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 discriminated against by a religious school
would be able to appeal.
Ros Phillips, a senior policy adviser with Christian
lobby group Family Voice Australia, questioned how the advice could be
considered impartial given Ms Moulds’s political affiliation.
The PhD student at Adelaide University’s School of Law
previously worked as an adviser to former Greens senator Penny Wright and
remains an outspoken supporter of the party and its policies, which include the
removal of exemptions to anti-discrimination laws. Her Facebook page is crammed
with posts supporting the party and same-sex marriage rights.
Operating from Adelaide Law School, the independent institute
was established in 2010 to give advice to government based on “impartial
research”.
Ms Phillips said the report lacked credibility.
“The report ignored the overwhelming majority of
public submissions which called for no change to, or the strengthening of,
exemptions,” she said. “This is an attack on freedom of religion, and the
rights of parents to determine their children’s education.”
The Association of Independent Schools South Australia
has also flagged concerns. Association executive officer Carolyn Grantskalns
said exemptions protecting schools’ rights to employ staff supportive of or living
their ethos were crucial to maintaining their religious basis.
Last month, institute director John Williams
acknowledged a majority of more than 360 submissions favoured keeping the
exemptions. Yesterday, he defended the report, saying there was a “careful
review and consultation process (for) all reports”.
Ms Moulds did not return calls or respond to emails.
