Labor urged to repeal religious school exemption allowing discrimination on sexuality and marital status
Independent MP Allegra Spender has tabled a bill to end the exemption that permits religious schools to discriminate against LGBTQ people and unmarried or divorced staff and students, urging Labor to back it.
Allegra Spender, an independent MP for Wentworth, introduced a bill to eliminate the religious-school exemption in the Sex Discrimination Act that allows faith-based institutions to fire teachers or expel students for being gay, transgender, unmarried, divorced or pregnant. The amendment, supported by the Greens, follows a 2024 Australian Law Reform Commission recommendation to scrap the loophole, but Labor has stalled the reforms despite its 2022 election promise.
Equality Australia chief Anna Brown called the exemption "long-overdue" to be removed, and former Sydney Christian school student James Elliot-Watson recounted personal discrimination after coming out as gay. The Attorney-General's office has not confirmed whether Labor will support the bill, while the government continues to seek a bipartisan solution.
Why it matters
The exemption lets faith schools legally discriminate, affecting the rights and safety of LGBTQ and unmarried students and staff.
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