Australian MP Tim Wilson has said he is “concerned” Rugby Australia are attempting to sack Israel Folau for a social media post claiming gay people are destined for hell, despite not actually seeing the post himself.
Folau has requested a code of conduct appeal hearing over Rugby Australia's decision to pursue dismissing him for a "high-level breach" of the governing body's Professional Players' Code of Conduct, following a post that said "hell awaits" for "drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists, idolaters".
But Mr Wilson, who is gay and proposed to his husband in parliament while speaking on the same-sex marriage bill in 2017, insists rugby should not be a sport just for “people who are agnostic or atheist”.
The 39-year-old admits he has only seen media reports concerning the controversial post, which has been defended by England Billy Vunipola, but backed people being able to share their views without censorship.
“There is a need for people to be able to express their views on something like religion, and their religious beliefs, without censorship,” Mr Wilson told the ABC.
“I don’t know the details of the EBA or the contractual arrangements that sit between (Rugby Australia) and Israel Folau, but I would have thought that Rugby Australia should be very cautious in how they are conducting themselves.
“Rugby isn’t just a game for people who are agnostic or atheist. In a free, pluralistic democracy, that should have space for everybody to express their opinion.”
Mr Wilson also commented on provisions in employment contracts to prevent employees from sharing views that do “unnecessary harm or damage”.
“Quoting the Bible or reciting a well established position around morality and private morality I don’t think crosses that line,” he added.
And despite admitting his strongly-held view came from merely hearing about the post, rather than seeing it for himself, Mr Wilson maintained it did not sound like Folau’s post had “crossed the line”.
“But from what I have seen... It wouldn’t have crossed that line,” he said.
