Sydney, Australia, Aug 7, 2018 / 09:15 am
A group of trade unions in Australia last month passed a motion saying that they will lobby to restrict the right of religious organizations to make hiring decisions based on adherence to Church teaching on sexuality.
Wil Stracke, a member of the Victorian Trades Hall Council which proposed the new motion, said that union members hoped the religious exemptions to discrimination laws would be "narrowed significantly so that they can only apply when it's an inherent requirement of the job."
"We recognise there are roles in some places where it's appropriate, [such as] religious education at a Catholic school," she told the Guardian.
"But...we don't see why the school should be able to discriminate for someone who is the cleaner there. We'll work on changing those laws and advocating for that change."