Community anger at loss of rights

Victorian GLBTI rights activists have reacted with disappointment at the passage of legislation that will make it easier for religious organisations to discriminate against gay, lesbian and transgender people.

The controversial Equal Opportunity Amendment Bill passed through the Upper House last week, 19 votes to 17. Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby convenor Sarah Rogan told the Star Observer the new rules will make it harder for GLBTI people in the workplace.

“It will mean our community will face discrimination from religious organisations when seeking employment and we won’t have any recourse if we do experience discrimination,” Rogan said.

The new bill will reverse the former Brumby Government’s legislation — due to come into effect in August — which included an inherent requirements test provision requiring religious bodies to establish that their ability to discriminate for a particular job was an ‘inherent requirement’ for the role.

“With the removal of the inherent requirement test, if we are refused a job or provision of services because of sexual orientation and gender identity, we can’t do anything about it,” Rogan said. “The Victorian Government has legislated discrimination and they
think it’s okay.”

Rogan said she was concerned the new legislation sends a message to GLBTI people working in areas where religious bodies are strongly represented.

“Victoria could be losing some of its best teachers, some of its best social workers — those sorts of professions which always need people in them, won’t be as open to us any more,” she said. “While the [Baillieu] Government keeps touting its mental health packages, they really don’t mean much when we can be discriminated against.”

Rogan said the reversal of increased powers for the Victorian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission to investigate discrimination was also a step back.

ALSO Foundation CEO Crusader Hillis said the changes will make it more difficult for GLBTI Victorians and said he was disappointed some lower house Liberal MPs, who’ve stood up for the GLBTI community, voted for the bill.

“Mary Wooldrige or Clem Newton-Brown or other members of the Liberal Party suggesting they’re supportive of the GLBTIQ community, [in voting for the bill] they still see homosexuality, single motherhood, de facto relationships, and a whole range of other affected people as being somehow socially disordered,” he said.

“I understand MPs are expected to vote in a group on those sorts of issues, but it’s extremely disappointing that none of them have the courage to stand up to something which they probably see, to some extent, being an unfair situation.“It sanctions discrimination in ways that are going to make it much harder for GLBTIQ people”