A South Australian legislator is set to introduce a bill that would mandate religious schools to employ homosexual teachers.
Robert Simms, an openly gay Greens member of the upper house of South Australia’s Parliament, announced his intention to propose this bill in August, aiming to abolish exemptions for religious institutions.
“It is outrageous that in 21st-century South Australia, a gay teacher working in a religious school can be in fear of losing their job simply because of their sexuality… Surely all South Australians deserve equal protection before the law?” Simms told The Advertiser.
Simms also expressed his frustration with the Federal Government’s “slow progress” on the issue, urging the South Australian government to take the initiative.
Conversely, Warwick D’Silva, national president of the Australian Family Association (AFA), criticised the proposal.
“Robert Simms’s plan to remove current exemptions for faith-based schools from South Australia’s anti-discrimination law smacks of hypocrisy,” D’Silva stated. He questioned if Simms would support legislation limiting his own party’s employment freedoms similarly.
Hellbound and Down 