WA proposes new discrimination limits for religious schools
Religious institutions would retain an exemption based on religion, while wider protections would cover disability and other grounds.
The WA government has proposed laws that would bar religious schools from dismissing teachers or expelling students because of their sexuality, and from refusing students admission because of disability.
Under the planned rewrite of the state's Equal Opportunity Act, religious institutions could continue to discriminate on religious grounds. Attorney General Tony Buti said the exemption would not extend to sexual orientation, protecting LGBTQIA+ people from discrimination.
Buti described the bill as the most extensive overhaul of WA's anti-discrimination laws in more than 40 years. It would broaden disability protections across settings, including schools, and seek to prohibit discrimination on grounds including homelessness, exposure to domestic violence, pregnancy, breastfeeding and union activity.
Felicity Creagh, who has two autistic children, welcomed the proposal. Speaking at a press conference with Buti, she said it would give families stronger protections when seeking reasonable adjustments and accommodations for their children.
The bill is due to be tabled in parliament. It follows changes introduced in 2024 that ended the requirement for medical or surgical reassignment before changing a person's sex or gender and abolished WA's Gender Reassignment Board.
