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  <name>Legislative Council</name>
  <date date="2022-11-16T14:15:00+10:30" />
  <sessionName>Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)</sessionName>
  <parliamentNum>55</parliamentNum>
  <sessionNum>1</sessionNum>
  <parliamentName>Parliament of South Australia</parliamentName>
  <house>Legislative Council</house>
  <venue></venue>
  <reviewStage>published</reviewStage>
  <startPage num="1497" />
  <endPage num="1597" />
  <dateModified time="2023-07-06T09:39:48+09:30" />
  <proceeding continued="true">
    <name>Question Time</name>
    <subject>
      <name>Religious Exemptions</name>
      <text id="202211167ef62cf4096a4b9e80000398">
        <heading>Religious Exemptions</heading>
      </text>
      <talker role="member" id="6802" referenceid="c1fd605273be4c058a02036c43289159" kind="question">
        <name>The Hon. R.A. SIMMS</name>
        <house>Legislative Council</house>
        <questions>
          <question date="2022-11-16T03:45:00+10:30">
            <name>Religious Exemptions</name>
          </question>
        </questions>
        <startTime time="2022-11-16T15:26:39+10:30" />
        <text id="202211167ef62cf4096a4b9e80000399">
          <timeStamp time="2022-11-16T15:26:39+10:30" />
          <by role="member" id="6802" referenceid="c1fd605273be4c058a02036c43289159">The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (15:26):</by>  I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question without notice to the Attorney-General on the topic of religious exemptions.</text>
        <text id="202211167ef62cf4096a4b9e80000400">Leave granted.</text>
      </talker>
      <talker role="member" id="6802" referenceid="c1fd605273be4c058a02036c43289159" kind="question" continued="true">
        <name>The Hon. R.A. SIMMS</name>
        <house>Legislative Council</house>
        <text id="202211167ef62cf4096a4b9e80000401">
          <by role="member" id="6802" referenceid="c1fd605273be4c058a02036c43289159">The Hon. R.A. SIMMS:</by>  In 2020, the former Liberal government held a public consultation on draft legislation via YourSAy on proposed changes to the Equal Opportunity Act. The aim was to create a better balance between equality and religious freedoms for organisations that provide services.</text>
        <text id="202211167ef62cf4096a4b9e80000402">The draft legislation was to remove the provisions for religious organisations to discriminate on the basis of sex or LGBTI identity when providing preschool, primary or secondary education, health services, aged care, disability support services, foster care placement, emergency accommodation and public housing. The consultation summary has been removed from the YourSAy website.</text>
        <text id="202211167ef62cf4096a4b9e80000403">My question to the Attorney-General is: what is the progress of these reforms to the Equal Opportunity Act to remove religious exemptions to equal opportunity laws, and what is the expected time frame for this reform?</text>
      </talker>
      <talker role="member" id="4697" referenceid="c1607c57d2294390bdc2b07c15f35010" kind="answer">
        <name>The Hon. K.J. MAHER</name>
        <house>Legislative Council</house>
        <portfolios>
          <portfolio id="">
            <name>Minister for Aboriginal Affairs</name>
          </portfolio>
          <portfolio id="">
            <name>Attorney-General</name>
          </portfolio>
          <portfolio id="">
            <name>Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector</name>
          </portfolio>
        </portfolios>
        <startTime time="2022-11-16T15:27:46+10:30" />
        <text id="202211167ef62cf4096a4b9e80000404">
          <timeStamp time="2022-11-16T15:27:46+10:30" />
          <by role="member" id="4697" referenceid="c1607c57d2294390bdc2b07c15f35010">The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:27):</by>  I thank the honourable member for his question. It's not an area that I am aware of where it's up to in terms of what the previous government had put forward or where it was up to in terms of the public consultation process and whatever followed on from that.</text>
        <text id="202211167ef62cf4096a4b9e80000405">The Labor Party certainly doesn't have a policy in relation to the matters that the honourable member has raised, but as always I am happy to talk further to the honourable member about this or any other thoughts he has, but I am happy to take it on notice to see if there is—it's not something I have a briefing on or have any information in relation to.</text>
      </talker>
    </subject>
  </proceeding>
</hansard>