Australia: Gay rights backer at ‘unbiased’ institute
A former Greens employee and gay rights campaigner is behind a report to the South Australian government calling for the removal of anti-discrimination exemptions that enable religious schools to hire staff aligned with their beliefs — calling into question the impartiality of advice. South Australian Law Reform Institute senior project officer Sarah Moulds wrote the report recommending an overhaul of the state’s Equal Opportunity Act, which critics fear could significantly curtail religious freedoms. The recommendation, one of 11 in the report released last month, was made despite up to 90 per cent of public submissions urging the exemptions remain. Under South Australian law, religious institutions may discriminate against prospective employees based on sexuality, gender identity and religious beliefs. However, if the recommendation were adopted, sexual orientation and gender identity would be removed as exemptions, meaning a gay teacher who believed they had been