12 October 2026 – Equality Australia has welcomed a bill to end legal discrimination in religious schools, introduced by independent MP Allegra Spender, and called on Labor to back the long-overdue protections for LGBTQ+ students and staff.
Ms Spender introduced the Sex Discrimination and Fair Work Amendment (Equality in Treatment in Religious Schools) Bill to the Lower House on Monday.
Religious schools can legally discriminate against LGBTQ+ people and people who are pregnant, divorced or in de facto relationships. Labor promised to close this loophole in 2022, but years later there has been no progress.
Equality Australia CEO Anna Brown:
“With the support of the Greens, there is a clear path through parliament to pass this bill. The question is whether the government is serious about honouring the commitment it made to our community and women’s groups all those years ago.
“A gay student should not have to hide who they are to have a shot at leadership or live in fear of being expelled, and no woman should ever risk losing her job because she falls pregnant outside marriage.
“These are basic questions of fairness, and it is unacceptable that in Australia today people are still left without protections against this kind of discrimination.
“We urge the federal government and all federal MPs to seize this opportunity and finally deliver these long-overdue reforms.
“Behind these legal carve-outs are real people facing real consequences. We’re talking about people’s education, their livelihoods and their futures.”
Former student of a Christian school in Sydney, James Elliot-Watson:
“I was just a teenager when my school told me I couldn’t become a prefect because I came out as gay, told me to not to tell other people and referred me to counselling to change my sexuality.
“My school treated me as less worthy of opportunities, acceptance and patience simply because of who I am, my humanity.
“No young person should have to experience that. We’ve had years of broken promises that the laws will change, but right now we’re leaving kids across the country at risk of the same treatment that I faced.
“I’ll say what I said two years ago: it’s time for the government to do their job and protect vulnerable kids from being discriminated against by their own schools.
“How many more teachers and students have to suffer before we finally see real action? This isn’t about religious freedom, this is about protecting students and staff from discrimination that is unacceptable in every other area of modern Australia.”
Ordained pastor Dr Karen Pack, who was fired from her role as a teacher at a Baptist tertiary college in Sydney in 2020 when she became engaged to her same-sex partner:
“No one should be forced to choose between their faith and who they are. Every year these reforms are delayed, more people are left vulnerable to the same hurt and rejection I experienced.
“Being gay doesn’t make you any less worthy of belonging in your faith community. You shouldn’t have to hide who you are to be accepted by the people and institutions that teach you about love, compassion and dignity.
“When students and staff are forced to hide who they are to keep their place in a school community, the cost can be devastating, leading to significantly higher rates of suicidal ideation, anxiety and depression.
“We have a choice: care over closeting, compassion over coercion.
“Each time we have this conversation, religious schools argue that they don’t expel students for being LGBTQ+. And they insist that they cannot exist without the legal right to discriminate on the basis of gender and sexuality. Those things can't both be true.
“Religious freedom matters. But it should never be used as a licence to discriminate. We can protect people’s right to practice their faith without denying someone else their dignity and equality.”
Media Contact: Mike Hitch - 0426 812 115
