Alastair Lawrie, director of policy and advocacy at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, said the report lays out a clear pathway for the government to keep its promise to protect LGBTQ+ students and teachers.
But the organisation criticised the narrow terms of reference for the inquiry, which did not extend to exploring the same protections for LGBTQ+ people working in other industries. Lawrie said:
‘We’re disappointed that the narrow terms of reference given to the ALRC mean the report does not recommend immediate removal of general religious exceptions which allow discrimination in other taxpayer funded services operated by faith bodies across healthcare, disability and elsewhere.’
’Gay nurses, lesbian doctors, bisexual aged care workers, trans NDIS service providers, and LGBTQ people accessing a wide range of publicly funded community services deserve the same rights, and same protections, as queer students and teachers.’