with revenue of at least $50 million from imposing restrictions on employees airing their religious views in their spare time unless it would cause the business"unjustifiable financial hardship".