A tribunal has granted a family a five-year exemption from anti-discrimination laws to only engage male support workers to assist their non-verbal son, who has a severe to profound intellectual disability, after he refused to accept directions from "even very experienced" female support workers.
Legislation introduced recently to Queensland's Parliament imposes a positive duty that goes beyond the Respect@Work model, adds new protected attributes to the Anti-Discrimination Act and improves protections for workers assaulted on the job, but the State union peak body is disappointed it continues to permit religious bodies to discriminate in employment.
The Law Reform Commission has recommended legal changes to substantially narrow the circumstances in which religious educational institutions can discriminate against their workers.
A tribunal has ordered a disability support service to pay a worker $10,000 damages and three months wages, after it failed to engage her because of her disability.
A tribunal member has thrown out a lawyer's discrimination case, accusing him of becoming a "serial pest" after he filed multiple discrimination claims against employers for failing to hire him, including a recent matter in which he claimed "very attractive and beautiful" interviewers humiliated him.
The Law Reform Commission is seeking feedback on its proposal to tighten protections from discrimination by religious schools against teachers and other workers, but with revised exemptions to permit them to engage those who support their ethos.
The Secure Jobs, Better Pay Act has received Royal Assent, stamping out pay secrecy clauses in new employment contracts, paring back MSD requirements and making it harder for employers to terminate agreements during bargaining, while the ABCC has entered a transition period ahead of its abolition.
A UK tribunal has awarded a Christian factory-worker £22,000 ($39,000) in compensation, after finding on appeal that his dismissal for refusing to remove a crucifix necklace constituted indirect discrimination.
Government senators on the inquiry into the religious discrimination bills have recommended it pass with minor amendments, and say it should be the role of future governments to "monitor the impacts" of contentious provisions allowing "statements of belief" and overriding state-based protections against discrimination in employment by faith-based bodies.
Tasmania's government and NGOs - including unions - have united in opposition to the proposed Religious Discrimination Bill because of provisions that override "gold standard" State anti-discrimination legislation that protects LGBTIQ+ employees in faith-based workplaces.
