Far-left party The Greens are set to introduce new laws that would prevent religious schools in South Australia from rejecting teaching job applicants for being homosexual or claiming to be the gender they are not.
Greens MLC Robert Simms, who is a homosexual male, will in August attempt to remove anti-discrimination law exemptions that allow religious bodies to take so-called sexual orientation and gender identity into account when hiring workers.
“These exemptions allow discrimination by South Australian religious schools and organisations,” he told the Advertiser.
“If this bill becomes law, schools and religious organisations will no longer have the right to select or terminate staff members on the basis of shared moral and ethical standards and beliefs,” she said.”So, for example, a Catholic school could effectively be forced to employ a teacher who espouses gender fluidity and other woke principles.”A spokesperson for the Labor state government the bill will be carefully reviewed when it is presented.
The Greens push comes just weeks after hundreds of parents turned up at a Christian school in Adelaide to protest similar laws proposed by the federal government based on recommendations from an Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) report described as “an appalling attack on faith and freedom of belief in Australia”.
The packed Faith in Our Future event took place at the Tyndale Christian School in Salisbury East in June, and involved teachers, parents, students and their supporters who are concerned that the changes would stop parents from being able to educate their children in schools that share their values.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, who is Jewish, has drafted legislation based on the ALRC report, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said last month the government was awaiting a response from the Opposition, who were handed a copy in March.
Mr Dreyfus’ office said at the time: “No Australian should be discriminated against because of who they are or what they believe.
“The Government will seek to enhance protections in anti-discrimination law in a way that brings Australians together.
“Just as Commonwealth law already prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sexuality, disability and age, no one should be discriminated against because of their faith.”
But Christian Schools Australia (CSA), Australian Association of Christian Schools (AACS) and Associated Christian Schools (ACS) said if the recommendations were adopted “Christian education as we know it will cease to exist”.
