Parliament House for the state of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia. | Stock photo via Shutterstock Catholic leaders in Australia expressed concern this week about a new set of laws passed in the state of Victoria which prevent religious groups and schools from making hiring decisions based on protected attributes such as marital status. Melbourne’s Catholic archbishop said following the bill’s passage that “not a single problem of discrimination” has been identified in the state’s Catholic schools. Under the Equal Opportunity (Religious Exceptions) Amendment Bill 2021, religious organisations and schools will no longer be able to fire or refuse to hire people based on protected attributes such as sexuality, gender identity, or marital status, a Dec. 2 announcement from the Victorian premier reads. The new laws do not apply to priests, ministers, or religious leaders or their members, the premier said. Religious organizations that receive Victorian government funding to provide services will not be able to refuse to provide those services to people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. The announcement says religious organisations and schools will only be able to make employment decisions based on an employee’s religious beliefs where those beliefs are “inherent to the job […]
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